Coach K: Stephen F. Austin “Played Harder Than We Did”

By now you’ve heard the news: No. 1 Duke fell to Stephen F. Austin, a team that entered the game ranked No. 264 by KenPom.

A close game throughout, the Lumberjacks prevailed in overtime 85-83 after Nathan Bain converted a breakaway layup as time expired to break an 83-83 tie.

The score was set up by forward Gavin Kensmil, who stole a Duke entry pass and advanced it to Bain with four seconds remaining.

Kevon Harris finished with a game-high 26 points for the Lumberjacks while Cameron Johnson (16 pts), Kensmil (15 pts) and Bain (11 pts) also scored in double figures.

After the game, Coach K said that Stephen F. Austin “played harder” than the Blue Devils, a notion that’s driven home with some of the stats from the game. SFA had an eye-popping 13 steals in the game and forced 22 Duke turnovers. The No. 1 team in steals so far this year (Eastern Michigan) only has 12.7 per game.

Coach K: "They played harder than we did and were tougher. They had 64 points in the paint and forced 22 TO. They just played a lot tougher and better and deserved to win."

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 27, 2019

One team that really feels good about the win is Rutgers, the only team to beat SFA this year. The Scarlet Knights beat SFA at the RAC by a 69-57 final score.