01/24/26 01:21:00
Printable Page
01/24 13:19 CST Cameron Boozer leads dominant interior play powering No. 5 Duke
to a 90-69 win against Wake Forest
Cameron Boozer leads dominant interior play powering No. 5 Duke to a 90-69 win
against Wake Forest
By AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer
Cameron Boozer scored 32 points to lead fifth-ranked Duke's dominating interior
play that helped the Blue Devils beat Wake Forest 90-69 on Saturday.
The star freshman big man made 11 of 20 shots to go with nine rebounds and four
assists, controlling large stretches with his scoring and his playmaking
ability to passing out of oncoming double teams.
And with the 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward in charge, Duke (18-1, 7-0 Atlantic
Coast Conference) outscored its longtime instate league foe 48-16 in the paint.
The Blue Devils also outrebounded the Demon Deacons by 21 and finished with a
18-7 edge in second-chance points.
It marked Boozer's fourth output of at least 30 points this season, while Duke
shot 50% overall.
Patrick Ngongba II added 13 points and seven rebounds for Duke, which was
coming off a two-game sweep in its first cross-country league trip --- winning
by 15 at California and 30 at Stanford.
Juke Harris scored 20 of his 23 points after halftime for the Demon Deacons
(11-9, 2-5), who have lost six of eight. Wake Forest led for the first 13-plus
minutes and made 14 3-pointers, but a 13-0 burst pushed Duke to a double-digit
lead late in the first half and Wake Forest got no closer than nine in the
opening minute of the second half.
Wake Forest shot 40.7% for the game.
The Demon Deacons have lost 27 straight games at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium
since their last win in 1997 during program great and eventual longtime NBA
star Tim Duncan's senior season.
The game tipped off at noon, moved up from a scheduled 5:45 p.m. start time,
due to concerns about the forecast of an approaching winter storm.
Up next
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons visit Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Duke: The Blue Devils host No. 23 Louisville on Monday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up
here. AP college basketball:
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and
https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
|