Duke vs Siena: How the Blue Devils Survived the Scare of the Tournament

The first rule of March Madness is to expect the unexpected. On Thursday afternoon in Greenville, South Carolina, the basketball world came within minutes of witnessing one of the most stunning upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The Duke vs Siena first-round matchup had all the makings of a bracket-busting classic, as the 16th-seeded Saints took the No. 1 overall seed to the brink before the Blue Devils rallied for a 71-65 victory .

Here is the full story of how Siena pushed Duke to the limit, the heroic performances that kept the Blue Devils alive, and what it means for the tournament moving forward.

The Stage Was Set for a Mismatch

When the bracket was revealed, Duke vs Siena looked like a formality. The Blue Devils entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed with a glittering 32-2 record, an 11-game winning streak, and a roster headlined by projected NBA Draft lottery pick Cameron Boozer . They were the team to beat, the favorite to cut down the nets in Indianapolis.

Siena, by contrast, was happy just to be here. The Saints (23-11) earned their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2010 by winning the MAAC Championship. They were a defensive-minded team that liked to play slow, but they had faced just one Quad 1 opponent all season—a 21-point loss to Indiana back in December . The betting odds reflected the perceived gap: Duke was a 28.5-point favorite .

But as anyone who follows this tournament knows, the games aren’t played on paper.

First Half: The Saints Shock the World

From the opening tip, it was clear that Siena had not read the script. Playing with the fearlessness of a team with nothing to lose, the Saints came out swinging. Coach Gerry McNamara, coaching on a bad ankle that will require surgery, had his team perfectly prepared .

“They executed great,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer admitted after the game. “He outcoached me, he outcoached us” .

Siena’s game plan was simple: pack the paint, contest everything, and make Duke beat them from the outside. It worked to perfection. The Blue Devils, perhaps pressing under the weight of expectations, settled for contested three-pointers and missed 13 of their first 15 attempts from beyond the arc .

Meanwhile, the Saints were electric on offense. Gavin Doty, Siena’s star forward, scored 16 points in the first half alone, knocking down mid-range jumpers and driving fearlessly at Duke’s big men . Brendan Coyle added two massive three-pointers, celebrating each with arms-raised backpedals down the court that energized the neutral crowd .

By halftime, the unthinkable was happening. Siena led 43-32. The Saints had outrebounded Duke 18-13, outshot them 55% to 39%, and committed just three turnovers . In the arena, fans wearing the colors of Duke rivals North Carolina and Ohio State were on their feet, cheering for the ultimate underdog .

Second Half: Duke’s Wake-Up Call

Whatever Jon Scheyer said in the locker room, it worked. Duke came out for the second half with renewed energy, but Siena was not ready to fade away.

The Saints actually extended their lead to 13 points early in the half, and when Doty hit his third three-pointer with 7:53 remaining, Siena led 61-56 . The upset alert was at code red.

But then, the fatigue of playing just five players for the entire game began to show. Siena, dealing with injuries that shortened their rotation, had no bench to turn to. They became the first NCAA Tournament team since DePaul in 1979 to play their starters the entire game . The Saints missed eight straight shots and went scoreless for nearly seven minutes during the critical stretch .

Duke, meanwhile, finally started playing like the No. 1 team in the country. The Blue Devils dominated the glass in the second half, grabbing 30 rebounds to Siena’s 13, including 12 offensive boards that led to 15 second-chance points . They abandoned the three-point line and went to work inside.

The game turned for good when Dame Sarr drove and finished to give Duke a 63-61 lead with under five minutes to play—their first advantage since the opening minutes .

The Boozer Brothers Save the Day

If Duke was going to survive, it would be on the backs of their twin towers. Cameron and Cayden Boozer combined for 41 of Duke’s 71 points, refusing to let their team become the answer to a trivia question .

Cameron Boozer finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, going an incredible 13-for-14 from the free-throw line . Time and again, when Siena threatened, he got to the line and calmly knocked down shots. His twin brother Cayden added a season-high 19 points and five assists, providing the steady ball-handling Duke needed to break Siena’s press .

Isaiah Evans also stepped up, recording a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and hitting critical free throws in the final seconds to ice the game .

For Siena, the effort was heroic but ultimately futile. Francis Folefac, just a freshman, was unfazed by going up against a future NBA lottery pick, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds . Doty led all scorers with 21 points, but he missed a critical three-pointer in the final 30 seconds that would have cut the lead to one .

“When Doty missed a corner 3, Cayden Boozer grabbed the board and went coast-to-coast,” one reporter noted. “That was the moment” .

Final Score and Aftermath

When the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read Duke 71, Siena 65 . The Blue Devils had survived, but just barely. They shot just 40.7% for the game and made only 5 of 26 three-pointers . It was far from the statement performance a No. 1 seed hopes to deliver.

Siena, meanwhile, left the court to a standing ovation from a crowd that appreciated their historic effort. The Saints shot just 8-of-34 in the second half (23.5%) as their legs finally gave out, but they had proven they belonged .

“I’m just really proud,” McNamara said, his voice heavy with emotion. “I’m devastated for them because they were fearless. … I’m crushed for them because they played well enough to win” .

What This Means Going Forward

For Duke, the Duke vs Siena game serves as a massive wake-up call. The Blue Devils advance to face TCU in the second round on Saturday, but they will do so without the invincibility aura they carried into the tournament .

“We really didn’t come out ready to play today, and we’ve got to be better moving forward,” Cameron Boozer admitted .

The close call also highlighted a vulnerability: Duke played their fifth straight game without starting big man Patrick Ngongba II, and his absence was felt on the defensive end . If the Blue Devils are going to make a run to the Final Four, they will need to be much sharper than they were against the Saints.

For Siena, there is no shame in this loss. They join an exclusive list of 16-seeds that have pushed No. 1 teams to the limit. The No. 1 seeds entered the week with a 158-2 record against 16 seeds, with the only losses being Virginia to UMBC in 2018 and Purdue to Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023 . Siena came within inches of adding their name to that infamous list.

As for the fans and pundits, social media erupted with reactions. “Siena beating Duke would have been the biggest upset in the history of college basketball,” wrote Bleacher Report. “The fact that the Saints took a 43-32 lead into halftime was absolutely stunning” .

Key Takeaways from Duke vs Siena

• Final Score: Duke 71, Siena 65

• Leading Scorers: Cameron Boozer (22 points, 13 rebounds), Gavin Doty (21 points)

• Halftime Score: Siena 43, Duke 32

• Historical Context: Siena became the first team since 1979 to play its starters the entire game

• Next Up: Duke faces TCU in the second round; Siena’s season ends at 23-12

In the end, the Duke vs Siena game will be remembered as one of the most thrilling first-round matchups in recent tournament history. It had everything: a fearless underdog, a blue-blood giant on the ropes, and a dramatic comeback. Duke survived, but the message to every top seed is clear: in March, no one is safe.