MINNEAPOLIS— The way Mike Dunleavy’s shots swished home, he didn’t need any kisses off the glass.

He did, however, reserve one for the rim.

Moments after Monday night’s 82-72 win over Arizona for the national championship, all the Blue Devils climbed up a ladder, scissors in hand, to snip off a piece of the net.

After Dunleavy performed his handiwork, he added a personal touch — a quick kiss to the basket that had treated him so well.

“That was a basket that was good to me,”Dunleavy explained with a laugh. “I got my little piece of the net and got a little kiss in, just to say thank you.”

Dunleavy scored a team-high 21 points against Arizona, with 18 coming in the second half. He drained a career high 5-of-9 shots from the 3-point line and killed the ’Cats with three straight 3s during an 11-2 Duke run.

After the game, he downplayed his performance, saying he would have been as happy scoring 21 points or two. The Wildcats would have much preferred the latter.

“Dunleavy’s a streak shooter, and we knew that,”Arizona head coach Lute Olson said. “We had talked about if they hit a couple 3s, you better make sure they don’t catch the ball without you being in their face. He hit a coupe in a row that really, really hurt us badly.”

Duke held a 40-37 lead when Dunleavy caught fire. At the 17:03 mark, guard Chris Duhon drove through the lane and kicked out to a wide-open Dunleavy, who connected from several steps behind the line on the right wing.

On Duke’s next possession, Shane Battier hit Dunleavy on the left wing. Different spot, same result.

Following a Battier block at the other end, Duhon raced down the court, passed off to point guard Jason Williams — who passed off to Dunleavy, again open on the left wing.

Same spot, same result. Three 3-pointers in 45 seconds forced Olson to call a timeout, his team suddenly trailing 49-39.

“After I hit those three in a row and they called a timeout, I was huffing and puffing and Coach was going to sub me out,”said Dunleavy, who had a different idea for Mike Krzyzewski. “He looked up at me and I started shaking my head — ‘Don’t do it now.’

“I finally found that rhythm. I was thinking to myself, ‘Dang, it’s about time,”Dunleavy added. “I kind of pressed myself early in the game, had some good looks and Iwasn’t making them. It was pretty good timing in the national championship game.”

Dunleavy missed his next attempt from long range on a block/foul — he headed down the court pointing at his elbow while looking at the referee — by Arizona’s Richard Jefferson. But he scored four straight points a minute later off a wide-open layup from Williams and a breakaway slam following an Arizona turnover.

His final points of the night came courtesy a spectacular ball fake. With the Wildcats trailing by seven with 10 minutes to play, Duhon found Dunleavy buried in the right corner on a fast break.

Dunleavy caught the ball and, with a defender flying at him, faked a pass to his left, waited for the Wildcat to leave him and nailed his fifth 3-pointer.

“Mike took it upon himself to hit some huge baskets,”Duhon said. “He still hasn’t shown the world what we see in practice. After he celebrates this championship and we start back next year, you’ll see Mike Dunleavy as a great player.”

In helping his team to the national title, Dunleavy gained a measure of recognition last night. He was named to the All-Final Four team along with Duke’s more-recognized stars Battier and Williams.

“I think he’s overshadowed on this team. People talk about Jason and myself, but we believe Mike is just as good as us,”Battier said. “Mike is not a good basketball player. He’s a phenomenal basketball player.”

As for what kind of kisser he is, well, the rim wasn’t talking.