Siena’s Gerry McNamara Got Brutally Honest After Falling Short of Epic Upset vs. Duke

For one half, No. 16 Siena was right there with No. 1 Duke. In fact, they were holding an unexpected 43-32 lead at halftime.

But the Blue Devils battled back in the second half to clinch the nervy 71-65 first-round win, allowing their fans and bracket-makers everywhere to let out a collective sigh of relief. What could have ended with Siena writing themselves into the NCAA tournament history books closed out instead with Duke regaining control late in the game to keep their title hopes alive. After taking an early 10-8 lead, the Blue Devils trailed the Saints all the way until roughly four minutes remaining in the contest. At that point, Duke was able to finish the job and send Siena home packing.

Siena coach Gerry McNamara will be heading back with his head held high, though. McNamara, who kept his starters on the court for the majority of the game and received a nice compliment from Duke’s Jon Scheyer afterward, spoke to reporters about what went wrong for his team in the near-upset.

McNamara sent Scheyer and the Blue Devils a classy postgame message while also praising his own team’s grit and resilience:

“I think the world of college basketball saw what I’ve been so thankful to be around all season. A group of kids that love each other, that compete at the highest level, that play for each other,” McNamara said. “We got off to a great start offensively, second half when they switched to zone it slowed us down a little bit. ... I wish them luck moving forward. They’re a tough group, they’re the No. 1 seed for a reason. They got a lot of talent, a lot of heart and pride. I’ve got all that here too.

“I’m crushed for them because they played well enough to win. They did. But we got kind of crushed on the glass in the second half, the free throw differential really hurt us. We had a couple chances late to make a shot, we just couldn’t capitalize,” continued McNamara. “For me, to take this job, the goal was always to play on this stage. And I’m really, really proud of how they represented our school. ... I said after Atlantic City I’m a proud coach. I’m still a damn proud coach.”

When asked about leaving his starters in for nearly the entire game, McNamara dropped this iconic line: “You’re going to get a little gassed, but when you’re playing the best team in the country, sometimes you dig a little deeper and fight it out.”

By the second half, Duke was showing more energy than Siena, whose beleaguered starting five were visibly gassed, and the Blue Devils gradually chipped away at a double-digit deficit and marched forward for a triumphant late-game rally. Siena, on the other hand, were in desperate need of a morale boost having missed a couple key dunks. The Saints shot just 23.5% in the second half and saw their upset dreams slip slowly through their fingers against an inevitable Duke side led by Cameron Boozer, who finished with a game-high 22 points.

“Duke’s Duke, and they’re going to make a run ... I’ve been watching these guys all year. I’m a junkie. Every game I watch I’m like, ‘Damn they’re good defensively,’” McNamara said.

Duke’s win certainly was no cakewalk, but it was a reality check for the tournament favorites who escaped an all-time epic crash-out. As for Siena, McNamara and the players left it all out on the court but will continue mulling over what could have been.

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