Cameron Boozer piled up 24 points and 13 rebounds as No. 1 Duke ran away from Notre Dame to a comfortable 100-56 win on Tuesday night in South Bend, Ind.
Boozer collected his 16th double-double of the season and added two assists and three steals for the Blue Devils (26-2, 14-1 ACC). Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II each scored 13 points, Isaiah Evans and Cayden Boozer each tallied 10 points and Darren Harris scored a career-best 16 off the bench.
Brady Koehler and Cole Certa netted 14 points apiece to pace Notre Dame (12-16, 3-12) in what was the 12th loss for the Fighting Irish in their last 14 games. Sir Mohammed chipped in 11 points.
The game was never close as Duke led wire-to-wire after jumping out to a 20-4 lead. That game-opening surge was highlighted by Boozer throwing down an impressive right-handed dunk off an assist from Ngongba. By halftime, the Blue Devils were more than doubling up the Irish, leading 54-22.
Boozer’s first-half stats nearly matched Notre Dame’s output as a team. He had 20 points and nine rebounds at the break, while the Irish had 22 points and 10 boards.
To make matters worse for Notre Dame, a team spokesperson said that head coach Micah Shrewsberry injured his Achilles at some point near the end of the first half. At halftime, Irish freshman center Tommy Ahneman had to help Shrewsberry off the floor. When Notre Dame came out of the locker room for the second half, its third-year head coach was wearing a black walking boot on his left foot.
Duke continued to pour it on, going on to lead by as many as 46 points. It was the Blue Devils’ largest margin of victory against an ACC opponent this season, and the fifth time this season they’ve scored at least 100 points.
The loss for Notre Dame ensures that it will finish the regular season with a losing record for the fourth consecutive year.
Duke scored 23 points off 15 Notre Dame turnovers.
