BERKELEY — For Cal fans, this one had that “big-time” feel from the jump. A packed, sold-out Haas Pavilion (11,201 in attendance) showed up for the program’s first-ever meeting with Duke in Berkeley — one of those ACC-era matchups that still looks wild on the schedule.
And for a while, Cal made it look like it was going to be a long night for the Blue Devils.
The Bears led for most of the first half and used a 10–0 burst to grab a 25–19 edge with about five minutes left before halftime. But Duke flipped the game in a hurry, closing the half on a 13–0 run to take a 37–30 lead into the break.
From there, the No. 6 Blue Devils did what top teams do on the road: they tightened up, leaned on their size, and took control in the final stretch. With 10 minutes left, Duke was only up 50–47 — then it ripped off a 21–5 run to put it away and silence the building.
Freshman star Cameron Boozer was the difference late. After being held to just four points in the first half, he poured in 21 points and 13 rebounds overall, including 11 points during that closing run. Isaiah Evans added 17 points and knocked down four threes, giving Duke the extra punch when Cal tried to hang around.
The story of the night was Duke’s defense and interior dominance. Cal scored just 26 points in the second half, its lowest output in any half this season. Duke finished with 42 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points, constantly getting downhill and cleaning up misses, while Cal struggled to get clean looks late.
Cal was led by Lee Dort (14 points, 9 rebounds) with John Camden adding 11 and Justin Pippen scoring 10. But the Bears couldn’t buy a bucket when the game tightened: Cal shot 36.5% from the field and 5-for-23 from three.
It’s a loss, but it also felt like a snapshot of what this new Cal reality can be — Haas rocking, a real national stage, and Cal competitive for long stretches against one of the best teams in the country. Duke left Berkeley with the win, 71–56.
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