George Town, Grand Cayman – The Duquesne University men's basketball team concluded play in the 2024 Cayman Islands Classic Tuesday, picking up its first win under head coach
Dru Joyce III with a 67-54 victory over Old Dominion at John Gray Gymnasium. The Dukes improved to 1-6 (.143) overall during the 2024-25 season.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Devin Ceaser pulled the Monarchs to within 20-17 with just under four minutes to go in the first half before Duquesne scored six straight points to open up a 26-17 advantage. Redshirt junior guard
Maximus Edwards provided a tip-in that helped keep ODU at bay, while the Dukes also got layups from junior forward
Chabi Barre and sophomore guard
Jake DiMichele. Owning a 26-19 edge entering the second half, Duquesne extended its lead to 36-23 at 15:54 that was capped by a dunk from Edwards on the break. Junior guard
Kareem Rozier came up with a steal on the defensive end for the Dukes, which led to numbers and a feed to Edwards, who provided the flush. The Monarchs called timeout and eventually used a 7-2 burst to close to within 40-34 after a dunk from Dani Pounds, but junior
Matúš Hronský answered with a three-pointer from the corner.
DAGGER
Ceaser, who paced all scorers in the contest with 23 points off the bench for Old Dominion (2-6), drove the lane and scored with 5:53 remaining to trim the lead for the Dukes to 49-41. Duquesne steadied, using a 9-2 spurt to open up its biggest advantage of the contest, 58-43, with 2:47 left. Senior guard
Tre Dinkins III went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line, Hronský added another triple and, off an offensive rebound, Barre posted a turnaround jumper while drawing contact to help propel Duquesne. The Dukes sealed the triumph with an 8-for-11 showing at the free-throw line in the final five minutes, including a 7-for-8 performance by Dinkins III. Hronský put an exclamation point on the win with a pair of dunks en route to a team-high 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-6 performance from beyond the arc.
QUOTABLE
"It's rewarding, especially for the guys," Joyce III said. "The most important thing from my perspective is I know the effort, energy, time and work they put in. They kept believing and kept fighting for us throughout the losses. Those can take you to some dark places at times, not winning tight games and close games. Credit to our staff and to our players for just remaining resilient. It's a huge credit to our guys for making plays and responding the way they did. I'm proud of them."
BALANCE BEAM
Duquesne got a pair of double-figure scoring efforts off the bench, as in addition to the 13 points for Hronský, Barre recorded his first career double-figure scoring effort with 10 points while also registering seven rebounds (four offensive) and a block. Hronský tied a career high that he originally established in his first NCAA Division I game, a 91-63 win over Montana at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse that christened the 2022-23 season, while Barre averaged 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks at the Cayman Islands Classic while shooting 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from the floor. Of the 20 rebounds in the tournament for Barre, 11 came on the offensive glass. Edwards added 11 points and seven boards, while senior forward
Jahsean Corbett chipped in 10 points and a steal.
QUOTABLE
"I thought (Matúš) had a great trip," Joyce III said. "It was giving him more opportunity and allowing him to take on a bigger role, and he responded well. Chabi, with his first three games back, you couldn't ask for a better set of performances from him. His output and energy, he was a presence inside for us. Even in the games we lost, he just got after the rebounds and kept us alive when we still had a chance to win a game. Today it was my opportunity for the Gatorade shower. It's a moment you see all the time. I'm excited, but I'm super excited for the players. I've had my chance to jump up and down and win games, but I'm excited for what they accomplished through their toughness and resilience."
NOTES
DiMichele earned a spot on the 2024 Cayman Islands Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 9.0 points and a steal in the three games while shooting 42.9 percent (9-for-21) from the field … Junior forward
David Dixon registered a career-high 12 rebounds as the Dukes owned a 41-37 edge on the glass … Dixon posted four offensive caroms, scored two points and also finished with a pair of assists and two blocks … Duquesne outscored Old Dominion, 40-30, in points in the paint, with the total for the Dukes a season high … Duquesne has won eight straight games dating back to the beginning of the 2022-23 season when scoring at least 40 points in the paint … During the three games of the Cayman Islands Classic the Dukes allowed 63.0 points per contest, with opponents converting just 39.4 percent (65-for-165) of its shots from the field, including 31.6 percent (18-for-57) from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns home to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for its next three games, beginning Tuesday, Dec. 3, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Saint Peter's. The Dukes will also host Delaware (Dec. 6) and Maine (Dec. 11) as part of its homestand.
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