By Harold Gutmann
The Chronicle

On a night when the Crazies brought out all the old chants about Australia (think dingoes and Fosters), the basketball team also brought their old standbys-an explosive offense and a crushing defense.

The Blue Devils used 64-percent shooting, 36 assists and 20 forced turnovers to defeat the Down Under Bandits 123-63 in the final exhibition game of the season last night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Seven players scored in double figures for the Blue Devils, who showed their range by hitting 15-of-30 three-pointers. The three-point barrage was led by Nate James (4-of-4), Shane Battier (4-of-5), Jason Williams and Mike Dunleavy (both 3-of-7).

"Last year we were not a very good outside shooting team when [Trajan] Langdon was out of the game," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "This year's team has a few more shooters."

Down Under was led by guard Allen McCowan's 20 points and guard Damien Robertson's five assists.

The Bandits scored the first two points of the game on a fast-break lay-up, but guard Nate James then scored the first 10 points for the Blue Devils and the Blue Devils never looked back. Four minutes in, Duke already led 17-4.

Things got so bad for Down Under that at one point, James had 13 points, and Battier and the Bandits each had 12.

The shot clock rarely reached single digits during the game, as point guard Jason Williams pushed the ball up at every opportunity. All the Bandits could do was clutch and grab at the faster Blue Devils-Duke reached the double bonus within ten minutes of both halves, and three Bandits fouled out with more than 10 minutes to play in the game.

The only time Duke's ability to score was stalled was when Williams was taken out of the game late in the first half. The Bandits outscored Duke 8-7 during the four minutes Williams sat out.

Duke's explosive offense was exemplified by one stretch early in the second half, when Duke scored 10 points in just 72 seconds.

Following a timeout, Williams and Battier both hit threes from the top of the key. A steal and slam dunk by Carlos Boozer, and then a lay-up by James off a Battier steal of the inbounds pass completed the quick run.

The last remaining bit of intrigue-whether Duke would get 100 points- ended quickly when Carrawell hit his first of three straight jumpers with over eight minutes left to go.

Casey Sanders finished up the game with two acrobatic blocks and two dunks, and walk-on Ryan Caldbeck hit a three-pointer to help push the final margin to 60 points.

Boozer led the team with 22 points, hitting 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. His performance was especially impressive considering that he is only in his second week of playing full-time since injuring his foot over the summer.

Also strong on offense was James, who hit all seven of his shots to finish with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Battier, who scored 21 points while attempting only six shots.

But what impressed Krzyzewski and the players most wasn't the shooting, but the passing, led by Carrawell's 10 assists and Williams' eight.

"The shots we took were wide open," said Krzyzewski, "and that's the unselfish stuff, where a guy might have a shot that's okay, but he just gives it up to a guy who is wide open.

"I love that, I think that's one of the more beautiful plays there is in all of basketball-the extra pass."

The Blue Devils frequently gave up an open outside shot to pass inside to the post, leading to easy baskets for Boozer, Sanders, and starting center Matt Christensen.

"We kept the floor spaced and were very unselfish," said Dunleavy. "That's a big thing with this team, nobody cares who takes the credit. That might take us a long way."

Lost in the offensive outburst was a strong defensive effort by the Blue Devils, who blocked 12 shots and forced the Aussies to shoot under 30 percent. Battier supplied the team with four blocks, and warmed up for the regular season by taking two charges.

"We definitely have something to prove to the basketball community," Battier said. "People think Duke is going to be down, but we think we're going to put a pretty good product out on the floor, and we're very anxious to unveil it."