Akron, Ohio – David Dixon's layup with 0.2 seconds to play helped propel the Duquesne University men's basketball team to its fourth consecutive win Monday with a 69-67 victory over Bradley at Lebron James Arena. The Dukes improve to 8-2 (.800) overall during the 2023-24 season with the triumph.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Senior guard
Dae Dae Grant gave Duquesne a 67-64 lead with under a minute to go after a pair of free throws, but Bradley (6-5) answered on its next possession, as Christian Davis broke free and buried a three-pointer on the wing to tie it, 67-67, with 35.3 seconds remaining. Eyeing the final possession of regulation, the Dukes turned the ball over, with senior guard
Jimmy Clark III stepping out of bounds just in front of the Duquesne bench. On the ensuing possession for the Braves, Malevy Leons was fouled by forward
Andrei Savrasov with just over five seconds remaining. On the inbounds pass after the fifth foul of the half for Duquesne, Clark III atoned for stepping out of bounds by intercepting a Leons pass and registering his second steal of the contest. Racing down the court, Clark III found a streaking Dixon, who laid the ball in with 0.2 seconds to give the Dukes the final edge.
QUOTABLE
"It wasn't my best game, I'll admit that, but I'm glad we got out of here with a win," Dixon said. "I try to play as hard as I can, even when things aren't going right. I channeled my inner safety. I thought I was Deion Sanders for a second. The ball was coming right to me, so I caught it. I went in for a layup and it went in. It was about getting the basket and getting the win. Shout-out to Prime."
DIGGING DEEP
Bradley owned its biggest lead, 52-42, with 15:10 to play and also owned a 56-47 cushion at the 13:07 mark after a hook shot in the paint from Leons. The Dukes responded with a 13-2 burst to grab the lead for good, 60-58. Clark III drove the lane for a layup to get the run started, and his jumper with 7:27 remaining tied it, 58-58. Savrasov would push Duquesne in front with a layup after empty possessions from each team and was a key piece to the rotation Monday against the Braves. He shot 8-for-9 from the field, scoring the first seven points of the contest for the Dukes, and finished with a season-high 17 points while also grabbing five rebounds.
QUOTABLE
"You could tell we were a little crusty and rusty," head coach
Keith Dambrot. "We just didn't quite have it. We just kind of hung around and gutted it out. We needed everybody tonight.
Tre Williams was key, and Jakub (Necas) was great for us defensively tonight. Jimmy was Jimmy. You have to live with the good and the bad. He made a great play at the end and made a winning play."
CITY OF INVENTION
Thanks to the victory, Duquesne improved to 5-0 when playing in the Summit City in seven years under Dambrot, including 4-0 at Lebron James Arena. The Dukes earned wins over Radford in both 2018 and 2019, the second of which came at Ellet High School, while also posting victories over UC Irvine (2021) and Colgate (2022). Three of the five wins have been decided by five points or less, while Duquesne has also yielded an average of just 62.8 points per game.
THE TURNOVER TALE
Bradley suffered 19 turnovers Monday, with the Duquesne turning that into a 24-9 advantage in points off miscues. During its four-game winning streak, the Dukes have forced opponents into an average of 16.3 turnovers per game. In that same span, Duquesne has outscored its opponents, 70-39, in points off turnovers, none of which loomed larger than the final steal of the contest courtesy of Clark III.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Clark III led the Dukes with 21 points and also added five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. He was the lead of a trio that also featured Savrasov (17) and Grant (17) that combined for 55 of Duquesne's 69 points Monday. Dixon, who scuffled through a 2-for-8 shooting performance, came up big when it mattered most and finished with seven points while notching three boards and a steal.
UP NEXT
Duquesne heads to Las Vegas, Nev., for its second consecutive game at a neutral site. The Dukes take on Santa Clara Saturday, Dec. 23, with a 5:00 p.m. ET tip from Orleans Arena.
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