DURHAM, North Carolina — — Cameron Boozer He had 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to help No. 1 Duke beat No. 17 North Carolina 76-61 on Saturday night in a rivalry rematch.
Maliq brown added 15 points as Duke led by a single possession shortly after halftime before taking control with 16 unanswered points as it soared to a 24-2 surge.
The Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1) completed a second consecutive one-loss streak during the ACC regular season, this time a month after losing at North Carolina. in Seth TrimbleThe last second triple. Duke has won eight straight, including a neutral-court victory over then-No. 1 Michigan and a bout against No. 13 Virginia.
The loss capped a difficult 24 hours for the Tar Heels (24-7, 12-6). They seemed about to get a star. Caleb Wilson returns from a broken left hand just in time for March Madness, and maybe this game, just for him suffer a season-ending fracture to his right thumb during a non-contact drill Thursday.
The freshman was on the bench with his right thumb wrapped in a black brace as North Carolina fell to 5-2 without him.
Derek Dixon He scored 17 points for North Carolina, which trailed just 47-44 on Trimble’s drive with 16:45 left before Duke made its decisive drive. The Tar Heels went six minutes without a point and had a basket in more than 10 minutes when Duke opened the game.
Duke played without starting Patrick Ngongba IIwho sported a boot on his right foot after the break after going without it earlier. Then the starting point guard Caleb Foster He limped in with 4:51 left before halftime and left, clutching his right foot before leaving the bench area. He returned in the second half with a boot of his own on his right foot.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels have a double-round bye into Thursday’s quarterfinals at the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, sitting at the No. 4 seed.
Duke: The Blue Devils play in Thursday’s ACC tournament quarterfinals.
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