AMHERST, MASS. - Freshman guards Jackie Johnson III and Primo Spears combined for 48 points as Duquesne (6-7, 1-0) came off a 19-day pause to defeat Massachusetts (7-7, 0-2), 78-74, in the Dukes' Atlantic 10 opener on Saturday afternoon in Amherst, Mass.

The win, which was Duquesne's first at UMass since 2011, snapped a five-game Mullins Center losing streak for the Dukes. It was the first loss in seven home games this season for the Minutemen.

Johnson III finished with a career high-tying 27, while Spears ended up with 21 for the Dukes who erased a 12-point first half deficit.

Kevin Easley Jr. added 10 points and a career-high five steals for the Dukes, who had been idle since a 76-54 win over UC Irvine on Dec. 19.

Duquesne trailed 20-8 early, before closing the half with a 23-10 run, to take a 31-30 lead. DU took its first lead at 27-25 on a Spears 3-pointer with 2:27 left.

Spears (12 points) and Johnson III (11 points) combined for 23 points in the opening 20 minutes.

The Dukes, who never trailed in the second half, were up 70-69 with 2:02 left, when Leon Ayers III hit a jumper in the lane.

Austin Rotroff, who had six rebounds off the bench, came up with a big block at the other end, setting up a Spears foul line jumper that made it a five-point game with just under one minute left.

Johnson III then answered a UMass bucket with a teardrop shot in the lane to push the lead back to five. The Dukes got another defensive stop and Johnson III hit a pair free throws to make it 78-71 with three seconds left.

DU, which shot .463 for the game, shot .514 in the second half. Johnson III, who matched his career high set earlier this season vs. Weber State, went 10-of-14 from the field. Johnson III and Spears went a combined 9-of-9 from the foul line.

Duquesne is scheduled to continue A-10 play at Fordham on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+).

NOTES

• The win snapped a five-game Mullins Center losing streak for the Dukes. DU's previous win at UMass was on Feb. 16, 2011 (81-63).
• This was the 17th time the Dukes have come back from a double-digit deficit to win under Keith Dambrot. DU's largest deficit was 12 (20-8) with 8:25 left in the first half.
• Jackie Johnson III went 10-of-14 from the field in matching his career high of 27 points. Johnson III had 27 off the bench on Nov. 15 vs. Weber State.
• Kevin Easley Jr. finished with a career-high five steals. His previous best was three..
• Duquesne's largest lead was eight, the last of which came at 59-51 with 8:28 left ... UMass's largest lead was 12, at 20-8 with 8:25 left in the first half ... there were zero ties and three lead changes before Jackie Johnson III gave the Dukes the lead for good on a jumper with 1:12 left in the first half ... UMass led for 17:55 ... Duquesne led for 21:45.