Battle, Syracuse upset No. 1 Duke 95-91 in OT
DURHAM, N.C. — Syracuse packed its patented 2-3 zone defense around Zion Williamson, and dared a depleted Duke team to win from the 3-point line.
Without shooter Cameron Reddish, the top-ranked Blue Devils couldn’t do it. And without point guard Tre Jones, their defense couldn’t pressure the Orange, either.
Tyus Battle scored a seasonhigh 32 points, and Syracuse rattled Duke in overtime in a 95-91 upset on Monday night— the Blue Devils’ first home loss as a No. 1 team to an opponent other than North Carolina.
With Reddish out with an illness and Jones suffering a shoulder injury roughly 5 1/2 minutes in that coach Mike Krzyzewski said will keep him “out for a while,” the Blue Devils were down two starters and became a completely different team.
The Orange took full advantage, forcing the Blue Devils to attempt a school-record 43 3pointers. They made only nine. And RJ Barrett finished with 23 points, but was 4 of 17 from 3-point range — the second-most 3s ever taken by a Duke player and the most since Bobby Hurley’s 18 against California in 1993.
“When you get two guys hurt and injured, there is no game plan anymore,” Krzyzewski said. “Our game plan was to pick them up fullcourt, put pressure on the ball, and that was working pretty well. Then, you’re trying to survive, really.”
Paschal Chukwu added 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds while Elijah Hughes added 20 points, Frank Howard finished with 16 and Oshae Brissett had 14 for the Orange (12-5, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
“When (Chukwu) plays like that,” coach Jim Boeheim said, “we’re a different team.”