GAME 11
Towson (4-6) vs. Duquesne (2-8)
Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Akron, Ohio | Lebron James Arena at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (1,800)
 
Stream: None
Radio: 104.7 HD2 | iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) and Noah Buono ('22)
 
Game Notes | Media Center | Record Book | Listen | Live Stats 
 
Opening Tip
 
- The Duquesne University men's basketball team travels to Akron, Ohio, Saturday to host Towson in a 6:00 p.m. tip for the Morgan & Morgan Classic in a neutral site game at Lebron James Arena at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
 
- Saturday marks the sixth time the Dukes are playing a game in Akron, Ohio, as well as the first under head coach Dru Joyce III, who helped lead the Fighting Irish to back-to-back Ohio state championships in 2000 and 2001 along with Lebron James.
 
- Duquesne is 5-0 in games played in Akron, Ohio, including a pair of wins over Radford (2018, 2019) and victories over UC Irvine (2021), Colgate (2022) and Bradley (2023).
 
- Duquesne is coming off a 61-56 setback to Maine (Dec. 11) that concluded a three-game homestand at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Against the Black Bears, the Dukes were led by senior guard Tre Dinkins III, who scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and also added five rebounds and a pair of assists.
 
- Senior forward Jahsean Corbett posted a double-double against Maine, his first on the Bluff and 20th of his NCAA Division I career, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
- Six of Duquesne's eight losses this season have been by seven points or less, including four by five points or less. Each of the last three setbacks for the Dukes have been by a combined 13 points.
 
- The 2024-25 season marks the 109th year of Duquesne basketball. The Dukes started play in 1913-14 (DU did not field a team in 1944-45-46 due to World War II). Duquesne, which has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1971 & 1972, is looking to record three consecutive 20-win campaigns for the first time since finishing with four straight 20-win seasons from 1952 to 1955. The Dukes are also 12 wins shy of 1,500 as an NCAA program.
 
- The leading active scorer for the Dukes is senior forward Jahsean Corbett, who owns career totals of 1,390 points and 777 rebounds. Corbett amassed totals of 1,303 points and 725 rebounds in three seasons at Chicago State prior to transferring to Duquesne.
 
- Jahsean Corbett has appeared in 103 career games at the NCAA Division I level, each as a member of the starting lineup. His 100th career start came in a 67-54 win for the Dukes over Old Dominion in the final game of the Cayman Islands Classic.
 
- The closest member of the Dukes to 1,000 career points is redshirt junior guard Maximus Edwards, who enters Saturday's game with 797 career points. Named the 2023 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, Edwards scored 722 in two seasons at George Washington before transferring to Duquesne.
 
- Duquesne returns home for another three-game homestand at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse after taking on the Tigers, beginning Saturday, Dec. 21, with a 2:30 p.m. tip against UC Irvine.
 
At The Helm – Dru Joyce III was named the 18th head coach in the 109-year history of Duquesne basketball March 28, 2024. Joyce III, a native of Akron, Ohio, spent two seasons as associate head coach for the Dukes under Keith Dambrot from 2022 to 2024, helping guide Duquesne to an overall record of 45-25 (.643), including a 20-16 (.556) mark in the Atlantic 10, during that span. The Dukes made an appearance in the 2023 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) before earning the automatic bid for the A-10 in the 2024 NCAA Championship by winning four games in five days en route to the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship crown in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center. Duquesne, as a No. 11 seed, made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1977 and earned its first victory in the championship since 1969 thanks to a 71-67 win over No. 6 seed BYU in Omaha, Neb., at CHI Health Center Arena. 
 
Scouting the Tigers – Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) member ... located in Towson, Md. ... Saturday marks the first meeting in the all-time series between Duquesne and Towson … Duquesne is facing its third opponent from the CAA this season … The Dukes have split the two previous meetings against a member of the CAA, dropping a 64-59 decision to Hampton (Nov. 25) as part of the Cayman Islands Classic while earning an 80-66 victory over Delaware (Dec. 6) at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse … The Tigers are led by Pat Skerry (Tufts '92), who is in his 14th season as head coach … Skerry has guided Towson to an overall record of 217-205 (.514) and quarterfinal appearances in both the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) and the 2016 Vegas 16 as well as the first round of 2022 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) … Towson enters Saturday's game against Duquesne with an overall record of 4-6 (.400) and has dropped four consecutive games, including an 84-71 loss to UMBC, Dec. 7, in its last outing as part of the Charm City Hoops Classic … Redshirt sophomore guard Dylan Williamson leads the Tigers in scoring at 15.3 points per game and has shot 44.4 percent (52-for-117) from the floor, including 45.8 percent (27-for-59) from beyond the arc … Sophomore wing Tyler Tejada, the 2024 CAA Rookie of the Year after averaging 10.1 points and 3.3 rebound last season, returned after missing six games and scored 18 points against UMBC ... In four games this season Tejada has averaged 15.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest.
 
