DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Boozer had 19 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 4 Duke roll past No. 20 Louisville 83-52 on Monday night, giving the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference favorite a sweep of its projected top challenger.
Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba II each added 15 points for the Blue Devils (19-1, 8-0 ACC), who scored 13 unanswered points spanning halftime to assert control after leading by just one shortly before the break. That spurt was merely the start of turning this into a romp, with the Cardinals struggling to make much of anything while the Blue Devils dominated the glass and the paint and shot 50.8%.
Duke took its first meeting with the team picked to finish second in the ACC on Jan. 6, rallying from 12 down on the road and shooting 70.8% (17 of 24) in the second half. The Blue Devils left no doubt in this one on the way to their 27th straight home win, which pushed them to 7-1 against AP Top 25 foes.
Ryan Conwell scored 18 points to lead the Cardinals (14-6, 4-4), who went 3 for 22 from the field over a roughly 15-minute stretch that carried into the second half. Louisville finished the game shooting 29.6%.
Louisville freshman and top NBA draft prospect Mikel Brown Jr. didn't play in the first meeting while missing six weeks with a back injury. He returned in Saturday's win against Virginia Tech but followed with a rough debut in Cameron Indoor Stadium, going 0 for 8 in the first half while finishing with seven points on 1-of-13 shooting with three turnovers.
Up next
Louisville: The Cardinals host SMU on Saturday.
Duke: The Blue Devils visit Virginia Tech on Saturday.
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