No. 6 Duke rides Boozer’s big game to 71-56 win over Cal in Berkeley

By Steve KronerThe Associated Press

BERKELEY — Cameron Boozer had 21 points and 13 rebounds and No. 6 Duke pulled away in the second half to beat California 71-56 on Wednesday night.

The Blue Devils (16-1, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) led 50-47 with 10 minutes remaining before going on a 21-5 run to put away the Bears (13-5, 1-4) in front of a sellout crowd of 11,201 at Haas Pavilion.

Boozer had 11 points in the run. The freshman who entered Wednesday leading the ACC in scoring at 22.9 points per game was held to four points in the first half.

Isaiah Evans added 17 points for Duke, which overcame rough nights from long range (7 for 32) and at the foul line (8 for 17) to win its fifth straight.

Lee Dort led the Bears with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Duke held the Bears to 36.5% shooting from the floor (19 for 52), and to 21.7%on 3-point attempts (5 for 23).

Cal led for 14:54 in the first half. The Bears used a 10-0 run capped by Dort’s dunk to take a 25-19 lead with five minutes left in the half. The Blue Devils trailed 30-24 before scoring the final 13 points of the half for a 37-30 lead.

It was the first sellout at Haas since Feb. 7, 2024, when Cal beat USC 83-77 in overtime.

Up next

Duke: At Stanford on Saturday.

California: Hosts No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday.