Orange Lose to #7/6 Blue Devils

Saturday, February 26

Syracuse, N.Y.

6 PM

Syracuse University

15-14,9-9ACC

Duke

25-4,15-3ACC

Duke

Syracuse

2/26/2022 8:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Jim Boeheim Press Conference Coach K Press Conference Buddy Boeheim Interview Benny Williams Interview Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- #7/6 Duke (25-4, 15-3 ACC) scored the game's first 14 points and never looked back in an eventual 97-72 victory at Syracuse (15-14, 9-9 ACC).

The game featured a matchup of the two winningest coaches in Division I college basketball history -- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (1st) and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (2nd). The pairing attracted the largest on-campus crowd in college basketball this season with an announced 31,803 on hand in the Dome.

Syracuse's Buddy Boeheim posted 23 points to lead the Orange.

The Blue Devils' Mark Williams pulled out a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds for Duke.

HOW THE GAME WAS DECIDED
The Blue Devils blazed their way to an early advantage, scoring 14 unanswered points in the first four minutes of the contest. A Buddy Boeheim lay-up got the Orange on the board with 15:27 on the clock, but it did not slow the Blue Devils. At one point the visitors had made 11-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-7 of its 3-point tries.

DUKE DARTS AHEAD
The barrage of Blue Devil baskets during the opening frame helped Duke jump to a 22-point advantage, 31-9, with 11:47 remaining. Three Duke players --- Paolo Banchero, Adrian Griffin, and Mark Williams -- accounted for the early offense.

'CUSE CHIPS AWAY
Down 30, 48-18, with five minutes left in the first stanza, the Orange began to battle their way back. A lay-up from Bourama Sidibe and a 3-pointer from Buddy Boeheim brought the Orange within 25.

After Trevor Keels buried a triple for the Blue Devils, the Orange erupted for 11 unanswered points, including the last seven by Buddy Boeheim, to close the half. The two teams went into the intermission with Duke ahead, 51-34.

BLUE DEVILS BRING IT HOME
The teams traded blows in the first eight minutes of the second period, with Duke edging Syracuse 19-17 in the span to extend their lead to 70-53, with 12 minutes to play.

Over the remainder of regulation, the Blue Devils outscored the Orange 27-19, with a third of Duke's points in this stretch coming from Williams.

ANOTHER 30,000
Syracuse announced 31,803 tickets sold and distributed, marking the 85th time a Dome crowd has exceeded that mark. A couple of other attendance notes:

It was the sixth time Syracuse has announced a crowd of 30,000 for a game with Duke. That sits in a sixth-place tie with Notre Dame on the opponent list.
The Syracuse foe with the most Dome appearances in front of crowds of 30,000-or-more is Georgetown (17 times).
Syracuse has had the largest on-campus college basketball crowd for each season since the facility opened in 1980-81 with one exception. The covid pandemic kept fans from the Dome in 2020-21.
Syracuse is now 54-31 (.635) in Dome games with 30,000 or more fans.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Joe Girard III moved connected on two 3-pointers and advanced to eighth on the school's career list (197).
Bourama Sidibe scored a season high 11 points, his highest offensive outing since the last game of the 2019-20 season.
Sidibe contributed a career-high three assists.
Benny Williams notched his best offensive showing with 14 points.
Duke's 51 first-half points are the most by a Syracuse opponent this season, eclipsing the previous standard set by Colgate (46).

NEXT GAME
Syracuse travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. on Monday, Feb. 28 to take on North Carolina. Tip time in Dean E. Smith Center is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be aired on ESPN.

Gallery: (2-26-2022) Syracuse MBB vs Duke