Cameron Boozer wasted no time reminding everyone why he’s one of the most impactful freshmen in the country. The 6’9” forward put together a complete performance Tuesday night, dropping 19 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and swiping five steals as No.
4 Duke powered past Boston College 67-49 in Durham. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 13-0 lead and never looked back, riding that early wave all the way to a comfortable ACC win.
First Half: Boozer Sets the Tone, Duke Sets the Pace
From the opening tip, Duke played like a team with something to prove. The Blue Devils came out flying, scoring the first 13 points of the game.
Boozer was at the center of it all, scoring seven in the opening five minutes and making his presence felt on both ends. His energy was contagious, and Boston College had no answer early.
Fred Payne finally broke the seal for the Eagles with a tough layup at the 15-minute mark, but the damage was already done. Even when BC managed to find a few buckets - like Chase Forte’s three-pointer or Payne’s emphatic dunk - Duke kept the pressure on.
Isaiah Evans added a scoring punch of his own, knocking down a pair of threes, including one with six minutes left in the half to stretch Duke’s lead to 35-18. Another triple from Evans two minutes before the break gave the Blue Devils their biggest lead of the half at 40-22.
Boston College tried to claw back, cutting it to 13 late in the half, but Boozer capped the period with a statement dunk in the final seconds, sending Duke into halftime up 42-27. The freshman was dominant through 20 minutes, finishing the half with 13 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting and adding five boards. Duke as a team shot a blistering 61% in the first half, while Payne did his best to keep BC afloat with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Second Half: Duke’s Early Work Holds Up
The second half started much like the first - with Duke in control. A pair of free throws from Dame Sarr pushed the lead to 20 at 51-31 with 15:30 to play. Boston College showed some fight, getting a jumper from Donald Hand Jr. and a three from Boden Kapke to cut the deficit to 16 midway through the half.
The Eagles then made their best push of the night. Their defense locked in, holding Duke scoreless for over three minutes. Payne continued to lead the charge with a layup, and Jason Asemota drilled a big three to pull BC within 13 points with just over five minutes remaining.
But every time Boston College threatened to make it interesting, Duke had an answer. Boozer responded immediately with a layup, snuffing out the momentum. Nikolas Khamenia added a key bucket with two minutes left to push the lead back to 16 and effectively shut the door.
Despite cooling off in the second half - Duke shot just 31% after the break - that early offensive explosion gave them all the cushion they needed. Boozer’s final stat line was as impressive as it was impactful: 19 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 12 rebounds, and five steals. He was everywhere, doing the dirty work and the highlight-reel stuff in equal measure.
Fred Payne led Boston College with 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting, but the Eagles struggled to find consistent offense, finishing at 39% from the field. Duke’s defense, particularly Boozer’s activity in the passing lanes, kept BC from ever finding a real rhythm.
Up Next
Boston College returns home to host Miami at Conte Forum this Saturday with a 2:00 PM tip. Duke, meanwhile, continues to look like a team rounding into form - and if Cameron Boozer keeps playing like this, the ceiling only gets higher.