Nov. 18, 2006
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Pittsburgh, Pa. - Freshman Scott Grote capped a wild final two minutes by hitting a pair of free throws with 1.3 seconds left to give Duquesne a 77-76 home win over UNC Asheville.
The victory, in addition to leaving the Dukes one win shy of last year's total, made the Dukes 2-0 for the first time since the start of the 2001-02 season.
UNC Asheville, which was playing its first road game of the season, dropped to 1-2.
Duquesne, leading 75-66 with 2:04 left, watched as UNC Asheville took advantage of three consecutive turnovers to score nine points in 39 seconds to tie the game on a Sean Smith 3-pointer with 1:01 left.
K.J. Garland then hit one of two free throws with 28 seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs their first lead since the 8:29 mark at 76-75.
Duquesne then ran the clock down to 9.2 seconds before calling a timeout. Aaron Jackson drove the right side before kicking the ball to Grote in the lane who was fouled as he went up for the potential game-winner.
Grote swished the first free throw and watched the second hit the back iron and front iron before bouncing high in the air and through the basket.
Grote, who scored a game-high 18 points, then intercepted a deep inbounds pass at the top of the UNCA key for his fifth and final steal of the game to seal the win.
"I've never seen a finish to a game like that," said first-year Duquesne coach Ron Everhart. "All we had to do was get some stops. Not only did we not stop them, we gave them 3-point plays ... then we turned the ball over. They made a great run at us at the end. They made plays."
Aaron Jackson added 15 points and 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. Robert Mitchell scored 13 and added eight boards, Reggie Jackson had 11 points and six assists and Phillip Fayne scored 10 for the Dukes.
Brett Warner led four UNCA players in double digits with 16. "To put a freshman in that situation and he knocks down two free throws, that was big," said Everhart of Grote who has led the Dukes in scoring in both games this season. "He's a keeper."
