New York, NY— Duke leaned on its star freshmen and timely shot-making to stay unbeaten, pulling away late for a 78–66 win over No. 24 Kansas on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in the Champions Classic.
Cameron Boozer powered the fifth-ranked Blue Devils (5–0) with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while his twin brother Cayden delivered a pair of critical buckets in the second half that halted Kansas’ momentum. Isaiah Evans added 16 points, and Patrick Ngongba provided efficient support inside, finishing with 13 points on perfect shooting from the floor.
Kansas entered the matchup without standout freshman Darryn Peterson, the nation’s top recruit, who remained sidelined by a hamstring injury for the third straight game. His absence loomed large as the Jayhawks (3–2) struggled with depth and foul issues throughout the night.
The Jayhawks opened aggressively, generating early transition points and briefly unsettling Duke’s defense. But mounting fouls across the Kansas lineup shifted the game’s rhythm. By halftime, every starter had been whistled, three with two fouls each, and Duke closed the period on a decisive 17–5 surge to build an eight-point advantage.
Kansas refused to fold, clawing within 67–64 after Melvin Council Jr. drained a three with under five minutes remaining. But the comeback fizzled as fatigue and fouls continued to pile up. Flory Bidunga picked up his fourth foul with more than seven minutes left, and Bryson Tiller later fouled out entirely.
Duke regained control coming out of the final media timeout. Evans knocked down a deep three to steady the Blue Devils, and Cameron Boozer punctuated an 8–0 run that stretched the lead back into double digits for good.
Tre White carried Kansas offensively, finishing with 23 points and nine rebounds, but the Jayhawks couldn’t close the gap late.
Up Next:
Kansas: Opens the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas on Monday against Notre Dame.
Duke: Returns home to face Niagara on Friday night.
