G13 | DUQUESNE (5-7, 0-0) at MASSACHUSETTS (7-6, 0-1)    
Sat., Jan. 8, 2022 • 12:00 pm ET • Amherst, Mass. • Mullins Center (9,493)

LIVE STREAM: ESPN+ with Tyler Murray & Frank Sullivan
RADIO: 104.7 HD2 / iHeartRadio with Tim Benz & Jarrett Durham ('71)

Duquesne (5-7, 0-0), which had four games canceled or postponed since a 76-54 win over UC Irvine in Akron, Ohio on Dec. 19, takes a two-game win streak to Amherst, Mass. to face UMass (7-6, 0-1) on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 12:00 p.m. (ESPN+).

This is the Atlantic 10 opener for the Dukes, who had their first three conference games postponed by COVID-19 pauses.

This is the second A-10 game for UMass, which returned from a three-game pause to suffer an 80-72 defeat at Richmond on Wednesday.

The Dukes, who are 0-2 on the road, are facing a UMass team that is 6-0 at home with notable wins over Penn State (81-56), Rutgers (85-83) and Harvard (87-77). This is the first A-10 home game for the Minutemen.

DU is 23-21 in Atlantic 10 openers (3-1 under Keith Dambrot), including an 8-14 mark when opening on the road.

Junior Austin Rotroff is the only member of the revamped 2021-22 Dukes roster who has: (1) made a trip to every Atlantic 10 arena, (2) played in an A-10 game with fans in attendance and (3) played in a game against UMass.

TRENDING

• The Dukes have held their past two opponents - New Hampshire (W, 64-62) and UC Irvine (W, 76-54) - to an average of 58.0 ppg. on .404 shooting.
• DU's 11.1 turnovers per game average is the program's lowest since 2014 (11.0). The Dukes set a new school record for fewest turnovers in a game with three vs. UNH.
• First-year TCU transfer Kevin Easley Jr. has scored in double digits in 11 of DU's 12  games - including the last eight in a row. The 6-7 Easley Jr. leads the Dukes with 17 3-pointers (.459).
• Four Dukes enter Saturday's game with 15 or more 3-pointers: Kevin Easley Jr. (17), Tyson Acuff (16), Leon Ayers III (16) and Jackie Johnson III (15). Primo Spears has also made double-digit "3s" (10).  
• First-year Mercer transfer Leon Ayers III, the Nov. 29 A-10 Player of the Week, is coming off a career-high 24-point outing vs. UC Irvine. Ayers III, who went 8-of-8 from the foul line, scored 19 in 16 second-half minutes. Ayers III has scored 20 or more a team-high four times.
• Second-year freshman Tyson Acuff came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points vs. UC Irivine. Acuff, who has come off the bench to score in double digits in three of DU's past four games, hit a career-high four 3-pointers (4-of-5) vs. the Anteaters.
• Primo Spears, a one-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, has led the Dukes in scoring four times (tied with Leon Ayers III for team high). Spears, who leads the team with 31 assists, hit a jumper with 3.6 seconds left to lift the Dukes to a 64-62 win over New Hampshire on Dec. 11.
• 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 is shooting .441 (15-34) from 3-point.
• Junior Austin Rotroff, who is recovering from an early-season foot injury, has averaged 8.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in 20 min/g. off the bench in DU's past two games.

WE'RE BACK: Duquesne had one non-conference game canceled (Dec. 22 vs. Wofford) and have had three Atlantic 10 games postponed (Dec. 30 at Davidson, Jan. 2 vs. George Mason & Jan. 5 vs. George Washington) due to COVID-19 protocols. This is the first game in 20 days for the Dukes.

CLOSE CALLS: Duquesne led for 99:29 of a possible 125 minutes in three of its losses this season: 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 in the setback 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.

FOR STARTERS: The Dukes used seven starting lineups in 12 non-conference games, with no fivesome starting more than two consecutive games. Eight players started at least once in non-conference play. Kevin Easley Jr., Tre Williams and Primo Spears are the only players to start every game this season.


DUKES AND MINUTEMEN
Series Record: UMass leads 41-27
At Pittsburgh: Duquesne leads 16-14
At Amherst/Springfield: UMass leads *24-7
Neutral Site: UMass leads 4-3
A-10 Regular Season: UMass leads 35-21
A-10 Championship: Tied 5-5
Dambrot vs. UMass/at Duquesne: 1-3/1-2
* - includes A-10 Tournament first round game in 2012

• This is the 69th game in a series that dates back to Jan. 11, 1975. Massachusetts leads the series 41-27. In games played in Amherst/Springfield, UMass leads 24-7 (includes an A-10 Championship first round game in 2012).
• UMass has won seven of the past nine meetings, including the past five at Mullins Center ... DU, which has won two of the past four, hasn't won at UMass since Feb. 16, 2011 (81-63).
• Danny Nee's Dukes snapped a 16-game series losing streak (dating back to 1991) with a 78-69 win over the Minutemen on February 6, 2002 at the Palumbo Center. Since then, UMass has won 13 and Duquesne nine.
• UMass, which was picked to finish 9th in the A-10 preseason poll, is coming off an 80-72 loss at Richmond on Wednesday ... 5-11 guard Noah Fernandes leads the Minutemen in scoring (16.2 ppg.) and assists (5.0 apg.) ... the Minutemen, who have four players averaging in double digits, rank second in the A-10 in scoring offense (79.0 ppg.) and 3-point percentage (.408) ... their 3-point percentage ranks 7th nationally.

LAST GAME
Duquesne 76, UC Irvine 54
Dec. 19, 2021 • LeBron James Arena • Akron, Ohio
Game 12 Recap/Box Score

• Leon Ayers III (24 points) and Tyson Acuff (16 points) both scored career highs in leading the Dukes to a convincing win at LeBron James Arena in Akron.
• The Dukes, who were the first team to score more than 66 against the Anteaters, also got a 12-10 double-double from Kevin Easley Jr.
• Toby Okani and Austin Rotroff added eight and seven rebounds respectively for the Dukes, who outrebounded UCI 40-26.
• DU, led by a career-high four 3-pointers from Acuff, went 9-of-19 from the 3-point arc against a UC Irvine team that entered the game ranked third nationally in 3-point percentage defense.
• Duquesne's largest lead was 25 at 76-51 with :34 left ... UC Irvine's largest lead was four, at 7-3 ... there was one tie and three lead changes before Kevin Easley Jr. gave the Dukes the lead for good on a put back with 13:30 left in the first half ... UC Irvine led for 3:34 ... Duquesne led for 34:48.