Maine Leftovers – The Black Bears earned their first win in three games of the all-time series against the Dukes ... Maine grabbed its biggest lead, 15-5, at 12:49 of the first half ... Duquesne posted a 39-28 advantage in rebounds, including a 20-9 edge on the offensive glass ... Both teams finished with six second chance points ... A.J. Lopez led all scorers in the game with 17 points, connecting on seven of his 11 shots from the floor, and added six rebounds ... Kellen Tynes added 12 points, four rebounds and four steals for the Black Bears, increasing his season total in thefts to 38 (3.2 per game) ... The reserves for the Dukes outscored the Maine bench, 21-12, the ninth time in 10 games this season Duquesne has received at least 20 points from its bench ... Junior forward Chabi Barre was issued a technical foul at 17:16 in the second half ... Duquesne finished with 13 assists on its 20 field goals.
 
Yo-Yo – The up-and-down nature of college basketball has never been more apparent this season than with Duquesne. Working five new players into the rotation and the Dukes looking to find their groove, the first 10 games of the 2024-25 season have featured an amazing 44 ties (4.4 per game) and 69 lead changes (6.9 per contest). In just the last six games alone, contests between Duquesne and its opponent have featured 38 ties and 53 lead changes, including a season-high nine ties against South Dakota State (Nov. 24) and 12 lead changes vs. Hampton (Nov. 25). The Dukes matched a season high in lead changes in closing out a three-game homestand at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse with Maine, as the two programs traded leads 12 times.
 
Chester Cheetah – Tre Dinkins III is developing into a consistent scorer for Duquesne, as the senior guard paced the Dukes during their three-game homestand by averaging 12.0 points per game. He shot 44 percent (11-for-25) from the field during that stretch, including 47.4 percent (9-for-19) from beyond the arc, and was 5-of-7 (71.4%) at the free-throw line. Dinkins III has finished as the leading scorer for Duquesne each of the last two games, scoring 18 in an 80-66 win over Delaware (Dec. 6) before finishing with a team-high 12 against Maine (Dec. 11). Over the last seven games, Dinkins III has come alive as a member of the starting lineup. During that stretch, Dinkins III is averaging 12.7 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 42.6 percent (26-for-61) from the floor, including 42.9 percent (18-for-42) from deep, and 82.6 percent (19-for-23) at the free-throw line. Overall during the 2024-25 campaign, Dinkins III is tied for 10th in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goals per game (2.2) with Rahsool Diggins of Massachusetts and David Green of Rhode Island while sitting 16th in three-point field goal success rate at 40 percent (22-for-55).
 
Seeing Double – Senior forward Jahsean Corbett wrapped up a three-game homestand for the Dukes by registering his first double-double on the Bluff, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Maine (Dec. 11). It also marked the 20th double-double of his NCAA Division I career, as he finished with 19 over the last three years at Chicago State before transferring to Duquesne. Corbett averaged 11.0 points and 7.3 rebounds during the homestand, with 10 of his 22 boards (45.5%) coming on the offensive glass. He also added five assists and three steals during that stretch.
 
Surf Board – The efforts of senior forward Jahsean Corbett on the glass is a key reason Duquesne is coming off a three-game homestand in which it excelled on the backboard, averaging 40.7 rebounds per contest. Included in those numbers are an eye-opening 18.0 offensive caroms per game, as the Dukes have posted a season-high 20 offensive rebounds in each of their last two games and rank third in the Atlantic 10 in offensive rebounds with an average of 12.5 per contest. That total, which also ranks in the top 100 in NCAA Division I (T-82nd), trails only Massachusetts (13.9) and La Salle (12.6). Overall this season, Duquesne has outrebounded its opponent by six boards (357-351).
 
Defense Wins Championships – The Dukes have seemingly rounded into form defensively, as over the last six games opponents are averaging 63.0 points per contest. The six foes have combined to convert 39.4 percent (130-for-330) of its shots from the field, including a 36-for-110 (32.7%) performance from beyond the arc. To illustrate how close games have been during that stretch, Duquesne is averaging 63.5 points per contest and is shooting 39.6 percent (131-for-331) of its shots from the floor, including a 31.9 percent (45-for-141) showing from deep. Overall, the Dukes own one more field goal on one more attempt than their opponent in the last six games. Duquesne enters Saturday's game against Towson in Akron, Ohio, ranked seventh in the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense this season, yielding 69.4 points per game.
 
Directing Traffic – Junior guard Kareem Rozier looks to build on his performance during Duquesne's three-game homestand as the Dukes get set to take on Towson in Akron, Ohio, for the Morgan & Morgan Classic. Rozier posted averages of 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists over the last three games and has really excelled protecting the basketball. Rozier handed out 14 assists over the last three games, including a season-high five in an 80-66 win over Delaware (Dec. 6) and matching that total against Maine (Dec. 11), while suffering just three turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.67. Entering Saturday's game, Rozier sits sixth in the Atlantic 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.38, having dished out 31 assists against 13 miscues. That number is right in line with his career mark, as in 79 career games Rozier owns 186 dimes against 75 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.48.
 
Nine Inch Nails – It seems on any given night a different member of the Dukes can step up offensively. The latest case in point came in an 80-66 victory over Delaware (Dec. 6), as off the bench redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford became the ninth different Duquesne student-athlete to score in double figures by contributing 10 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and registered an assist and a steal in a season-high 24 minutes of action. Through the first 10 games of the 2024-25 season, the Dukes have received 27 double-figure scoring games from nine different players. In addition, nine of those performances have come from the bench. The reserves for Duquesne have outscored the bench of its opponent in six of its 10 games this year and is supplying an average of 25.9 points per contest.   
 
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