Duke survives surprising halftime deficit to hold off No. 16 seed Siena in first round of March Madness
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The Duke Blue Devils avoided being on the wrong side of March Madness history.
The No. 1 seed rallied late to avoid an upset against the No. 16 Siena Saints with a 71-65 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Only twice in tournament history has a 16th-ranked team defeated a seed in the first round: UMBC over Virginia in 2018 and Fairleigh Dickinson over Purdue in 2023.
Siena was in the driver’s seat to join that rare group, stunning Duke with a 43-32 halftime lead. But they couldn’t maintain that lead and the Blue Devils took control in the second half to avoid a mind-blowing finish to the first round.
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Dame Sarr of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half against the Siena Saints in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026, in Greenville, SC (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Duke outscored Siena, 39-22, in the second half as the Saints surprisingly used only their starting five for the entire 40 minutes of the game. That strategy may have hurt them in the end because the players seemed exhausted midway through the second half.
The Saints’ effort, however, never wavered as they continued to fend off Duke’s comeback attempt. However, with 4:25 left to play in the second half, a layup by Isaiah Evans gave Duke its first lead since early in the first half, 63-61.
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From there, the Blue Devils did what was necessary on the defensive end to maintain their lead. Siena reached a four-point deficit, but Gavin Doty’s missed 3-pointer with 28 seconds left was the dagger of a very close loss.
Doty was the team’s leading scorer with 21 points, although he was 3 of 12 from 3-point range. He also had four rebounds and two assists.
Francis Folefac (18 points, seven rebounds and two assists) also played a big role in Siena’s scare over Duke, and Brendan Coyle scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting for the Saints.
Cameron Boozer of the Duke Blue Devils battles Riley Mulvey of the Siena Saints for the ball during the second half of the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Siena was shooting 55% as the first half came to a close, including 45% from 3-point territory. Meanwhile, Duke floundered from deep, making just two of its 15 3-point attempts.
While Duke couldn’t make the 3-pointer in the second half, better shot selection around the rim worked in its favor. The Boozer brothers, Cam and Cayden, led the way as they have all season for the Blue Devils. The sons of Duke and NBA great Carlos Boozer set the tone, especially Cam with his 22 points to lead the Blue Devils to victory.
Cam Boozer also went 13 of 14 from the charity stripe, hitting clutch shots late in the game. He finished with a double-double after grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds.
Justice Shoats of the Siena Saints shoots the ball against Nikolas Khamenia of the Duke Blue Devils during the second half of the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026, in Greenville, SC (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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Cayden Boozer finished with 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting, while Evans had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds for Duke.
The Blue Devils will now face No. 9 TCU, which defeated No. 8 Ohio State earlier Thursday, in Saturday’s second round.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for News Digital.