PHILADELPHIA - Duquesne (13-5, 3-2) posted its highest first-half point total in 54 years in cruising to a 92-80 win at Saint Joseph's (6-10, 0-4) on Wednesday night.
R.J. Gunn Jr. scored 19 of his game- and season-high 26 points in the first half in helping the Dukes to a 60-44 lead.
Six Dukes hit 3-pointers, led by four from Gunn Jr. - who went 7-of-7 in the opening 20 minutes - to help DU post its most first-half points since 63 in a 120-75 win over Marshall in December of 1969.
Duquesne, which was never threatened, maintained at least a 12-point lead from the 3:51 mark of the first half on.
The win snapped an 11-game road losing streak for the Dukes, whose last road victory came at UMass on Jan. 8, 2022.
Joe Reece scored 18 points and
Dae Dae Grant, who was coming off a season low-tying three-point outing at Richmond, finished with 17 points for DU which went 14-of-25 from the 3-point arc.
Jimmy Clark III was the fourth Duke in double digits with 11.
Gunn Jr. scored the game's first four points as the Dukes jumped out to a 10-2 lead. Gunn Jr.'s fourth 3-pointer gave Duquesne a 42-30 lead.
Quincy McGriff's 3-pointer, DU's tenth - and last - of the half, made it 56-41 with 2:35 to go.
Duquesne led by as many as 23 in the second half.
DU, which assisted on 24 of its 31 field goals, was led by
Tevin Brewer and
Kareem Rozier who posted six assists each.
The Dukes outshot the Hawks .564 to .448.
Duquesne will be idle until concluding its stretch of three-straight road games at St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+).
NOTES
- The win snapped Duquesne's 11-game overall road losing streak as well as a 10-game Atlantic 10 road skid. DU's previous road win came on Jan. 8, 2022 at UMass (78-74). The Dukes are now 1-3 on the road this season.
- This was the first time DU didn't trail in a road game since a 78-60 win at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 8, 2020. It was also the fifth time this season that the Dukes never trailed (South Carolina State, DePaul, Winthrop and VCU are the others).
- Duquesne is now 5-22 all-time in games at Saint Joseph's, with four of the wins coming in the past seven meetings. Keith Dambrot is the only Duquesne coach with multiple wins at SJU (2). Dambrot is 4-3 all-time vs. the Hawks.
- Duquesne's 60 first half points (60-44), were its most in any half since a school-record 73 in the second half of a 129-59 win over Howard on Nov. 9, 2007. It was the most first-half points by a DU team since 63 in a 120-75 win over Marshall in the Steel Bowl on Dec. 5, 1969.
- This was the fourth time DU topped the 90-point mark this year.
- Duquesne was without starting forward Tre Williams for the second consecutive game.
- Duquesne's largest lead was 23, at 83-60, with 6:21 left ... Duquesne led for 39:34.
