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Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Unranked Stephen F. Austin handed Duke their first non-conference home loss since 2000 with a dramatic upset of the No. 1 Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Lumberjacks (5-1) pulled off the 85-83 shocker with Nathan Bain beating the buzzer with an overtime layup Tuesday in Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils (6-1) were favored by 27.5 points, according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
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Senior guard Kevon Harris led the Lumberjacks with a game-high 26 points. Freshman Vernon Carey Jr. paced the Blue Devils with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks.
"We made history for Stephen F. Austin," Lumberjacks coach Kyle Keller told reporters. "We're now 1-0 against the team that's ranked No. 1 in the country in the AP poll. We're a one-bid league, ask me on Selection Sunday if it means anything. I'm sure 'Coach K' [Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski] will get after his team tomorrow and they probably won't have a good Thanksgiving because of this, but it will make their team a lot better.
"We need to remain humble because we only get one bid into the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully, this will give our league some national respect because of how good our league is."
Duke used an 8-0 run to jump out to a 31-17 lead with 9:42 remaining in the first half. Stephen F. Austin closed the gap to three points before trailing 45-40 at halftime.
The Lumberjacks tied the score at 62-62 with 8:36 remaining in regulation. The lead switched hands several times before Gavin Kensmil made a game-tying layup with 19 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game to overtime. The Blue Devils and Lumberjacks combined for just six points in the bonus period.
"They just started playing harder," Duke guard Tre Jones said. "We let up definitely, didn't play as hard, and we let them back into the game. By us letting them back into the game, they gained a bunch of confidence. They were playing with all the confidence -- you could tell.
"They continued to play hard and they just wanted it more."
Cameron Johnson put the Lumberjacks ahead 83-81 with a Layup with 2:58 remaining in the game. Carey Jr. tied the game with a layup 44 seconds later. Kensmil came up with a steal in the final seconds and passed the ball forward to Bain, who dribbled up the court and beat the clock with the game-winning layup.
"We weren't deserving of winning," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "That team was deserving of winning and they won. To win in overtime on that last play -- the last play was really symbolic of eight or nine plays that they had where they had free layups."
Duke had 22 turnovers but had a better field goal percentage and 3-point percentage than Stephen F. Austin in the loss. The Blue Devils also had more rebounds and assists than the Lumberjacks.
"I just appreciate 'Coach K' [Krzyzewski] for playing us," Keller said. "He gets to choose who he wants to play each year and he doesn't have to play us, ever. We've tried to play him in the past and his dance card is full. What an honor for our little school in Texas to come in here and just play.
"He's such a classy guy, he's done so much for the sport."
Duke hosts Winthrop at 7 p.m. EST Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Stephen F. Austin battles Arkansas State at 5 p.m. Saturday at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Ark.
