The last time the Orange came to Cameron Indoor Stadium, they fell to Duke 60-44. In 2019, they looked to flip the script and shock the top ranked team in the nation.
Going into the game, defense was the key for Duke tonight, according to Coach K. He stressed a high paced game and to apply a lot of pressure on the Syracuse guards. Duke’s Cam Reddish was out due to an illness so the young team had to make due.
From the tip, the Orange trailed 11-0 with 17:18 in the first. Elijah Hughes made his way to the free throw line to score Syracuse’s first points four minutes into the game. Leading them to battle, Tyus Battle put up a quick 12 points 9 minutes into the game and added another dunk with 9:34 left in the 1st. He proved to be the force Syracuse needed at the start of the game to compete with the Blue Devils.
On the other hand, Duke’s Tre Jones collided with Frank Howard, injuring his shoulder, causing him to miss the rest of the game. From this, Zion Williamson showed his leadership abilities, earning multiple shots at the free throw line through aggressive attack play. Syracuse soon found four players with three fouls at the end of the first half.
Elijah Hughes continued to provide for the Orange in the first as he hit a three-quarter court shot that swished through the net at the sound of the buzzer beater. The momentum was now in Syracuse’s hands as the Duke crowd sighed at the sight.
The momentum of that shot carried over to the second half for the Orange.
The 2nd half could be summed up as physical and aggressive. Duke came in fired up from the 9,000 fans, but Syracuse, unwavered, was determined to put up a fight. The Orange were locked in. With the zone, it was harder for Duke to box out Paschal Chukwu, who finished the night with 18 boards. Chukwu proved to be the key component of this game, bodying with Zion Williamson down low.
Battle continued to lead the Orange in the second half as he hit an outside jumper on the wing to bring Syracuse up 85-84 with 1:13 left.
With the clock winding down and Duke fans starting to get impatient, Zion drove down to the other end of the court, drawing a much needed foul, and earning two shots. The noise of the crowd resonated from the first shot made, before Williamson missed the second, sending the game to overtime.
Syracuse continued to bring the pressure in overtime, as the Orange’s offense remained dominate kicking off the five minutes.
The 17-point underdogs were up by four with 30 seconds to go in overtime. Duke’s offense seemed to be crumbling with every stumbled pass and anxious move. The Orange held the Blue Devils to 2-of-8 shooting.
At the sound of the final buzzer, the Syracuse began cheering in elation as the team topped the nation’s best, Duke, 95-91 to earn their second victory in Durham since 2016.
Offensively, Syracuse was on tonight with five players finishing with double figures, including Tyus Battle, who has a season high of 32 points. Paschal Chukwu dominated the boards with 18 rebounds. Coach Boeheim said at the of the game that when Chukwu plays like he did tonight, the Orange are a different team.
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