Early on, the game looked like it would be a blow-out. On the opening possession, Duke forward John Smith drove through the Crimson paint for a thunderous slam.
But Harvard answered Smith's dunk, taking its only lead of the evening when Duncan (six-for-13 from the field, five-for-six from the line) drew a foul while sinking a lay-up and then completed a three-point play.
The Blue Devils--on the strength of 56 percent first-half field goal shooting--embarked on a 33-14 run, however, to take a commanding 56-36 halftime advantage.
Harvard, which shot a dreadful 39 percent form the floor for the game, received a spark from the play of sophomore forward Tedd Evers, who scored 13 of his career-high 17 points in the second half.
"[Harvard] is a team that keeps the pressure on you offensively," Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said." If you have a mental breakdown, for even 30 seconds, you're in trouble. They ran their system tonight, and that’s a credit to them."
"They play an exciting brand of basketball here," Krzyzewski continued. "These kids had the game of their season tonight, and we like when a team comes after us like that."