For one half, No. 16 Siena was right there with No. 1 Duke. In fact, they were holding an unexpected 43-32 lead at halftime.
But the Blue Devils battled back in the second half to clinch the nervy 71-65 first-round win, allowing their fans and bracket-makers everywhere to let out a collective sigh of relief. What could have ended with Siena writing themselves into the NCAA tournament history books closed out instead with Duke regaining control late in the game to keep their title hopes alive. After taking an early 10-8 lead, the Blue Devils trailed the Saints all the way until roughly four minutes remaining in the contest. At that point, Duke was able to finish the job and send Siena home packing.
