David Punch gets bloody nose after shot from Cameron Boozer to the face

· Yahoo Sports

TCU's leading scorer David Punch took a brutal blow to the nose late against Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 21.

Punch, defending Duke star Cameron Boozer, took a blow to the face from Boozer as Boozer was attempting a drive to the basket late in the first half. Punch was then removed from the game as blood was pouring from his nose, and he briefly went to the locker room before returning to the bench.

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Boozer received a Flagrant 1 for his arm swing, which was determined after review by officials. TCU received two free-throws and possession after the foul, although Liutauras Lelevicius took the shots after Punch was deemed unable to shoot.

CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore said he didn't think Boozer's strike to Punch was excessive.

"It just doesn't feel to me like it's not the traditional elbow play," he said on the broadcast. "Now the one thing I'm sure they're contemplating is Boozer's elbow gets up high, and because he's making contact to the head."

Punch's, David Punch Sr., was an amateur MMA fighter, which was revealed by play-by-play commentator Ian Eagle, who said Punch was trained on taking blows growing up.

The sophomore forward entered the game averaging 14.4 points with 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season on 51.5% shooting. He's coming off a huge performance in TCU's win over No. 8 seed Ohio State in the first round, as he scored 16 points with 13 rebounds, two assists and three blocks.

Punch didn't return to the game in the first half, although he was present on the bench. It doesn't seem as if he'll be held out moving forward.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: David Punch takes shot from Cameron Boozer in TCU-Duke, leaves game

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