The Duke Blue Devils have looked just about unbeatable this season, despite being led by four freshmen, but Tuesday night may have been the first time they have looked like a team full of freshmen. And the third-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs took advantage of that, handing the top-ranked Blue Devils their first loss, 89-87, to win the Maui Invitational. Rui Hachimura stepped up with 20 points to lead Gonzaga, who led by as many as 16 points in an overall dominant win. The Blue Devils did make things interesting late, as Gonzaga failed to make free throws, which gave Duke a chance at a comeback.
The Blue Devils had the ball in the final seconds with a chance to tie, but R.J. Barrett's drive was blocked down twice, with no foul called despite plenty of contact. The Bulldogs had four blocks in the final 46 seconds of the game to hang on to the lead. The loss for Duke is also their first ever in the Maui Invitational, as they dropped to 17-1 all time in the tournament.
The Zags shot 52 percent from the floor, as they surpassed 40 points in both halves, while improving to 6-0 on the young college basketball season. Their sixth win may be enough to move them to the top spot in the AP Polls due to No. 2 Kansas needing to rally in order to avoid an upset against Marquette. Duke had cruised through their first five games, including a big win over the eighth-ranked Auburn Tigers to open the Maui Invitational.
The Zags did miss four free throws in the final minute with a chance to seal the win, but that forced them to play tight defense until the clock hit zero. The Blue Devils' first loss comes despite Barrett leading all scorers with 23 points, while Zion Williamson had 22 points, but the big man dealt with foul trouble throughout the night.
The Bulldogs will return home, hopefully for them as the top team in the country, when they host North Dakota State on Monday night. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils will look to get back on track when they host Indiana in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge on Tuesday night.
The Blue Devils had the ball in the final seconds with a chance to tie, but R.J. Barrett's drive was blocked down twice, with no foul called despite plenty of contact. The Bulldogs had four blocks in the final 46 seconds of the game to hang on to the lead. The loss for Duke is also their first ever in the Maui Invitational, as they dropped to 17-1 all time in the tournament.
The Zags shot 52 percent from the floor, as they surpassed 40 points in both halves, while improving to 6-0 on the young college basketball season. Their sixth win may be enough to move them to the top spot in the AP Polls due to No. 2 Kansas needing to rally in order to avoid an upset against Marquette. Duke had cruised through their first five games, including a big win over the eighth-ranked Auburn Tigers to open the Maui Invitational.
The Zags did miss four free throws in the final minute with a chance to seal the win, but that forced them to play tight defense until the clock hit zero. The Blue Devils' first loss comes despite Barrett leading all scorers with 23 points, while Zion Williamson had 22 points, but the big man dealt with foul trouble throughout the night.
The Bulldogs will return home, hopefully for them as the top team in the country, when they host North Dakota State on Monday night. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils will look to get back on track when they host Indiana in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge on Tuesday night.
