Vernon Carey Jr. scored 21 points and Tre Jones added 19 as No. 7 Duke routed Notre Dame 94-60 on Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference action in Durham, N.C., where the return of a former player caused a major commotion.

Duke (22-3, 12-2 ACC) won its seventh game in a row, with NBA rookie Zion Williamson watching most of the second half.

Duke went on a 12-5 run to begin the second half, forcing a Notre Dame timeout. During that stoppage, Williamson arrived and took a seat behind the Blue Devils' bench, sparking a wild reaction throughout Cameron Indoor Stadium. Williamson starred for Duke as a freshman last season.

In the next nine minutes, the Blue Devils outscored Notre Dame 23-9 for a 77-46 lead.

Duke, which moved into first place with Louisville's loss to Clemson, played without freshman Cassius Stanley due to an eye injury.

Matthew Hurt, who was back in the Duke starting lineup for the first time in three games, and reserve Alex O'Connell each added 12 points.

Juwan Durham scored 21 points and John Mooney had 19 to lead Notre Dame (15-10, 6-8). The Irish shot 23.8 percent (5 of 21) from 3-point range.

Duke set a school record with a fifth ACC victory by 30 or more points this season.

The Irish finished a stretch of three consecutive road games, losing the final two. That followed a four-game winning streak.

Notre Dame gave up a season-high point total.

Notre Dame entered the day with the fewest turnovers per game in the country at 9.75. The Irish were charged with nine turnovers in the first half and finished with 14.

In the first half, the Blue Devils produced a 9-0 run and a little later added another 9-0 burst. The Irish missed nine of their 10 3-pointers in the first half and trailed 42-32 at the break.

Duke has won the last six meetings with Notre Dame, with five of those by double-figure margins.

--Field Level Media