No. 5 Duke takes out No. 1 Gonzaga in a classic at the Continental Tire Challenge

LAS VEGAS — In the second half of his team’s electric 84-81 win over No. 1 Gonzaga on Friday night in front of a sold-out T-Mobile Arena crowd, Duke forward Paolo Banchero experienced a terrible case of deja vu.

His cramping issues — the same cramping issues that had interrupted his debut in a season-opening win over Kentucky — had returned and stalled him after he scored 20 of his game-high 21 points in the first half.

A record 20,389 fans witness Duke battle Gonzaga in the Continental Tire Challenge

LAS VEGAS – A record crowd of 20,389 witnessed the clash of the unbeatens between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 5 Duke at T-Mobile Arena. The capacity crowd topped the previous mark of 20,321 set on Dec. 29, 1986 when UNLV beat a David Robinson-led Navy squad at Thomas & Mack Center. The previous basketball record for T-Mobile Arena was set on Dec. 10, 2016 when 19,107 fans saw Duke beat UNLV in the arena’s first college basketball game.