DURHAM, N.C. ? Luol Deng wanted the ball. He told Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as much during one second-half huddle.

His teammates obliged, and the freshman didn’t let No. 3 Duke down, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the second half of a 69-51 win over Princeton Wednesday night.

“He is going to be a leader because it means that much to him,” Krzyzewski said of the 6-foot-8 Deng.

Deng was 1-for-6 with three turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, but responded with a strong final period as the Blue Devils (7-1) extended the nation’s longest home winning streak to 32 games.

Duke’s players came up to Deng at halftime and offered encouragement.

“The guys told me to let the game come to me,” said Deng, who was 6-for-7 in the second half and finished with eight rebounds. “I wasn’t going to go out there and try to take every shot. The guys looked for me, and I hustled, and everything came together.”

Princeton (4-3), playing its highest ranked team since 1997, trailed by eight points with 71/2 minutes left before Deng scored on a driving layup to give the Blue Devils a double-digit lead.

Two minutes later, Deng hit a three-pointer, and his assist on a three-point play by Shelden Williams put Duke up 61-49 with 3:51 left.

Deng’s only downer of the second half was a cramp in his left thigh that forced him to leave in front of a cheering crowd with 2:38 left.

Duke's Luol Deng, left, looks for room against Princeton's Konrad Wysocki. Deng scored 18 points in the Blue Devils' 69-51 victory Wednesday night in Durham, N.C.

“I feel like everybody else, that kid is terrific,” Princeton coach John Thompson III said. “He’s very similar to a lot of other players that have walked on that court out there.

No. 5 Georgia Tech 74, Alabama A&M 41

Atlanta — Reserve guard Will Bynum hit consecutive three-pointers in an early 24-2 run, and Georgia Tech defeated Alabama A&M. Georgia Tech (9-0) continued the third-best start in school history.

No. 7 Arizona 84, St. Mary’s 78

Tucson, Ariz. — Channing Frye scored 18 of his career-high 26 points in the second half, and Arizona escaped with a victory over St. Mary’s. The Wildcats (5-1) trailed 76-69 with 3:03 to play.

No. 16 Cincinnati 79, Clemson 56

Cincinnati — Jason Maxiell scored 20 points, and Cincinnati created a flurry of turnovers with its trapping defense, setting up a victory over Clemson. The Bearcats (5-0) forced 25 turnovers with halfcourt traps, which set up a 27-5 spurt midway through the first half.

No. 18 Pittsburgh 79, Chicago State 51

Pittsburgh — Julius Page scored 14 points in only 18 minutes, and Pittsburgh, which scored the game’s first 12 points, rolled past Chicago State. The Panthers (9-0) extended their home winning streak to a school-record 29 straight games. They have not lost in 23 games in the Petersen Events Center, which opened at the beginning of last season.

No. 19 Syracuse 69, Manhattan 63

Syracuse, N.Y. — Billy Edelin scored 14 points in the second half to rally Syracuse past Manhattan. It was the fourth straight victory for Syracuse (4-1) and the Orangemen’s second win over Manhattan (3-2) in 2003. They beat the Jaspers, 76-65, in the first round of the NCAA East Regional.