GAME 12
Cleary (0-11) vs. Duquesne (8-3)
Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023 | 2:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)
 
Stream: ESPN+ with Tim Benz & Ellis Cannon
Radio: 104.7 HD2 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Jarrett Durham ('71)
 
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Opening Tip
 
- The Duquesne University men's basketball team closes out the 2023 calendar year Saturday, Dec. 30, by welcoming Cleary to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for a 2:00 p.m. tip.
 
- In their last game, the Dukes dropped an 81-73 decision to Santa Clara in Las Vegas, Nev., at Orleans Arena. Senior guard Dae Dae Grant scored 20 of his career-high 32 points in the first half to lead Duquesne while also tying for team-high honors with five rebounds and adding three assists and a steal.
 
- Grant shot 9-for-18 from the floor against the Broncos, including 7-for-14 from beyond the arc. He tied a career high with seven three-pointers, which he originally established with a 7-for-12 performance en route to 25 points at Central Michigan (1/24/21) while a student-athlete at Miami, Ohio.
 
- Grant, who leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 20.0 points per game, has scored in double figures in each of Duquesne's 11 games this season and 13 consecutive contests dating back to last year.
 
- Senior guard Jimmy Clark III contributed 14 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists against Santa Clara and has scored in double figures in 10 of Duquesne's 11 games this season.
 
- Forward Tre Williams is 57 points shy of 1,000 for his career and is one of four Dukes that could eclipse the plateau this season. Twins Fousseyni Drame and Hassan Drame own career totals of 977 and 744 career points, respectively, while forward Andrei Savrasov has scored 948 career points.
 
- Guard Dae Dae Grant looks to score 1,000 points in two seasons with the Dukes after pacing Duquesne last year with 511 points, an average of 15.5 per contest. Grant has scored 1,902 points at the NCAA Division I level and is 98 points shy of 2,000 for his career.
 
- When holding opponents to less than 70 points under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne has posted a record of 61-16 (.792), including a 5-0 mark during the 2023-24 season.
 
- The Dukes open A-10 play after hosting Cleary with road trips to Massachusetts (1/3/24) and Loyola Chicago (1/6/24). 
 
Scouting the Cougars – Located in Howell, Mich., Saturday marks the first game between Duquesne and Cleary, an NAIA affiliate and a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC). Cleary is led by Carl Thomas (Eastern Michigan '91), who was named the first head coach in program history August 23, 2022. Thomas spent five years as assistant to the head coach with Duquesne from 2017 to 2022. Prior to coaching, Thomas played 63 games over parts of three seasons in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings (1991-92), Cleveland Cavaliers (1996-98), Golden State Warriors (1997-98) and Orlando Magic (1997-98). Thomas also played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for Fort Wayne and Grand Rapids from 1992-99. During his stint in the CBA, he was called up to the NBA five times. Thomas played professionally for teams in France, Sweden, Greece and Italy from 2000-03. Carl Thomas teamed with his twin, Charles, to help Eastern Michigan to Mid-American Conference (MAC) titles and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1988 & 1991. The 1991 Hurons advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Current Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot was an assistant for the 1987-88 squad, which was Eastern Michigan's first men's basketball team to win a MAC title and earn an NCAA appearance.
 
Head Coach Keith Dambrot (Seventh Year at Duquesne | 26th Year Overall) – Keith Dambrot, who built Akron into one of the most successful - and most respected - programs in the Mid-American Conference over 13 seasons, was named head men's basketball coach at Duquesne University on March 28, 2017. The veteran coach wasted no time making an impact on the DU program with 65 wins in his first four seasons. His 99 wins already are tied for fourth on the all-time victory list for the Dukes and his two 20-win seasons - in just six years - are tied for the third-most in program history. Dambrot reached a significant career milestone on Feb. 8, 2023 when he posted his 500th career victory with a 75-52 triumph over George Mason. Dambrot owns an overall record of 512-295 (.634) during his career as a head coach, and his father, Sid, was part of Duquesne teams that finished ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 in 1952 (No. 4), 1953 (No. 9) and 1954 (No. 5). The 1954 team, which went 26-3, made it to No. 1 in the AP poll for two weeks in February of 1954. The Dukes played in both the NCAA tournament and NIT in 1952 and the NIT in both 1953 and 1954.
 
Santa Clara Leftovers – The Dukes slipped to 4-2 (.667) overall in the all-time series against the Broncos, with each of the two wins for Santa Clara coming on a neutral court ... Duquesne owned a pair of eight-point leads in the second half, including 64-56 with 9:08 to play after a three-pointer from senior guard Dae Dae Grant ... The Dukes concluded the game converting just one of their final 15 shots from the floor and overall shot 38.9 percent (21-for-54) ... Adama-Alpha Bal and Carlos Marshall, Jr., each scored 19 points for Santa Clara, combining to shoot 10-for-14 from the floor and 14-for-17 at the free-throw line ... The Broncos owned a 35-33 edge in rebounding despite Duquesne earning a 13-10 advantage on the offensive glass ... Of the five boards from sophomore Halil Barre, four were of the offensive variety.
 
💯 – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant paced the Dukes against Santa Clara at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., with a career-high 32 points, marking the first game of his career eclipsing the 30-point plateau. Grant shot 9-for-18 from the field, including 7-for-14 from beyond the arc in tying a career high for three-point field goals, while also going 7-for-7 at the free-throw line. It also marked the 100th game of Grant's NCAA Division I career reaching double figures. In his two years with the Dukes, Grant has reached double figures 39 times, with Duquesne owning a 28-11 (.718) in those contests. Ironically, Grant scored at least 10 points in a game 28 times during the 2022-23 season and has also reached double figures in each of the 11 games for the Dukes in 2023-24.
 
Directing Traffic – Sophomore guard Kareem Rozier leads the charge for the Dukes at point guard, and he's continuing his solid play in the role in recent weeks. Rozier, who owns a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.70, has logged over 84 minutes (84:11) without a turnover in the last three games. During that stretch he has handed out five assists and overall this season is averaging 2.90 dimes per game while ranking seventh in the Atlantic 10 with a 2.67 assist-to-turnover ratio.  
 
Chalk Talk – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant has proven to be adept at the free-throw line during his career, and those numbers have only been amplified in his two seasons at Duquesne. Having established a new program record for consecutive free throws (43) made this season, Grant enters Saturday's game against Cleary having knocked down each of his last 21 attempts at the line in the last three games. Grant has successfully converted 64 of his last 65 chances (98.5%) at the free-throw line since the season opener against Cleveland State and overall this season is shooting 94.5 percent (69-for-73) from the stripe. In addition to ranking second in the Atlantic 10 in free-throw percentage, Grant sits 10th in NCAA Division I and tied for 17th in total free throws made.
 
Did You Know? Senior Dae Dae Grant, who has hit at least one three-pointer in 19 consecutive games dating back to last season, has drained 127 triples in 44 career games at Duquesne, an average of 2.89 per contest. Grant is just seven three-pointers shy of cracking the top 10 in program history in the category, as former guard Jimmy Tricco (2002-04) sits 10th in three-point field goals with 134.
 
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