DURHAM, N.C. — The blood on Paschal Chukwu’s nose, though small, symbolized the scrappiness he’d been through.

He was tasked with defending Zion Williamson and Marques Bolden, Duke’s big men, both shorter, yet stronger than the 7-foot-2 Chukwu. All three scored in double figures, played at least 30 minutes and registered double-digit rebounds.

But on Monday night, it was Chukwu that came out of the battle inside the paint victorious. He grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, and blocked three shots in Syracuse’s (12-5, 3-1 Atlantic Coast) monumental 95-91 upset of No. 1 Duke (14-2, 3-1) inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. For the first time in 91 games, a No. 1 ranked Blue Devils team lost on their home floor to an unranked opponent. And Chukwu was a huge reason behind it.

“He was a big difference,” Syracuse University head coach Jim Boeheim said. “If he plays like that, we’re a different team.”

It had been a tumultuous journey for Chukwu. His role changed from starter to reserve to not playing against Clemson in Syracuse’s first half of its season. It seemed as though conference play would be the ultimate demise of the senior.

Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

A 7-0 run to open the game from Duke prompted Boeheim to sub in the 7-foot-2 big man. He quickly grabbed two offensive rebounds, only to turn the ball over on both occasions. Boeheim signaled toward Bourama Sidibe. Chukwu walked over toward the bench.

Three fouls from Sidibe and foul trouble from starter Marek Dolezaj gave Boeheim no choice: Chukwu needed to play. Williamson constantly attacked the paint, and Bolden’s physicality around the rim made it hard to contest shots up close. Chukwu, like the rest of SU’s front court players, picked up three fouls in the first half.

The same struggles that haunted Chukwu all season picked up right where it left off early on Monday. He had been criticized by Boeheim during the year and rarely played big minutes against tougher opponents. Duke was the hardest test of them all.

But when Chukwu checked in nearly six minutes into the second half, the foul-prone center’s defensive attitude changed.

“I didn’t worry about fouling out,” Chukwu said. “I just kept doing what (Boeheim) told me. When they get in there, just help. They’ll have a tough time with the length. I didn’t slow down.”

Instead of attacking the paint, Duke resorted to shooting deep ball after deep ball, and to no avail. Despite Williamson scoring 35 points — making one 3-pointer and 10 free throws — the Blue Devils made just five shots inside the arc in the final 19 minutes with two blocks from Chukwu in that time. He didn’t leave the court for the rest of the game.

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Yet, the biggest shock about Chukwu’s bounce back second half wasn’t because of his 7-foot-2 stature defending the paint. He grabbed nine offensive rebounds and added a double-double.

Chukwu knew that when SU drove inside the paint, Williamson and Bolden would inch out, trying to block the shot. While they succeeded — the duo had nine blocks — more shots from the Orange hoisted past their outstretched reach than expected.

As the ball skied in the air, Chukwu would find himself alone. A cutter from the weak side or a small guard would try and find his way to the rim, but Chukwu moved his body to stay in front. And with his stark height advantage, offensive rebounds came easier.

“One of the hardest things to do in basketball is come off the bench in situations like that,” senior point guard Frank Howard said. “But he’s a fighter.”

The biggest moment of Chukwu’s career, and of Monday night’s game, came in the final minutes of overtime. He stood at the free-throw line, Syracuse clinging to a three-point lead with 1:19 remaining, its largest advantage of the game. Chukwu took a step back and looked at the scoreboard.

“I knew that we needed this shot,” he said.

Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

He released the ball surrounded by five Duke players, not another SU player in sight. It bounced inside the rim before rattling down. Chukwu slapped his hands together. The Orange had a two-possession lead and added a second free throw, too.

Thirty seconds later, Howard drove down the right alley before hoisting the ball up toward the rim. “A perfect pass,” Chukwu called it. The ball soared toward Chukwu, who caught the ball and slammed it home.

It capped off a breakout night for Chukwu, one that began as disastrous as his season has been. But, when Syracuse needed it most, and the Orange sure did as overtime progressed, it wasn’t Tyus Battle or Elijah Hughes providing the spark. It wasn’t Oshae Brissett or Howard, either. It was Syracuse’s 7-foot-2 backup center.

“I just try not to let that get in my head,” Chukwu said. “Just be patient and wait for my moment to be called and go out there.”

His number was called on Monday night, and unexpectedly so, it was Chukwu that lifted Syracuse over top-ranked Duke when it was needed most.

“We all knew he’d step up at some point and contribute,” Howard said. “Something huge like this tonight.”

“We knew he was due.”

Published on January 15, 2019 at 12:29 am

Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco