DURHAM, N.C. — The ball went up Tuesday for Duke’s game against Boston College and the first minute was all about Cameron Boozer.

The freshman knocked down a 3-pointer. A few moments later, he had a steal and sped down court for a two-hand slam.

Just like that, the No. 4 Blue Devils were off and running. It wouldn’t get any easier for the Eagles as Duke worked its way to a 67-49 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium behind Boozer’s 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The Blue Devils led 11-0, then 18-6 and 42-27 at halftime. The Eagles finally found some offensive mojo, especially sophomore guard Fred Payne, a spunky type, but never applied any real game pressure on the Blue Devils.

Duke will carry a 10-0 ACC record and 21-1 overall record into Saturday’s game against No. 14 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

There was no looking ahead Tuesday for the Blue Devils. They don’t operate that way, sticking to coach Jon Scheyer’s mantra of every possession being prized, important.

And defense. At Duke, on this year’s team, an identity has been carved around aggressive defense.

On one play, Duke’s Isaiah Evans dove across the lane for a loose ball below the BC basket. He pushed the ball across the lane to Boozer, who got the ball out to Caleb Foster on the break.

Foster’s lob pass to Dame Sarr resulted in a darting high-rise slam by the freshman that had the arena rumbling.

Payne, who led the Eagles (9-13, 2-7) with 14 points, did produce one of the game’s more dazzling plays. Catching the ball on the right wing, he sped in for a high-rise dunk of his own over Boozer and a few others in blue.

The Eagles used some three-quarter court pressure defensively to try and slow the Blue Devils in the second half, causing some indecision — Duke missed 10 of 11 shots in one stretch. But it was not enough.

An excuse-me 3-pointer by Jason Asemota as the shot clock expired did pull BC within 58-45, but Boozer quickly answered with an inside power move and basket.

Some observations from the game:

The beat goes on for Duke

This wasn’t one of the games in which the game video will have a long shelf life. The Blue Devils put in their 40 minutes, won and moved on.

Make it another ACC win, Duke’s 32nd in the last 33 games. The Devils now have won 11 straight against the Eagles and 31 of 34 overall in the series, going 15-0 in Durham.

Get the idea? No one expected the Eagles to come into Cameron and win. But they did compete until the end.

Defending ‘Showtime Slim’

If there’s a fear factor for opposing coaches trying to defend Duke, it isn’t just Boozer’s inside power or the way the Devils can pass and find the open man. They seem to take particular interest in how Evans looks early in the game.

Against Virginia Tech, he could not get the 3-ball to drop. He was 0 for 4 from the arc in the game, only the second time this season he has not had a made 3, finishing with 11 points.

But when the 3s do fall … it can be quite a show, and fuels the Devils.

In the first half against Boston College, Evans drained a long 3-pointer. “Showtime Slim” then had the crowd howling as he quickly did a little wiggle waggle before running back on defense,

Later, another 3 fell. Slim “holstered up” after a 3 as he glanced over at the BC bench. He was feeling it. So was Duke.

Khamenia brings off-bench value

Duke freshman Nikolas Khamenia is the kind of player whose contributions don’t always show up on the stat sheets.

Case in point: the first half Tuesday. The 6-8 forward did not have a point or rebound but his defensive work on Payne, a 6-1 sophomore, could not be overlooked.

Khamenia is a fundamentally sound defensive player who quickly squares up on his man, moves his feet well and has good instincts.

And toughness. Payne gave Khamenia a quick elbow in the mouth on one first-half drive, sending Khamenia, who appeared to be bleeding, to the bench.

Not for long. Khamenia soon was back on the court, ready for more. And sticking to Payne, who had his driving dunk after Foster gambled on a steal.

©2026 The News & Observer. Visit at newsobserver.com. Distributed at Tribune Content Agency, LLC.