New York - Poor offensive execution or crumbling in the face of tenacious defense?

Take your pick.

Either way, No. 13 UConn needed a GPS system to locate the basket in Friday's NIT Season Tip-Off loss to No. 7 Duke.

UConn shot a season-low 37.3 percent from the field and a dismal 53.6 percent (15-for-28) from the foul line.

When fast break opportunities dried up, the Huskies used their superior quickness to drive to the basket. Shot selection was an issue at times while they also missed their share of layups.

"Offensively, we just couldn't make shots," point guard Kemba Walker said.

"We made a lot of bad decisions," Jerome Dyson said.

Dyson and Walker attacked the basket with mixed results, shooting a combined 10 of 31 from the field.

Entering the game, Dyson - a streaky shooter throughout his career - had converted just 39 percent from the field. He hit only 6-of-19 Friday, scoring a team-high 15 points. Walker had a season-high six turnovers and also had nine points.

Dyson felt he let his team down, especially from the foul line. He took all of his free throws in the second half, going 3-for-9. "I wasn't able to step up and make free throws when my team needed me to," Dyson said.

Coach Jim Calhoun refused to point the finger at Dyson.

"We didn't get him the ball when he was open," Calhoun said. "Secondly, he just was exhausted by the end of the game. Jerome Dyson certainly was not a problem tonight."

Perimeter outage

UConn hit only two jump shots outside of 10 feet Friday.

Walker converted a 15-footer in UConn's second possession of the game and senior Gavin Edwards buried a 17-footer up top about five minutes later.

The Huskies missed all four 3-point attempts. The Blue Devils, on the other hand, made six in 18 attempts.

Whistle blowers

The Blue Devils gained four points off a technical foul and intentional foul.

Duke's Jon Scheyer, who had a game-high 19 points, made both free throws after Calhoun received his first technical of the season for complaining about an offensive foul on Walker late in the first half.

In the second half, Edwards got hit with an intentional foul after taking down Lance Thomas in the lane. Thomas converted both free throws.

Edward was surprised at the call. "He up-faked me and I went up and came down and I fouled him," Edwards said. "It wasn't like I punched him."

News and notes

Duke snapped UConn's four-game winning streak in the series. … Dyson and Walker made the all-tournament team as did Duke's Nolan Smith and Scheyer who earned the Most Outstanding player honor. Arizona State's Derek Glasser, who led his team to a 71-52 over LSU in Friday's consolation game, also made the team. … Junior Charles Okwandu started for the second straight game, finishing with two points, three rebounds and a block in a season-high 18 minutes. ... Friday marked the first time coaches with at least 800 wins stood on opposing sidelines. … UConn freshman Alex Oriakhi had a team-high 13 rebounds and eight points in a career-high 38 minutes. … Up next: UConn hosts Boston University Wednesday in Hartford.

g.keefe@theday.com