Freshman Cameron Boozer scored 18 points and No. 5 Duke fended off No. 24 Kansas for a 78-66 victory in a tussle as part of the Champions Classic on Tuesday night in New York.
The Blue Devils pulled away with a late 9-0 run, holding Kansas scoreless for more than four minutes.
Isaiah Evans pumped in 16 points and Patrick Ngongba II posted 13 points for Duke (5-0). Boozer grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for his third double-double, and he dished a team-high five assists.
Tre White’s 22 points and nine boards led Kansas (3-2), which lost earlier this month at then-No. 25 North Carolina. Melvin Council Jr. provided 15 points and six assists, and Flory Bidunga scored 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, but the Jayhawks went cold at the wrong time.
The Jayhawks shot 4-for-21 (19%) on 3-point attempts and also were hurt by Duke’s 41-30 rebounding advantage that included 13 offensive boards for the Blue Devils.
Kansas played without heralded freshman Darryn Peterson, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury.
The result was Duke’s third victory away from home — and the second against a power-conference opponent on a neutral court.
Duke built a 10-point lead early in the second half, but Kansas hung around and was within 65-61 with less than 5 1/2 minutes to play.
Council’s 3-pointer made it 67-64 at the 4:59 mark, but that was the last field goal for the Jayhawks. Boozer countered with a basket, and on Duke’s next possession that was extended by a Boozer offensive rebound, Evans drained a 3-pointer. Kansas never recovered.
Four reserves scored for Duke compared to one Kansas backup getting into the scoring column. The Blue Devils ended up with an 18-5 edge in bench scoring.
Duke ended the first half on an 11-3 run for a 41-33 lead at the break, with Evans’ 3-pointer the last shot of the half.
The teams shot a combined 5-for-24 from 3-point range in the first half. Duke was 10-for-14 on free throws with Kansas 5-for-6 at the foul line. For the game, the Blue Devils went 17-for-26 at the line, and the Jayhawks went 10-for-14.
–Field Level Media
