The Syracuse Orange were playing with a different type of energy from the beginning on Monday night, and they needed every bit of it against the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils. The No. 1 team in the country did have Zion Williamson back, after the star exited Saturday's game with an eye injury, but that wasn't enough to avoid the upset on this night. Tyus Battle put up a season-high 32 points as the Orange pulled off the upset in overtime, 95-91, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Despite having Williamson back, the Blue Devils were playing without Saturday's hero, Cam Reddish, due to flu-like symptoms. and they also lost Tre Jones to a shoulder injury just over five minutes in to the game. The Orange took advantage of all of it, handing Duke their first home loss as a No. 1 team to an opponent other than the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski discussed the injury to Jones after the game, explaining that the ailment will keep him "out a while." The loss was just their second of the season, and first since falling to a top-5 team in the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the finals of the Maui Invitational. The top-ranked team put up a school-record 43 three-pointers on Monday night, but only made nine of them on their home floor. R.J. Barrett led their three-point scoring with 23 points, but he was just 4-for-17 from beyond the arc. That is the second-most three-point attempts ever taken by a Duke player, only behind Bobby Hurley's 18 in 1993.
The Blue Devils fell behind quickly in the extra period, as Barrett's late three-pointer pulled them within two in the final seconds. Although, the Orange sunk their free throws to seal the upset win, which was their 12th victory of the season. Williams posted a career-high 35 points and 10 rebounds in his return, including a clutch free throw with 16.2 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. He did have a shot to give his team the lead with the second free throw, which he missed.
Syracuse would then have a shot to win it after the missed free throw attempt, but Battle had a three-pointer go off the back iron as time expired in the second half. Paschal Chukwu had 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for the Orange, while Elijah Hughes contributed 20 points, as Syracuse improved to 3-1 in conference play.
The Orange will be back in action on Saturday afternoon to host the Pittsburgh Panthers, who took down 11th-ranked Florida State with ease on Monday night. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils look to bounce back in a top-five showdown with the fourth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday evening.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski discussed the injury to Jones after the game, explaining that the ailment will keep him "out a while." The loss was just their second of the season, and first since falling to a top-5 team in the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the finals of the Maui Invitational. The top-ranked team put up a school-record 43 three-pointers on Monday night, but only made nine of them on their home floor. R.J. Barrett led their three-point scoring with 23 points, but he was just 4-for-17 from beyond the arc. That is the second-most three-point attempts ever taken by a Duke player, only behind Bobby Hurley's 18 in 1993.
The Blue Devils fell behind quickly in the extra period, as Barrett's late three-pointer pulled them within two in the final seconds. Although, the Orange sunk their free throws to seal the upset win, which was their 12th victory of the season. Williams posted a career-high 35 points and 10 rebounds in his return, including a clutch free throw with 16.2 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. He did have a shot to give his team the lead with the second free throw, which he missed.
Syracuse would then have a shot to win it after the missed free throw attempt, but Battle had a three-pointer go off the back iron as time expired in the second half. Paschal Chukwu had 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for the Orange, while Elijah Hughes contributed 20 points, as Syracuse improved to 3-1 in conference play.
The Orange will be back in action on Saturday afternoon to host the Pittsburgh Panthers, who took down 11th-ranked Florida State with ease on Monday night. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils look to bounce back in a top-five showdown with the fourth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday evening.
