G27 | DUQUESNE (6-20, 1-13) at RHODE ISLAND (13-13, 4-10)
Sat., Feb. 26, 2022 • 12:30 pm ET • Kingston, R.I. • Ryan Center (7,657)

TV: USA Network with Rich Lerner & Tim McCormick
RADIO: 104.7 HD2 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Jarrett Durham ('71)

Duquesne (6-20, 1-13) heads to the Ocean State for the first of back-to-back road games when it takes on Rhode Island (13-13, 4-10) on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by NBC Sports on the USA Network with Rich Lerner and Tim McCormick on the call.

This is the third meeting between the Dukes and Rams in the past two seasons as DU swept a pair of home games in 2021. Last year, pandemic-related schedule changes paired the two twice in Pittsburgh, with DU winning 71-69 at Kerr Fitness Center on the campus of La Roche University on Jan. 20 and again in the second game ever at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (86-75 on Feb. 27).

This is DU's first trip to Rhody since Jan. 22, 2020 (a 77-55 defeat).

Injured forward Austin Rotroff is the only member of the current Duquesne roster who has been to Ryan Center.

Duquesne will return to Pittsburgh before heading to Washington D.C. to face George Washington on Mar. 2. DU concludes the A-10 regular season at home vs. La Salle on Mar. 5.

TRENDING

• Duquesne, which opened A-10 play with a 78-74 win at UMass and followed that with a 72-71 last-second defeat at Fordham, has scored 62 or fewer points in its past 12 games (667 points/55.6 ppg. over that span).
• DU, which is coming off a season-low 50-point outing on Wednesday vs. Davidson, is averaging 58.3 ppg. on .384 shooting in conference play.
• Duquesne ranks fourth nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.2). Only four schools committed fewer total fouls than DU's 343 thru Wednesday.
• Duquesne's 11.6 turnovers/g. are the third-fewest in school history. The school record low of 11.0 was set in 2013-14.
• 6-11 redshirt freshman C Mounir Hima, who is only in his fourth season of organized basketball, has 17 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks in his past three games (21 min/g). His nine points at St. Bonaventure (on 3-of-3 shooting) were a career high, as were his 10 rebounds in his first career start vs. Davidson on Wednesday.
• Second-year freshman Tyson Acuff, who leads the Dukes with a .466 (27-of-58) 3-point pct, shot 294 (10-of-34) from the arc last season. His 15 points vs. Davidson (all in the first half) were his most since a career-high 16 vs. UC Irvine on Dec. 19.
• First-year TCU transfer Kevin Easley Jr.'s 16 points vs. Davidson were his most since he had 18 vs. Bowling Green on Dec. 1. Easley Jr. added a career-high five assists vs. the Wildcats.
• First-year Indiana State transfer Tre Williams, who leads the Dukes with 54 blocked shots, ranked tied for 39th nationally in blocks/g. (2.08) thru Wednesday. Williams was injured late in the first half of Wednesday's game vs. Davidson and did not return.
• DU's 14 assists vs. Davidson were its most since a season-high 15 in the opener vs. Rider.
• According to KenPom.com Duquesne ranks 353rd of 358 Division I teams in the "experience" category (thru Feb. 23).
• The balanced Dukes' top four scorers are averaging within 0.7 points of each other: Primo Spears (11.0), Tre Williams (10.8), Kevin Easley Jr. (10.3) and Leon Ayers III (10.3). Spears (five times), Ayers III (four times) & and Jackie Johnson III (8.3 ppg.) (twice) have scored 20 or more this season. Eight Dukes have posted double-digit scoring games this year.
• The Dukes have used 11 starting lineups, including seven in 12 non-conference games. Ten players have started at least once. Tre Williams, who was injured in the first half of Wednesday's Davidson game and did not return, is the only player to start every game this season. DU has used five different starting lineups in its past five games.
• The depleted DU frontcourt took another hit on Wednesday night when Tre Williams (10.8, 5.7, 54 blocks), the only Duke to start every game this season, was forced to leave the Davidson game due to injury with just over one minute left in the first half. He did not return. The Dukes are already without 6-10 veteran big man Austin Rotroff (foot, out 4-6 weeks) and grad transfer forward R.J. Gunn (preseason ankle injury).

DUKES AND RAMS
Series Record: Rhode Island leads 34-28
At Pittsburgh: Duquesne leads 15-14
At Kingston: Rhode Island leads 20-11
Neutral Site: Duquesne leads 2-0
A-10 Regular Season: Rhode Island leads 31-24
A-10 Championship: Duquesne leads 2-1
Dambrot vs. URI/at Duquesne: 3-4/3-2
Current Streak: Duquesne won two

• This is the 63rd meeting in a series that dates to Jan. 13, 1966. Rhode Island, winner of 21 of the past 30, leads the all-time series 34-28. In games in Rhode Island, the Rams lead 20-11. The Dukes have dropped the past three at Ryan Center including three-point losses in 2016 (77-74) and 2018 (61-58). URI was ranked 24th (AP) in the 2018 meeting. DU's last Ryan Center win came on Feb. 15, 2014 (83-71).
• Due to pandemic-related rescheduling, last year marked the first time since 2000-01 that DU and URI met twice in the same regular season. Duquesne swept the two games with a 71-69 "home" win at LaRoche University's Kerr Fitness Center (Jan. 20) and an 86-75 win at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (Feb. 27).
• Twelve of the past 16 games between the two (10 URI wins) have been determined by eight or fewer points. Three of the five games under current DU coach Keith Dambrot have been one possession affairs.
• Keith Dambrot is 3-4 vs. URI (3-2 at Duquesne), with the first two meetings - both losses - coming while at Akron.

LAST GAME
Davidson 74, Duquesne 50
Feb. 23, 2022 • UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse • Pittsburgh, Pa.
Game 26 Recap

• The Wildcats outscored the Dukes 38-17 in the second half to sweep the season series between the two schools.
• DU, which shot 58 percent in the first half, shot 23 percent in the second.
• Kevin Easley Jr. led DU with 16 points, a career-high five assists and three steals.
• Tyson Acuff added 15 for the Dukes who trailed 36-33 at the half.
• Mounir Hima finished with a career-high 10 rebounds in 31 minutes in his first career start.
• DU's 14 assists were its most since 15 in the season-opener vs. Rider.
• Duquesne's 50 points were a season low.
• Davidson's largest lead was 24 (72-48), the last of which came with 1:39 left ... Duquesne's lone lead came at 4-0 .... there were six ties and three lead change before Grant Huffman gave Davidson the lead for good on a 3-pointer with 10:44 left in the first half ... Davidson led for 32:27 ... Duquesne led for 3:28.