The No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils escaped a historic upset by rallying from a 11-point halftime deficit to defeat the No. 16 Siena Saints 71-65 in the NCAA Tournament’s first round. Siena, leading 43-32 at halftime, nearly joined the ranks of UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson as the only 16-seeds to topple a top seed. However, Duke’s second-half surge, outscoring Siena 39-22, sealed their victory.
Siena’s five-man rotation showed signs of fatigue in the final minutes, allowing Duke to take the lead with 4:25 left. Cam Boozer led Duke with 22 points and a double-double, hitting crucial free throws. Siena’s Gavin Doty scored 21 points but struggled with his shooting, going 3-of-12 from three-point range.
Siena’s strong first-half performance, including 55% shooting, was not enough to overcome Duke’s second-half dominance. The Blue Devils will face No. 9 TCU in the next round after TCU’s win over Ohio State.