Duke Survives a Siena Scare: No. 1 Overall Seed Rallies for 71–65 March Madness Win

Boozer’s double-double leads the rally as the Blue Devils escape an early East Region scare.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Duke, the No. 1 overall seed, barely avoided a shocking upset to open the NCAA Tournament, rallying from a 13-point deficit to survive a fearless Siena team 71–65 on Thursday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

The Blue Devils looked sharp early, hitting their first four shots, but Siena quickly settled in and took control. After trailing by 11 at halftime (43–32) and by as many as 13 overall, Duke came out with a different edge in the second half, steadily chipping away as the Saints tried to hang on with a short rotation.

Cameron Boozer powered the comeback with 22 points, 13 rebounds, keeping Duke within reach until the game finally turned late. Siena’s Gavin Doty was the catalyst for the Saints, scoring 21 points and drilling his third 3-pointer of the game to put Siena up 61–56 with 7:53 left, heightening the upset threat.

But Duke responded with its best stretch of the night. Still down five with under eight minutes to go, the Blue Devils ripped off an 11–0 run to flip the game—eventually tying it at 61–61 before taking the lead for good in the final five minutes. The burst capped a larger second-half surge in which Duke outscored Siena 39–22.

Team stats

Siena: 25-65 FG (38.5%), 9-26 3PT (34.6%), 6-6 FT (100%)Duke: 24-59 FG (40.7%), 5-26 3PT (19.2%), 18-21 FT (85.7%)

Leaders (box score)

Siena

• Gavin Doty: 21 pts (7-20 FG, 3-12 3PT, 4-4 FT)

• Riley Mulvey: 14 pts, 6 reb (6-9 FG)

• Justice Shoats: 11 pts (4-11 FG)

Duke

• Cameron Boozer: 22 pts, 13 reb (8-11 FG, 1-5 3PT, 13-14 FT)

• Cayden Boozer: 16 pts (6-14 FG, 2-8 3PT)

• Isaiah Evans: 15 pts (5-7 FG)

The stakes were obvious. No. 1 seeds entered the week 158–2 all-time against No. 16 seeds, with only Virginia (2018) and Purdue (2023) falling. Duke avoided becoming the third, improving the all-time mark to 159–2.

Next up: Duke advances to Saturday’s second round in the East Region against TCU.

By Toss Boss | March 19, 2026