East Rutherford, N.J. - UConn possessed the effort, energy and tenacity to secure a signature victory on Thursday.

The Huskies lacked the offensive firepower to pull it off.

Right now, they are too offensively-challenged to beat No. 2 Duke, losing 66-56 before a rocking crowd of 16,541 at the Izod Center.

"We played the way we wanted to play, not offensively but defensively," coach Kevin Ollie said. "Offensively, we have to get better."

The loss sent the Huskies to 4-4 overall. They've not had a .500 record this deep in a regular season since 1987-88.

Duke (10-0) set a program record for winning its first 10 games by double figures. But the Blue Devils had to earn every basket.

UConn harassed Duke into 19 turnovers and 37.5 percent shooting.

"We played a little bit better than them to win," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Connecticut played their butts off. Connecticut played like a championship program they are. Effort-wise, they played every play against us."

Free throw shooting was a major factor in the outcome. Duke converted 25 of 34 from the line and UConn just 7 of 13.

"You can't win games like that," Ollie said. "That's the ball game."

Senior Ryan Boatright led the Huskies with 22 points while sophomore Kentan Facey contributed 14 points and a team-best nine rebounds. But UConn struggled in the halfcourt, especially from the perimeter. The Huskies didn't hit a 3-pointer until the second half, making 3-of-12 from beyond the arc. They hit 42.6 percent from the field overall and finished with just five assists.

Turnovers (14) also were an issue. Foul trouble played a part, too, as UConn's entire frontcourt earned some bench time. Sophomore Amida Brimah, who had 40 points in Sunday's win against Coppin State, went scoreless in 13 minutes before fouling out.

Duke rode a balanced attack, with all five starters scoring in double figures. UConn did a decent job containing freshman standout Jahlil Okafor (12 points, eight rebounds), but others did damage, especially Justise Winslow who scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half.

UConn played from behind for nearly the entire game, leading only once (4-3). They only trailed 30-25 at the break despite Brimah and Facey playing just a combined nine minutes due to foul trouble.

A 5-0 surge at the start of the second half helped the Huskies tie the game. Boatright's free throw knotted the score at 30-all.

Duke responded, going on a momentum-changing 15-2 run. Okafor's dunk off a nifty spin move on the baseline pushed the lead to 42-32.

The Huskies kept fighting to finish.

Facey scored his second straight rebound basket to bring UConn to within six, 57-51. Sophomore Terrence Samuel was helped off the court after injuring his ankle under the basket.

Boatright's 3-point narrowed the deficit to 62-56 with 1:59 left.

But Duke executed down the stretch and closed out the win. The Blue Devils finished with a 40-29 edge on the boards.

UConn limped home looking to regroup for Monday's game against Columbia in Bridgeport. The Huskies still have a lot of work to do

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe