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COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Three days removed from a performance they'd like to forget, the Duke Blue Devils picked up a victory Wednesday night they won't soon forget.

Getting key contributions from a variety of players, the fifth-ranked Blue Devils defeated Maryland, 80-62, in the Comcast Center, earning their eighth win in the last nine games against their ACC rival.

It didn't come easily but unlike the Blue Devils' performance against St. John's on Sunday, this time they came through with a critical victory in a difficult environment.

The victory gave Duke (20-2, 7-1 ACC) its 15th consecutive season with at least 20 victories and allowed the Devils to remain in first place in the ACC.

Kyle Singler led Duke with 22 points while Nolan Smith finished with 21 points.

With the Terps pushing Duke, the Blue Devils got a brilliant second-half stretch from Singler, who climbed into the top 20 on the ACC's all-time scoring list during the game.

Working the perimeter, Singler scored five straight baskets for the Blue Devils, looking almost flawless in the process. He started with a tough jumper crossing the lane and then nailed four straight from outside, including a 3-pointer, holding the pose on his follow-through after each shot as Duke held a 56-43 lead.

Maryland got within five points with less than 10 minutes to play but couldn't get any closer. Two Andre Dawkins' 3-pointers stalled the Terps' comeback and allowed the Blue Devils to extend their lead.

After their considerable shooting difficulties against St. John's three days earlier when they missed 20 of their first 21 3-point attempts, the Blue Devils had no such trouble early against the Terrapins.

They hit six of their first nine shots from beyond the arc, including a run of four straight 3-pointers in a three-minute stretch that allowed them to build a 38-23 lead and mute the Maryland crowd.

The Terps scored the last seven points of the first half to hit the locker room with a bit of bounce, having carved Duke's advantage down to 40-33 at the break.

Trailing 16-15 midway through the first half, the Blue Devils suddenly found their offensive rhythm. It started with a 3-pointer by Singler that was followed by a Mason Plumlee jumper. When Smith picked up his own miss off the floor and turned it into a three-point play, Duke had a 23-16 lead.

As he's done to others, Maryland's Jordan Williams gave the Blue Devils problems inside. He sent Duke's Ryan Kelly to the bench with three fouls in the first 13 minutes as the Terps tried to work the ball inside to offset their difficulty scoring on the perimeter.

The Blue Devils showed their offensive versatility in the first half as they built their lead to 15 points. Seth Curry splashed a pair of 3-pointers as the Blue Devils kept attacking. Freshman Tyler Thornton, who made his first start against the Terps, added a 3-pointer as did Dawkins as Maryland struggled to find a solution.

The Terps, however, created problems for the Blue Devils with their full-court pressure, which helped trigger Maryland's late burst.

It had the familiar feel of a meaningful game between the longtime rivals. The crowd included Washington Wizards rookie sensation John Wall and former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda among others.

DUKE (20-2, 7-1)
Singler 10-15 0-1 22, Kelly 0-1 0-0 0, Ma. Plumlee 6-7 0-3 12, Smith 6-16 7-7 21, Thornton 1-3 0-0 3, Hairston 0-0 0-0 0, Dawkins 3-5 2-2 11, Mi. Plumlee 1-3 1-2 3, Curry 3-7 0-1 8. Totals 30-57 10-16 80.

MARYLAND (14-8, 4-4)
Mosley 1-5 4-4 6, Gregory 4-9 0-0 8, Williams 4-7 12-16 20, Bowie 4-9 3-4 11, Stoglin 1-4 0-0 2, Palsson 1-1 0-0 3, Howard 0-3 0-0 0, Tucker 3-9 0-2 7, Padgett 2-3 1-1 5. Totals 20-50 20-27 62.

Duke 40 40 — 80
Maryland 33 29 — 62

Percentages—Duke (FG .526, FT .625), Maryland (FG .400, FT .741).

3-point goals—Duke 10-23 (Dawkins 3-5, Singler 2-4, Curry 2-4, Smith 2-7, Thornton 1-2, Kelly 0-1), Maryland 2-9 (Palsson 1-1, Tucker 1-4, Mosley 0-1, Howard 0-1, Bowie 0-2).

Fouled out—None.

Rebounds—Duke 34 (Ma. Plumlee 11), Maryland 31 (Williams 10).

Team rebounds—Duke 1, Maryland 3.

Assists—Duke 13 (Curry 5), Maryland 12 (Bowie 5).

Blocked shots—Duke 0, Maryland 1 (Gregory).

Turnovers—Duke 8 (Thornton 4), Maryland 11 (Bowie 4).

Steals—Duke 5 (Ma. Plumlee 2, Thornton 2), Maryland 3 (Gregory 2).

Total fouls—Duke 21, Maryland 20.

A—17,950.

Officials—Mike Eades, Jamie Luckie, Sean Corbin.