Boozer, Evans lead No. 4 Duke past No. 20 Clemson 67-54 to stay in control of ACC race

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Star freshman Cameron Boozer had 18 points and No. 4 Duke held No. 20 Clemson to 35% shooting in a 67-54 win Saturday.

Isaiah Evans added 17 points for the Blue Devils (23-2, 12-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who made 11 of 16 shots after halftime and pushed a 31-26 edge past a 20-point margin midway through the second half.

This marked Duke's 29th straight home win and eighth victory against an AP Top 25 opponent this year. The Blue Devils entered the weekend tied with No. 2 Michigan for the national lead with 10 Quadrant 1 wins to top a postseason resume.

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Boozer, who began the day ranked fifth nationally in scoring by averaging 23.0 points, made 7 of 14 shots with a pair of 3-pointers to go with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Carter Welling scored 12 points for the Tigers (20-6, 10-3), who entered the week tied with Duke for the ACC lead. But Clemson lost at home Wednesday to a Virginia Tech team trying to shore up its NCAA Tournament chances, then struggled to make much of anything Saturday, with the Blue Devils holding the Tigers to long stretches of contested looks.

Notably, Clemson made just 5 of 15 layups in this one while the Tigers finished with a season-low scoring output — the previous low was 63 points in a Jan. 31 victory over Pittsburgh — despite finishing with just nine turnovers.

Clemson made just 6 of 24 3-pointers on the way to its 22nd straight loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium since a 75-70 win in January 1995.

Up next

Clemson: The Tigers play a second straight game in North Carolina, visiting Wake Forest on Wednesday.

Duke: The Blue Devils host Syracuse on Monday.

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