By Mitchell Northam

Associated Press

DURHAM — AJ Griffin attempted 10 shots Saturday, nine of them from behind the arc. If Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had his way, Griffin would’ve put up even more.

“AJ is our best shooter. I’d really like for him to be even more aggressive,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s a key guy, there’s no question about it. Every guy on our team has complete confidence in him.”

Griffin hit five 3-pointers — the most by a Duke player this season — and the sixth-ranked Blue Devils routed visiting Syracuse 79-59.

“We’re more connected on the offensive end with balanced scoring,” Krzyzewski said. “There were a couple of really good minutes of outstanding offense. It looked like the (Carolina) Hurricanes playing. There were a lot of hockey assists.”

Griffin was one of four players for Duke (15-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 15 points, joining Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams. Banchero had 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Jeremy Roach added 11 points.

Jesse Edwards led Syracuse (9-10, 3-5) with 12 points and nine rebounds. Jimmy Boeheim also had 12 points.

Griffin swished 3-pointers on his first two shots to spark Duke’s 11-2 run out of the gate. Syracuse surged back with a 13-5 stretch but never took the lead from Duke.

A 24-11 run from the Blue Devils to start the second half extended their lead to 27. Moore tallied 10 points during that span. Duke grew its lead to 31 points during the second half.

Saturday marked the 16th meeting between Krzyzewski and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who are 1-2 atop the career wins list among Division I men’s basketball coaches. Krzyzewski leads the head-to-head series 11-5.

“We’re really good friends, and that’s separate from basketball. When we come here, we want to win,” Boeheim said of facing Krzyzewski for the last time at Cameron Indoor Stadium. “There’s so many good memories, on the court, but more than many off the court.”

Duke hit 14 of 37 3-pointers (37.8%).

BIG PICTURE

Duke: The Blue Devils bounced back from their loss to Florida State in an emphatic way, beating Syracuse in nearly every facet of the game. The Blue Devils were efficient in sharing the ball, too, totaling 25 assists on 30 made field goals for an 83% assist percentage, its best mark of the season.

“We have great players all over the floor,” Banchero said. “Everyone trusts each other to make shots, so we’re never hesitant to pass it for open looks.”

Syracuse: The Orange have lost five of their last seven games and their hopes of earning Boeheim another NCAA tournament berth are dwindling. Syracuse made just five 3-pointers, tied for its lowest of the season.

KEEL OUT, ROACH RESPONDS

Freshman guard Trevor Keels did not play for Duke as he recovers from a leg injury he suffered against Florida State. Krzyzewski said the injury shouldn’t be “long-term.”

In-place of Keels, sophomore Jeremy Roach started after three games of coming off the bench. He responded by dishing out a career-high nine assists, along with six points and three rebounds.

KEY STAT

Duke held Syracuse to 17.2% shooting from behind the arc. The Blue Devils have held seven straight opponents — and 13 on the season — to 30% or worse from 3-point range. Duke entered the game ranking 41st nationally and second in the ACC in 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 29.7% from deep this season.

Buddy Boeheim, the Orange’s leading scorer (19.2) was 2 of 15, including 1 of 10 from behind the arc. Joe Girard, who entered the game leading the ACC in 3-point shooting at 45.5% and was tied for the conference lead with 51 made 3s, was 1 of 9 from deep. Each scored seven points.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Duke finishes the week 1-1. The Blue Devils weren’t the only ranked team that lost this week though, as No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 4 Purdue were also among those who suffered defeats. Duke will likely be part of a reshuffling in the next poll.

UP NEXT

Duke: Remaining at home, the Blue Devils host Clemson on Tuesday.

Syracuse: The Orange stay on the road, playing at Pitt on Tuesday.

UNC Wilmington 81, Towson  77 (OT)

TOWSON, Md. (AP) — Shykeim Phillips had 18 points to lead five UNC Wilmington players in double figures as the Seahawks won their eighth straight game, edging past Towson 81-77 in overtime.

Jaylen Sims added 15 points for the Seahawks. Jaylen Fornes chipped in 13, Jamahri Harvey scored 12 and James Baker Jr. had 10. Sims also had seven rebounds, while Fornes posted seven rebounds.

Cam Holden had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers (14-6, 5-2 Colonial Athletic Conference), whose five-game winning streak came to an end. Antonio Rizzuto added 16 points as did Nicolas Timberlake.

Charlotte 67, Rice 64

HOUSTON (AP) — Austin Butler scored 14 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:23 left, and Charlotte beat Rice 67-64 on Saturday.

Jackson Threadgill also scored 14 points for Charlotte (10-7, 3-2 Conference USA). Clyde Trapp Jr. added 11 points and made three free throws in the final 41 seconds to hold off Rice. Jahmir Young had 10 points and six rebounds. Mylyjael Poteat had 15 points for the Owls (11-7, 4-3). Travis Evee added 13 points. Carl Pierre had 12 points.

Davidson 69, Fordham 66

NEW YORK (AP) — Luka Brajkovic had 21 points as Davidson stretched its winning streak to 15 games with a 45-point second half to beat Fordham.

The Wildcats (16-2, 6-0 Atlantic 10 Conference) are off to their best start since the 1964-65 season. Trailing 47-40 with 9:47 remaining, the Wildcats used a 15-3 run to take control and took their first lead of the contest and for good on Foster Loyer’s jumper in the lane with 6:25 to play.

Sam Mennenga had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Loyer added 15 points and six rebounds and Hyunjung Lee had eight rebounds. Darius Quisenberry scored a season-high 36 points for the Rams (9-8, 2-3).

Delaware 80, Elon 77

NEWARK, Del. (AP) — Dylan Painter tied his career high with a season-high 23 points plus 12 rebounds as Delaware stretched its home win streak to seven games, edging past Elon.

Painter shot 11 for 12 from the line. He added three blocks.

Ryan Allen had 13 points for Delaware (14-6, 5-2 Colonial Athletic Association). Kevin Anderson added 11 points. Ebby Asamoah had 10 points and six rebounds. Anderson’s two free throws with six seconds left gave Delaware a five-point lead.

Torrence Watson had 20 points for the Phoenix (5-15, 2-5). Michael Graham added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Darius Burford had 18 points.

Appalachian State 70, Georgia Southern 62

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Adrian Delph had 24 points as Appalachian State defeated Georgia Southern. Michael Almonacy had 16 points and five steals for Appalachian State (12-9, 6-2 Sun Belt Conference), which won its fourth straight game. Justin Forrest added 13 points.

Andrei Savrasov had 16 points for the Eagles (8-9, 1-5). Gedi Juozapaitis added 11 points. Prince Toyambi had 12 rebounds.

Elijah McCadden, who led the Eagles in scoring entering the matchup with 13.0 points per game, scored 4 points. He failed to make a shot from behind the arc (0 of 5).