Seth Curry scored 26 points to lead Duke to a 73-61 victory over Albany in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center.
Curry and senior forward Mason Plumlee combined for 49 points on an efficient 25 shots from the field, part of a 27-of-46 shooting performance (58.7 percent) by the Blue Devils, who are seeded second in the Midwest Regional.
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Albany, the 15th seed, made a late first-half run to cut a 13-point Duke lead to five with 1:54 remaining before halftime. The Blue Devils' advantage was back up to nine at the half and reached 14 in the first five minutes of the second half, a margin they would sustain for the next 10 minutes.
Duke's lead was whittled to eight with 4:40 remaining on two free throws by Albany's Jacob Iati, but the Great Danes would get no closer the rest of the way.
Iati led Albany with 15 points, hitting 3 of 4 3-point shots. Peter Hooley (13 points), Mike Black (10) and Sam Rowley (10) also scored in double figures.
Curry, younger brother of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and half of the highest-scoring pair of brothers in NCAA history, hit 10 of 14 shots from the field, including both of his 3-pointers, and added six rebounds.
Plumlee, who finished with a game-high eight rebounds, helped the taller and more athletic Blue Devils to a 36-20 points advantage in the paint.
In beating Albany, Duke avoided falling to a No. 15 seed in the first round of the tournament for the second consecutive year. Lehigh shocked the nation with a 75-70 victory over the perennial powerhouse Blue Devils in 2012.
Duke advanced to the third round and will face the Creighton-Cincinnati winner.