DURHAM, N.C. -- With 13:21 to go in the game, Virginia forward Derrick Byars took a J.R. Reynolds swing pass and coolly sank an open three from the top of the key to cap a 10-2 run and bring the Cavaliers within three to 57-54. But Duke survived the second-half scare in calm fashion, turning the tables with a 17-5 run of its own en route to a 93-75 drubbing of the Cavaliers.
The run by Duke (21-1, 10-0 ACC) came to a crescendo thanks to a pair of spectacular assists from Chris Duhon on consecutive possessions. First, Duhon flipped up a well-timed pass to Luol Deng for an alley-oop, erupting the 9,314 fans packed into Cameron. A defensive stop and Duke fast break resulted in a behind-the-back pass from Duhon to Sheldon Williams for a powerful dunk, extending the lead to 15 and effectively sealing the game.
With the loss, Virginia (12-9, 2-8) has now lost five in a row and seven of their last nine. Junior forward Elton Brown paced the Cavaliers with 24 points on 9-18 shooting.
Virginia's other offensive star was Reynolds. The freshman guard scored 16 points on 4-7 shooting on three-point field goals and added three assists without turning the ball over.
"He made every big basket," coach Pete Gillen said of Reynolds. "He had poise and played with a big heart. I thought he was spectacular tonight in a tough environment."
Virginia controlled the opening tip, and the ball soon found its way into Reynolds' hands for a quick three 17 seconds into the game. In retaliation, Duke's J.J. Redick seemed determined to put the game out of reach, going on a personal 8-0 run that included two three-point baskets.
The Cavaliers soon narrowed the lead to nine, but Blue Devil guard Daniel Ewing responded in kind, drilling three-pointers on three straight times up the floor.
Virginia switched to a 3-2 zone in the closing minutes of the first half to put more pressure on Duke's torrid outside shooters. Ewing and Redick poured in 25 first-half points on 8-13 shooting and sank all six of their free throw attempts.
Duke's number one post threat, Williams, took advantage of the emphasis Virginia put on perimeter defense, dominating inside to the tune of 19 points and 12 rebounds. He added four blocks on the defensive end in his 34 minutes of playing time.
Williams stepped up in the second half, scoring 13, in part thanks to Virginia's persistent foul trouble. The Cavaliers' best defender, Jason Clark, was whistled for two quick fouls early in the second half and fouled out with 17:22 left in the game.
"I didn't know he had his fourth," Gillen said of Clark's foul situation. His fourth "was a quick one down at the other end. I didn't know who they called it on."
Byars soon followed suit, recording his fifth foul with 11:38 to go.
Forced to shift to a smaller lineup, the Cavaliers had difficulty playing interior defense, yielding 38 paints in the paint and notching only 15 defensive rebounds compared to the 14 Duke grabbed on offense.
Virginia's style of defense dictated Duke's offense, but the Cavaliers were simply choosing their own poison.
"We didn't play great defense inside, and when we did, we didn't play great 'D' outside," forward Gary Forbes said.
Gillen employed Virginia's seventh different starting lineup in as many games. Devin Smith's ailing back kept him out of the lineup for the second time in three games.
Virginia now falls to 47-103 in 150 all-time meetings with Duke and has lost 18 of the last 20.
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