Maryland spurted away from an 18-18 tie with 10:51 left in the first half to forge a 51-42 halftime advantage and didn't relinquish its lead until John Scheyer's layup with 12:36 left in the contest produced a 61-61 tie.

Later Nelson's two free throws gave Duke a 69-67 lead with 9:41 left.

Duke survived by forcing 22 turnovers.

Gerald Henderson had 23 points and four rebounds, reserve Nolan Smith had 14 points and six rebounds, Greg Paulus scored 12 points and Nelson added five rebounds and three assists for the Blue Devils (17-1, 5-0 ACC).

James Gist led Maryland with 26 points and five rebounds.

Bambale Osby had 20 points and 11 rebounds while Greivis Vazquez added 15 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Terps (12-8, 2-3), who split their last four games.