Boozer posts double-double, Ngongba adds 16 points as No. 5 Duke cruises past Howard 93-56

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Boozer’s 26 points and 12 rebounds led No. 5 Duke to another lopsided victory in a 93-56 romp past Howard on Sunday.

Patrick Ngongba II added 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting and Isaiah Evans had 11 points for Duke (7-0).

The hot-shooting Blue Devils were shooting above 70% from the field 30 minutes into the game, finishing at 67.7%. Boozer, who made two of the team’s seven 3-point baskets, shot 10 for 12.

Bryce Harris scored 15 points — seven below his average — and Travelle Bryson added 13 for Howard (3-4), which was trying to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The game involved Duke alums coaching both teams, with Kenny Blakeney, a member of the Blue Devils’ 1991 and 1992 national championship teams, directing Howard. Duke continued its best opening stretch of the season under Jon Scheyer.

Duke raced out to a 23-8 lead less than eight minutes into the game. The Blue Devils scored the final 11 points of the first half for a 52-18 lead.

It was the second game in a row when Duke’s opponent failed to reach the 20-point level by halftime. The gap reached 50 points in the second half.

The Blue Devils have won four home games without a serious challenge, with all those final margins at least 31 points.

The biggest roar of the day at the always raucous Cameron Indoor Stadium came during the first half’s second media timeout when Duke football players flooded the court while wheeling out the Victory Bell, which the Blue Devils kept after knocking off North Carolina less than 24 hours earlier in nearby Chapel Hill.

NO. 3 UCONN 72, BRYANT 49

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Silas Demary Jr. had 10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists to lead UConn to a win over Bryant.

Demary completed the triple-double with an assist on a Reibe dunk with 3:01 left. He came out of the game with 2:25 remaining and received an enthusiastic greeting from his teammates.

Eric Reibe led the Huskies (5-1) with 16 points.

UConn got off to a sluggish start offensively, missing six of its first eight layups, but the Huskies played solid defense. Bryant missed 13 of its first 15 field-goal attempts. The Bulldogs went 12:33 without a field goal in the first half as the Huskies had runs of 9-0, 8-0 and 7-0 en route to leading 37-21 at halftime.

Solo Ball had the first five points in a 9-0 run that turned a one-point advantage into a 15-5 lead. Ball led the Huskies with eight points in the first half.

Bryant’s Timofei Rudovskii failed to complete a four-point early in the second half. Reibe had four points as UConn responded with an 8-0 run. Rudovskii led Bryant (1-5) with 11 points and Ty Tabales finished with 10 points,