McCANDLESS, PA - Michael Hughes scored a career-high 23 points and had 11 rebounds and Sincere Carry added 13 points and eight assists to help Duquesne to its best start in 40 years with a 71-58 win over VMI at Kerr Fitness Center on the campus of La Roche University Wednesday night.

With the victory the Dukes moved to 7-0, matching the 1979-80 NIT team's start.

It was the fourth time in seven games that the Dukes came back from a double-digit deficit to win.

Duquesne led 7-0 before VMI found the range from 3-point and built a 30-19 lead. Carry ended a 18-3 Keydets run - which included five 3-pointers - with a traditional 3-point play and Hughes followed with a bucket to make it 30-24 at the half.

DU scored the first six points out of the break - including four from Hughes - to tie it at 30-30.

A Tavian Dunn-Martin 3-pointer - his third - gave the Dukes their first lead since the 6:46 mark of the first half at 33-32. It was a lead DU would not relinquish

Carry hit a 3-pointer to give DU a 44-38 lead with under 11 minutes left. Baylee Steele hit a 3-pointer and Lamar Norman Jr. followed with a steal and dunk to give the Dukes a 54-44 lead.

DU went up 11 on a pair of Maceo Austin free throws before VMI hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to eight with 5:27 left, but the Keydets would get no closer as Duquesne took its largest lead at 71-56 on a Carry 3-pointer at the shot clock horn with 11 seconds remaining.

The Dukes, who had 10 turnovers at the half, finished with 13. Hughes finished with four of DU's 10 blocks.

DU used its size advantage to outscore VMI 32-18 in the paint.

Duquesne hosts Columbia in its final nonconference home game on Monday, Dec. 9 at La Roche. The game, set for a 7:00 p.m. tip, will be streamed live on ESPN+.

NOTES

• This is the first time since 1979-80 (also 7-0) that a Duquesne team has opened 7-0.
• Duquesne began the night as one of 18 undefeated teams in NCAA Division I.
• The seven-game win streak is Duquesne's longest since Keith Dambrot's Dukes reeled off seven in a row in December of 2017.
• Duquesne is now 25-8 in nonconference play, including 20-4 at home, under Dambrot.
• The Dukes, who entered the game ranked sixth nationally in 3-point shooting defense and 11th in scoring defense, held the Keydets to 58 points on .286 3-point shooting. Five of VMI's 10 3-pointers came within a 2:48 span of the first half.
• Michael Hughes finished with four blocks, giving him 15 rejections in his past three games. Hughes entered the game ranked 18th nationally in blocked shots per game at 2.67. His current bpg. average is now at 2.86.
• Duquesne, which was down 30-19 with 2:31 left in the first half, has come back from double digit deficits four times in its seven wins (-14 Princeton, -12 vs. both Indiana State and Loyola Marymount are the others). DU has now come back from double-digit deficits to win 12 times under Keith Dambrot, with all 12 coming in the past two seasons.
• This was the third of four nonconference home games for the Dukes at La Roche University's Kerr Fitness Center. The the last will be Dec. 9 vs. Columbia.
• VMI's largest lead was 11 at 30-19 with 2:31 left in the first half ... Duquesne's largest lead was 15 at 71-56 with two seconds left ... there were four ties and two lead changes before Duquesne took the lead for good on Tavian Dunn-Martin's 3-pointer with 16:53 left ... VMI led for 9:36 ... Duquesne led for 27:04.