PITTSBURGH -  Jimmy Clark III scored a career-high 26 points to lead Duquesne (12-4, 2-1) to a 79-70 win over his former team, VCU (10-5, 1-1), on Wednesday night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Clark III, who played as a freshman and sophomore for the Rams before transferring to Northwest Florida JC, went 10-of-17 from the field and added a career high five steals in nearly single-handedly snapping VCU's five-game win streak.

Dae Dae Grant and R.J. Gunn added 13 points each for the Dukes, who never trailed.

Duquesne held VCU scoreless for over six minutes in jumping out to a 20-6 lead. Grant hit three 3-pointers in the first 6:02 for the Dukes.

A Tevin Brewer 3-pointer extended the lead to 25-8 as VCU opened the game 4-of-16 with six turnovers.

A Clark III 3-pointer gave the Dukes a 20-point lead at 28-8.

Duquesne, which led by as many as 22 in the half, took a 37-22 lead to the locker room.

VCU, which scored the last six points of first half, cut the lead to 11 on a 3-pointer just over two minutes into the second.

The Rams' Brandon Johns, who scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, converted a three-point play to make it 42-35 with 15:51 left, but the Dukes responded with a Clark III 3-pointer to up the lead to 10.

Grant dropped a deep 3-pointer, his fourth, to make it 65-48.

VCU hit a couple of 3-pointers to pull within nine with just over two minutes left, but the Dukes answered with a Gunn dunk to keep the Rams at bay.

DU, which shot .453, including 11-of-25 from 3-point, assisted on 15 of its 29 field goals.

VCU, which went 7-of-19 from the arc, shot .421.

Duquesne plays the first of  three in a row on the road at Richmond on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+).

NOTES

• The win was DU's first over VCU in Pittsburgh. The Rams had won the first four meetings in the Steel City (two at PPG Paints Arena and two at A.J. Palumbo Center). VCU won the first seven games of the series, Duquesne has now won two of the past three.
• Jimmy Clark III's 26 points were seven more than his previous career best of 19 set earlier this year vs. Marshall. His five steals eclipsed his previous career high of four, accomplished five times. Clark has now scored in double digits in nine-straight games.
• R.J. Gunn scored a Duquesne career high 11 points (3-of-5 from 3-point) off the bench.
• Duquesne, led by four assists from Tevin Brewer, assisted on 15 of its 29 field goals.
• Duquesne's largest lead was 22, at 35-13, with 3:44 left in the first half ... VCU never led ... Duquesne took the lead for good on a Dae Dae Grant 3-pointer that made it 7-4 with 17:41 left in the first half ... Duquesne led for 38:52.