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The Siena men's basketball team came incredibly close to a historic upset on Thursday (March 19), leading the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils by 11 points at halftime in the NCAA Tournament before ultimately falling 71-65 in Greenville, South Carolina. The Saints, a 16th seed, stunned fans and analysts by holding a 13-point lead early in the second half—marking the largest deficit Duke had faced all season and the first time in tournament history a No. 1 seed trailed by double digits to a No. 16 seed at the break, according to Yahoo Sports.
Despite Siena's strong first half—shooting 55% from the field and 45% from three-point range—the Saints faded in the final minutes. As reported by ESPN, Siena's starters played nearly the entire game without substitution, eventually shooting just 23.5% in the second half as fatigue set in. Duke mounted a comeback led by Cameron Boozer, who scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and his twin brother Cayden, who added 19 points.
Coach Jon Scheyer of Duke credited Siena head coach Gerry McNamara for his game plan, admitting, "He outcoached me, they were ready to play." McNamara kept his faith in his starters, who had just won the MAAC Championship, and praised their effort: "They gave us everything," he said, as quoted by ESPN.
Siena's Gavin Doty led his team with 21 points while Francis Folefac added 18. The Saints had a chance to cut the lead to one in the final minute, but Doty's three-pointer missed, forcing Siena to foul as time ran out, according to Duke Basketball Report.
With this loss, Siena finishes its season at 23-12, highlighted by a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title. Duke, meanwhile, advances to face No. 9 seed TCU in the second round on Saturday (March 21). Coach McNamara's impressive showing against Duke has fueled speculation about his potential candidacy for the Syracuse head coaching job.