G12 | UC IRVINE (5-3) vs. DUQUESNE (4-7)    
Sun., Dec. 19, 2021 • 1:00 pm ET • Akron, Ohio • LeBron James Arena (1,800)

LIVE STREAM: NONE
RADIO: 104.7 HD2 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Tad Maurey

Duquesne (4-7), which snapped a three-game losing streak with a dramatic 64-62 win over New Hampshire on Dec. 11, returns from final exams to face UC Irvine (5-3) at LeBron James Arena at Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary High School on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 1:00 p.m. (no live stream).

The is the third time the Dukes are playing a neutral-site game in Akron under fifth-year head coach Keith Dambrot, who led St.Vincent-St. Mary - and a young freshman/sophomore LeBron James - to back-to-back state titles in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Dambrot, an Akron native, led the University of Akron - his alma mater - to 305 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances in 13 seasons prior to moving on to Duquesne.

In 2018-19, DU defeated Radford, 69-64 at STVM LeBron James Arena and in 2019-20 the Dukes took down the Highlanders, 71-49 at Akron Ellet High School (STVM had a prior commitment that year). The Dukes' previous trips were planned around a visit to James' I Promise School. COVID-19 challenges, as well as a Sunday game, will prevent an I Promise visit this year.

TRENDING

• The Dukes, who have committed 10 or fewer turnovers in their past five games are coming off a school-record low three miscues in their win over New Hampshire. DU held UNH to an opponent low .389 from the field in the 64-62 victory.
• Duquesne led for 99:29 of a possible 125 minutes in three of its losses: 36:58 (never trailing in regulation) of its 84-76 OT loss to Colorado at the Paradise Jam, 32:45 in the loss to Bowling Green and 29:46 at Marshall.  Colorado hit a 3-pointer to tie it with :03 left in regulation and Marshall hit a game-deciding "3" with :10 left.
• First-year TCU transfer Kevin Easley Jr. has scored in double digits in 10 of DU's 11 games - including the last seven in a row. Easley Jr. leads the Dukes with a 12.9 ppg. scoring average and 16 3-pointers (.457).
• First-year Indiana State transfer Tre Williams, who led the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks last year (37), leads the Dukes with 28 rejections, including seven vs. Colorado on Nov. 20.
• Freshman guard Primo Spears, a one-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, has topped the 20-point mark in two of DU's past six games (21 vs. American and a season-high 23 at Marshall). Spears, who leads the team with 30 assists, hit a jumper with 3.6 seconds left to lift the Dukes to a 64-62 win over New Hampshire last Saturday.
• Freshman guard Jackie Johnson III, who had six points in DU's first two games, scored 27 off the bench vs. Weber State on Nov. 15. It was the most points off the bench by a Duke in seven years. Johnson III, who has scored 11 in each of DU's past two games (at DePaul & vs. New Hampshire), is shooting .452 (14-31) from 3-point. He made his first career start vs. UNH.
• Junior Austin Rotroff, who is recovering from an early-season foot injury, came off the bench to score 10 points and add a career-high nine rebounds in 19 minutes vs. UNH. Rotroff went 5-of-5 from the field with three dunks.
• According to KenPom.com Duquesne ranks 353rd of 358 Division I teams in the "experience" category (thru Dec. 15).

DUKES AND ANTEATERS
Series Record: First Meeting
Keith Dambrot vs. UCI: 1-0 (at Akron)

• This is the first meeting between the Dukes and Big West Conference member UC Irvine.
• Head coach Keith Dambrot is 1-0 vs. the Anteaters with an 88-80 neutural-site win in the first round of the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Championship in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 21, 2016.
• This is Duquesne's second meeting against a current member of the 11-team Big West. Ron Everhart's Dukes defeated CSUN, 97-74, in the first round of the Iowa Realty Invitational on the campus of Drake University on Nov. 30, 2007.
• UCI ranks among the nation's Top 10 in scoring defense (8th at 56.0 ppg.), field goal percentage defense (3rd at .353) and 3-point percentage defense (3rd at .248) - stats through Wednesday.
• No. 10 USC, who defeated UC Irvine 66-61 at home on Wednesday, was the first team to score more than 64 points vs. the Anteaters this season. UCI, which led by 10 in the first half and eight at halftime, was down two with under one minute left. USC, which outscored the Anteaters 38-25 in the second half, went 11-18 from the foul line in the second half, while UCI was 2-of-5. Collin Welp led UCI with a game-high 24 points.
• UCI's Russell Turner, who is in his 12th season as head coach, won his 230th game on Nov. 20th. His victory total ranks fifth all-time among Big West coaches.
• UCI was picked second in the Big West preseason Coaches Poll. The Anteaters earned four of nine first-place votes finishing one vote behind preseason favorite, UC Santa Barbara.
• Six-nine senior forward Collin Welp, who ranks among the Top 20 in UCI history in both scoring and rebounding, was named to the Big West preseason team.
• The Anteaters (5-3), who own wins over Boise State, Pepperdine and at Santa Clara on the way to a 5-1 start, are in the midst of a stretch of four games in a row away from home over a 27-day span. UCI is coming off a 66-61 loss at No. 10 (AP) USC on Wednesday.

LAST GAME
Duquesne 64, New Hampshire 62
Dec. 11, 2021 • UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse • Pittsburgh, Pa.
Game 11 Recap

• Primo Spears' foul-line jumper with 3.6 seconds left help the Dukes snap a three-game losing streak.
• Spears (12 points) was one of five Dukes in double figures joined by Kevin Easley Jr. (12), Jackie Johnson III (11), Tyson Acuff (11) and Austin Rotroff (10).
• DU, which held the Wildcats to an opponent-low .389 from the field, committed a school record low three turnovers.
• Rotroff came off the bench to post a season high 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Rotroff went 5-of-5 from the field with three dunks.
• DU outscored the UNH bench 28-17.
• Duquesne's largest lead was 11 at 17-6 with 11:14 left in the first half ... New Hampshire's largest lead was four, the last of which came at 42-38 with 12:57 left ... there were six ties and 10 lead changes before Spears' game-winner with 3.6 seconds left ... UNH led for 5:35 ... Duquesne led for 32:01.