Top-seeded Duke defeated No. 16 Siena 71-65 on March 19, 2026, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[1]
The Blue Devils, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, overcame a 43-32 halftime deficit by outscoring the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Saints 39-22 in the second half.[1] Siena had led since early in the first half but relied solely on its five starters for the full 40 minutes.[1]
Duke took its first lead since the opening period on Isaiah Evans' layup, making it 63-61 with 4:25 remaining. Gavin Doty's missed 3-pointer with 28 seconds left sealed the outcome after Siena closed to a four-point margin.[1]
Cam Boozer led Duke with 22 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 13-for-14 from the free-throw line. Cayden Boozer added 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting, while Evans recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.[1]
For Siena, Gavin Doty scored 21 points with four rebounds and two assists, despite 3-of-12 from three-point range. Francis Folefac had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Brendan Coyle contributed 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting.[1]
Siena shot 55% from the field and 45% from three-point range in the first half, while Duke made 2 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc.[1]
The victory spared Duke from becoming the third No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in tournament history, following UMBC's 74-54 win over Virginia in 2018 and Fairleigh Dickinson's 63-58 upset of Purdue in 2023.[2][3]
Bon Secours Wellness Arena has hosted NCAA Tournament first- and second-round games in prior years, including 2010 and others.[4]
Duke advanced to the second round, scheduled for Saturday, March 21, to face No. 9 seed TCU, which beat No. 8 Ohio State earlier on March 19.[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital
Article: "The Duke Blue Devils avoided being on the wrong side of March Madness history"
Publication date: March 19, 2026
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/duke-blue-devils-siena-saints-ncaa-tournament-2026 - NCAA.com
Article: "UMBC makes history, beats No. 1 Virginia in first No. 16 over No. 1 in NCAA tournament"
Publication date: March 16, 2018
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2018-03-16/umbc-makes-history-beats-virginia-first-no-16-over-no-1-ncaa-tournament - NCAA.com
Article: "No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson makes history, beats No. 1 Purdue in first round of NCAA tournament"
Publication date: March 17, 2023
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-03-17/no-16-fairleigh-dickinson-makes-history-beats-purdue-first-round-ncaa-tournament - Wikipedia
Page: "Bon Secours Wellness Arena"
Accessed: October 2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Secours_Wellness_Arena
