GAME 17
Duquesne (9-7 | 0-4 A-10) at Saint Joseph's (11-6 | 1-3 A-10)
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024 | 2:30 p.m.
Philadelphia, Pa. | Hagan Arena (4,200)
 
TV: USA Network with Mike Corey & John Giannini
Radio: 104.7 HD2 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Tad Maurey
 
Game Notes | Record Book | Media Center | TV/Radio Spotter Chart | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
Opening Tip
 
- The Duquesne University men's basketball team heads to Philadelphia, Pa., for a 2:30 p.m. tip against Saint Joseph's Saturday, Jan. 20, at Hagen Arena in a game that can be seen live on the USA Network.
 
- The Dukes are in search of their first Atlantic 10 win after a 63-61 setback to Richmond at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Guard Jimmy Clark III paced Duquesne against the Spiders with 16 points, three rebounds and four assists and enters play this weekend leading the Atlantic 10 in steals with an average of 2.31 per game. Clark, who ranks 25th in NCAA Division I in steals per game, also ranks second in the A-10 and 35th in the country in totals steals with 37.
 
- Forward David Dixon added 12 points and six rebounds against Richmond, converting five of his nine shots from the field while also going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line.
 
- Guard Dae Dae Grant missed Duquesne's game against Richmond, snapping a streak of 48 consecutive games, and starts, for the Dukes. Guard Jimmy Clark III now owns the longest streak for consecutive games (49) and starts (36) for Duquesne.
 
- Forward Fousseyni Drame scored eight points against the Spiders and enters Saturday's game at St. Joe's a single point shy of 1,000 for his career. Drame scored 597 points in three seasons at Saint Peter's from 2019 to 2022 before scoring 298 points in 34 games last year at La Salle. Drame is averaging 6.5 points per game for the Dukes this season and is shooting 50.7 percent (37-for-73) from the floor.
 
- Despite its first loss of the 2023-24 season when holding its opponent to under 70 points in a 63-61 loss to the Spiders, Duquesne is 62-17 (.785) under Keith Dambrot when turning the trick, including a mark of 6-1 (.857) this year.

- The Dukes used the same starting lineup for each of their first 11 games of the 2023-24 season but have used four different starting lineups during Atlantic 10 play. Earning their first start of the year during that span has been forwards David Dixon, Fousseyni Drame, Tre Williams and Dusan Mahorcic as well as guard Jake DiMichele. For DiMichele, he earned the first starting assignment of his NCAA Division I career against Richmond. The only two players to start each of Duquesne's 16 games this season are Jimmy Clark III and Kareem Rozier.
 
- Duquesne returns home to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for a three-game homestand after taking on St. Joe's Saturday, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. tip against St. Bonaventure Tuesday, Jan. 23.
 
Scouting the Hawks – Saturday marks the 62nd game in an all-time series that dates to Feb. 25, 1938. Saint Joseph's leads the series 42-19, including a 22-5 advantage in games played in Philadelphia, Pa. Duquesne has won four of the past five, including a 92-80 victory last season at Hagen Arena. The Dukes, who lost 16 of 17 to SJU from 1994 through 2007, have won 10 of the past 19 meetings, with three of the losses coming in overtime. DU has won seven of the past 11 and five of eight vs. the Hawks under head coach Keith Dambrot. In last year's meeting in Philadelphia, Pa., the Dukes posted their highest first-half point total in 54 years in cruising to a 92-80 win Jan. 11, 2023. Duquesne grabbed a 60-44 lead at halftime and 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. In the last meeting between the two programs Feb. 15, 2023, Duquesne completed the sweep of the season series at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse thanks to a 76-62 victory.
 
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. He became just the fourth head coach in program history to reach 100 victories thanks to a 95-47 win over Cleary, 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 513-300 (.631) 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.
 
Richmond Leftovers – The Spiders won their third straight over the Dukes and extended their lead in the all-time series to 27-11 (.711) ... Richmond closed the game on a 12-2 run ... Duquesne owned its largest lead, 25-15, in the first half and also led, 39-30, with 17:56 remaining ... The Dukes finished a combined 11-for-16 (.688) at the free-throw line in home games against Dayton and Richmond, posting their two lowest totals of the year in both free throws and attempts ... Duquesne went 7-for-11 (.636) at the stripe against the Spiders after going 4-for-5 (.800) against the Flyers ... Neal Quinn tied for game-high honors in scoring with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor and also tied for game-high honors in rebounds with eight ... Richmond shot 60 percent (12-for-20) from the floor in the second half and 48 percent (24-for-50) overall.
 
GetGo – Duquesne has been at its best this season when getting out in transition, which is evident in the statistics. The Dukes enter Saturday's game at Saint Joseph's leading the Atlantic 10 in fastbreak points with an average of 13.69 per game, a total that also ranks just outside the top 50 in NCAA Division I (51st). A key reason Duquesne has had that success? The Dukes rank third in the A-10 in forcing turnovers, as opponents average 14.31 per contest, while also sitting third in the conference in steals at 7.75 per game. Six different student-athletes have recorded at least 10 steals for Duquesne this season, led by senior guard Jimmy Clark III with 37. In two years with the Dukes, Clark III  has recorded 113 thefts in 49 contests, an average of 2.31 per game.
 
Distributing – Sophomore guard Kareem Rozier has done a solid job directing the offense since Duquesne has moved into Atlantic 10 play, as through the first four games he has dished out 12 assists against just three turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.00 that is tied for second in A-10 only games with Javon Bennett of Dayton. Rozier has also been Duquesne's most reliable threat from beyond the arc in league play, knocking down six of his 14 attempts, a success rate of 42.9 percent. Overall this season, Rozier averages 2.88 assists per game as well as owning an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.88. Rozier has hit at least one three-pointer in 15 of Duquesne's 16 games this season, has connected on 45 percent (27-for-60) of his attempts from downtown and has posted a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.78 (114 assists vs. 41 turnovers).
 
300 – Senior Dae Dae Grant, who has hit at least one three-pointer in 23 consecutive games dating back to last season, has drained 136 triples in 48 career games at Duquesne, an average of 2.83 per contest. The most three-pointers for a member of the Dukes playing two seasons with the program is former guard Mike Lewis II, who connected for 164 from 2017-19. That total ranks seventh in the Duquesne career record book. Thanks to his first three-pointer against Dayton, Grant became one of 15 active student-athletes at the NCAA Division I level with 300 triples to his credit, as he enters Saturday's game at Saint Joseph's with 301 for his career. Grant also cracked the top 10 in the Duquesne career record book with his performance against the Flyers, as his 136 three-pointers with the Dukes is tied for 10th with former point guard Kenya Hunter (1993-96).
 
FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and information on Duquesne men's basketball, follow the Dukes on Twitter (X) and Instagram.

Tweet #GoDukes