No. 5 Duke uses paint dominance to obliterate Howard

Cameron Boozer's 26 points and 12 rebounds powered No. 5 Duke's 93-56 blowout of Howard on Sunday in Durham, N.C.

Patrick Ngongba had 16 points and Isaiah Evans provided 11 points for Duke (7-0), which shot 61% from the field despite the team's late-game drop-off in efficiency. Darren Harris had all eight of his points off the bench in the first half.

Boozer finished 10-for-12 from the field with a pair of 3-point baskets and Ngongba went 8-for-9.

Bryce Harris, who averaged 22 points per game entering the day, had 15 points for Howard (3-4). Eight of his points came on free throws. Travelle Bryson added 13 for the Bison.

The Bison made 30.4% of their shots and were on the wrong end of a 43-26 rebounding margin.

Duke, which improved to 4-0 at home, was in control throughout the game, including a 17-5 burst to begin the second half that pushed the margin to 69-23. The lead grew to as many as 50 points.

Howard couldn't contain Duke's interior presence as Boozer and Ngongba II ruled in the lane. The Blue Devils poured in 58 points in the paint.

The game was set up as part of the Brotherhood Run, featuring teams coached by Duke alums. Howard is coached by Kenny Blakeney, while Jon Scheyer's Duke team defeated Greg Paulus-coached Niagara on Friday night.

Howard defeated Niagara on Saturday, but the Bison weren't able to pull off the upset of Duke and remain without victories in consecutive games this season.

Duke's 52-18 halftime lead on Howard was accompanied by 67.7% shooting from the field. The Blue Devils were only 4-for-12 on 3-pointers, but they racked up 34 points in the lane and held a 12-0 edge in points off turnovers.

The Bison shot 24.1% from the field in the first half. Duke had an 11-0 scoring run to end the half.

Duke scored only four points in the final 6:55.

--Field Level Media