Cameron Boozer Scores 33; Duke Defeats UCF, 96-71, in Brotherhood Run Exhibition

Tuesday, October 21

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

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UCF

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UCF

Duke

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Cameron Boozer Scores 33; Duke Defeats UCF, 96-71, in Brotherhood Run Exhibition

10/21/2025 10:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke men's basketball team opened exhibition action with a 96-71 victory over UCF on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The Blue Devils hosted the Knights in their Brotherhood Run, welcoming former Duke star Johnny Dawkins back to Cameron Indoor Stadium. After entering halftime with a one-point lead, 40-39, the Blue Devils scored 56 points in the second half while limiting the visitors to just 32, to pull away for the 25-point victory.

"There is a ton we have to work on," said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. "There is a lot we have to get better at, but I did like the competitiveness. I did like the fire that we showed. We may not be deep in terms of numbers, but I think our depth is in our versatility with the different lineups we can play. I think for me, as a coach, and our coaching staff, that's going to be something we have to figure out. It's going to take some time to understand some rotations and how to play our guys in the best way possible, because we can put some different lineups on the floor."

Cameron Boozer led all scorers with 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while adding a game-high 12 rebounds alongside four assists. Cayden Boozer logged a game-high five assists, chipping in nine points, three rebounds and two steals. Isaiah Evans, Nikolas Khamenia and Darren Harris joined Cameron Boozer in double figures, scoring 14, 14 and 11, respectively.

"[Cameron Boozer] is a warrior, man," added Scheyer. "I think that's the best thing I can say about him. He's a warrior, competitor, and obviously, he impacted the game in a lot of different ways, including getting fouled and getting us to the bonus early. I thought he had such a professional approach. I was happy that he had to play through some extended minutes with the lack of depth with Maliq [Brown] being out. He's just a big-time winner."

Alongside Cameron Boozer's 12 boards, four other Blue Devils finished with at least six caroms, helping Duke finish with a 54-41 edge on the glass. Khamenia reeled in eight, while Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II both brought in seven apiece. Harris added six rebounds of his own.

UCF was led by Riley Kugel, who scored 22 points. Jordan Burks also eclipsed 20 points, scoring 21, including 18 in the opening frame.

Duke raced out to an early double-digit lead, 16-4, on the back of three-pointers from Evans, Harris and Cameron Boozer. The Knights responded with a 14-4 run, capped by a personal seven-point burst from Burks, to pull UCF back within two, 20-18, with just under 10 minutes before halftime.

A triple from Burks with 5:28 on the clock leveled the score at 28-28, and the two teams went back and forth until halftime, with Duke staking claim to a one-point advantage at the break courtesy of Evans' third three-pointer of the frame with less than a minute remaining.

Out of halftime, Duke fell behind by its largest margin of the evening, 46-43, with 17:22 on the clock. From there, the Blue Devils rattled off 21 of the game's next 25 points, highlighted by a 10-point spurt to go up by 14, 64-50.

Cayden Boozer and Khamenia combined to score six quick points as the clock ticked under 10 minutes remaining. The two teams traded scoring possessions, before Foster and Cameron Boozer drilled back-to-back triples to increase Duke's margin to 17, 83-66. A seven-point run, spanning the final media timeout of the contest, sent the Blue Devils' lead over 20 for the first time, en route to the final score of 96-71.

Maliq Brown (knee) and Dame Sarr (oblique) were unavailable for Tuesday night's contest.

No. 6 Duke returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 26, traveling to No. 18 Tennessee for an exhibition at Food City Center in Knoxville. The Blue Devils and Volunteers tip off at 7 p.m., live on ESPN2.

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