No. 6 Duke University secured a convincing 71-56 victory over the California Golden Bears on January 10, 2024, in Berkeley. Freshman standout Cameron Boozer played a pivotal role, contributing 21 points and 13 rebounds, enabling the Blue Devils to extend their winning streak to five games.
Duke (16-1, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) faced a challenging first half, trailing for significant portions of the game. The Golden Bears (13-5, 1-4) held a 25-19 lead after a 10-0 scoring run, highlighted by a dunk from Lee Dort. Despite this, Duke rallied towards the end of the first half, scoring the final 13 points to take a 37-30 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Blue Devils maintained momentum, leading 50-47 with just ten minutes remaining. They then exploded with a 21-5 run, cementing their victory. Boozer was particularly effective during this stretch, scoring 11 points. While Duke struggled with shooting from beyond the arc, making only seven of 32 attempts, and from the free-throw line, where they converted just eight of 17 opportunities, their defensive performance was key. They held California to just 36.5% shooting from the field and limited their three-point shooting to 21.7%.
Isaiah Evans added 17 points to Duke’s tally, showcasing the depth of the Blue Devils’ roster. The game attracted a sellout crowd of 11,201 at Haas Pavilion, marking the first sellout since February 7, 2024.
Looking ahead, Duke will face Stanford on January 13. Meanwhile, California prepares to host No. 14 North Carolina the same day, seeking to bounce back from this defeat.
