The underdog Siena Saints’ males’s basketball group fell to the Duke Blue Devils 71-65 in a NCAA Basketball Tournament nailbiter performed Thursday in South Carolina.
A tricky second half doomed Siena’s possibilities after they torched the ground of the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., throughout a near-flawless first interval that left the Saints main 43-32 at halftime.
That marked the most important lead ever recorded on the break for a 16-seed over a 1-seed.
Siena went up by as a lot as 13, earlier than Duke went on a run to make it a two-point sport. Back-to-back three-point baskets by senior ahead Brendan Coyle from Niskayuna then made it a six-point sport earlier than Duke pulled away.
It was all the time going to be an uphill battle for the no. 16 seed Saints (23-11) towards the no. 1 seed Blue Devils (32-2), which was making its forty eighth all-time look in the event after defeating Virginia 74-70 to win the ACC Tournament Championship.
Siena final performed in the competitors in 2010, and certified this 12 months by beating Merrimack in final week’s MAAC Tournament Championship sport.
Siena University couldn’t have requested for a greater begin and first half.
The MAAC champs took a 12-10 lead about 4 minutes into the sport on a Justice Shoats layup. The Saints then went up 22-16 following back-to-back threes from Brendan Coyle. It was a part of a 10-0 run capped off by a Francis Folefac layup to guide by 10.
That lead ballooned to as a lot as 11 following a Gavin Doty three-pointer in the primary half.