Pittsburgh, Pa. – Kentrell Pullian led five Panthers in double figures with a game-high 22 points as Milwaukee earned an 80-74 victory over the Duquesne University men's basketball team Tuesday at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes dipped to 0-4 overall with the setback.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Trailing, 48-38, with 15:17 remaining after a pair of free throws from John Lovelace, Jr., Duquesne used a 15-6 burst to close to within 54-53 just under five minutes later. Sophomore guard
Jake DiMichele sparked the run with a three-pointer and scored seven points during the spurt, including a driving layup with 10:27 left that made it a one-point affair. The Dukes had an opportunity to jump in front after Aaron Franklin missed a pair at the free-throw line for Milwaukee (2-2) as well as a defensive stop by Duquesne, but a turnover led to a layup from Jamichael Stillwell to push the lead for the Panthers to 56-53. It remained a one-possession contest after a pair of free throws from senior guard
Tre Dinkins III, 58-56, at 7:01, but the Panthers used a 10-0 run to open up their biggest lead of the game, 68-56, at the 5:06 mark.
QUOTABLE
"There's a simple recipe that makes us good," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "Get stops and ball movement. When those things happen for us, we have success. When we don't emphasize, and we minimize the importance of a possession defensively, which continues to happen, we pay for them. We haven't been able to get past any mistake that we've made. When we don't move the ball, we struggle. When the ball is moving and we have good player movement, we develop good shots and looks that we're comfortable with. When we lack those things, that's where the struggle in play comes."
BALL MOVEMENT
Duquesne fell behind in the first half, 18-11, but used a 10-2 run to grab its first lead of the contest, 21-20, after a hook shot from sophomore forward
Jakub Necas. Pullian answered with a driving layup to push Milwaukee back in front, but a three-pointer from junior forward
Matúš Hronský gave the Dukes a 24-22 edge with 6:32 left before the break. Milwaukee answered with a 13-0 burst and eventually grabbed a 37-28 cushion at halftime as Pullian and AJ McKee each scored 12 points in the first 20 minutes of action for the Panthers.
QUOTABLE
"We have a completely new group of guys that are still trying to learn every day and gel with each other," DiMichele said. "I don't think we have a talent issue at all. We have talent one through 18. We need to develop an attitude of buying in and being completely unselfish, especially on the defensive end. Stops wins games. Nothing worth anything in this life comes easy. To get to the point you want to get to you're going to have to go through some pitfalls and go through some tough times. Going through tough times together is going to bring us closer and help us gel even more."
DRIVERS EDUCATION
DiMichele scored 19 of his career-high 21 points in the second half to pace the Dukes. He shot 9-of-13 from the field, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, and also added four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. It marked the first 20-point scoring effort of his career. Also reaching the 20-point plateau was Dinkins III, who scored 15 of his 20 after the break. He connected on four of his nine chances from downtown and added four assists and three rebounds. As a team, the Dukes finished 25-for-60 (41.7%) from the floor, including 9-of-31 (29%) from beyond the arc.
NOTES
Milwaukee hit two of its first three attempts from the three-point line but finished 7-for-20 (35%) overall, a season low by a Duquesne opponent … The Panthers converted 51.9 percent (27-for-52) of their attempts from the floor … The two teams combined to shoot 64.2 percent (34-for-53) from the free-throw line, with the Dukes finishing 15-of-23 … Sophomore forward
Eli Wilborn grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for Duquesne … Stillwell notched a double-double for Milwaukee with 11 points and 10 caroms … Themus Fulks and McKee each added 15 for the Panthers, while Lovelace, Jr., contributed 11 off the bench … The 21 points from DiMichele as a reserve helped the Duquesne bench own a 39-13 edge over Milwaukee … The Panthers outscored the Dukes, 34-32, in points in the paint and, 18-11, in points off turnovers … The contest featured one tie and four lead changes.
UP NEXT
Duquesne heads to George Town, Grand Cayman, for the
2024 Cayman Island Classic, which features eight teams. The Dukes will open three games in three days Sunday, Nov. 24, with a 1:30 p.m. tip against South Dakota State at John Gray Gymnasium.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and information on Duquesne basketball, follow the Dukes on X and Instagram.
