Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team opened Atlantic 10 play Tuesday and extended its winning streak to four with a 67-55 victory over Rhode Island at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes, who capped a perfect 3-0 homestand with the win over the Rams, improved to 6-8 (.429) overall during the 2024-25 season.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Trailing, 11-8, early, the Dukes used a 12-0 burst to open up a 20-11 lead at the 10:37 mark of the first half and forced URI to call a timeout. Junior guard
Kareem Rozier tied the game, 11-11, with a three-pointer and also provided a layup on the break after a steal that forced the timeout by the Rams. Out of the break, Duquesne grabbed its first double-digit advantage, 22-11, at 8:51 on a layup from sophomore forward
Eli Wilborn, who was making his first start for the Dukes. The lead for Duquesne ballooned to 30-17 with 3:42 left before the break after a jumper junior forward
Matúš Hronský before Rhode Island (11-2 | 0-1 Atlantic 10) closed to within 34-26 at halftime.
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"The group that we have, if we just go out there and have fun, play with some heart and play with a chip on our shoulder, we're going to be just fine," Rozier said. "We did that tonight. We have to leave it all out there. Be passionate. We have every piece we need to be successful in this league. I think our communication was very high. It's about staying connected. We're all moving as one. That's what carried us on the defensive end. Being able to talk through the whole possession."
FINISH
URI scored the first five points of the second half to make it a one-possession contest, 34-31, with Javonte Brown providing a dunk and David Green burying a three-pointer. The Dukes answered, using a 10-1 run to get their lead back to double digits, 44-32. Wilborn ignited the surge with a layup, redshirt junior guard
Cam Crawford connected for a three-pointer from the corner and junior forward
David Dixon added three more points, including a layup off an offensive board. Duquesne grabbed its biggest advantage, 60-44, with 7:29 to go after a pair of free throws from sophomore forward
Jakub Necas, but the Rams made one last charge. Behind Atlantic 10 leading scorer Sebastian Thomas, who finished with a game-high 20 points, URI closed to within 62-54 at the 4:47 mark. The Dukes steadied, getting five consecutive points from senior forward
Jahsean Corbett, including a three-pointer with 2:15 left that helped seal the victory, giving Duquesne a 67-54 edge.
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"It's just good to win," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "It's good to protect our home court. You have an opportunity, for your conference opener, at home, the main objective is to make sure you come out of here with a win. Now it's a standings game. The non-conference was this conglomerate of teams you play from the East, from the West, from the North. Now there's a certain format and standings that go with conference play. Every win that you can get is a big one."
DEFEND THIS HOUSE
Rhode Island entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring offense at 85.7 points per game but scored its lowest point total of the season against a Duquesne defense that continues to be stingy. The Dukes held their fourth consecutive opponent to under 60 points, matching its longest stretch turning the trick since the 2019-20 season. Duquesne has also held nine straight foes under the 70-point plateau, the longest streak since the 1961-62 season when the Dukes tallied 10 consecutive. Thomas finished with 20 points for the Rams on the strength of an 8-for-11 performance at the free-throw line, as he finished just 5-of-15 from the field, including 2-for-6 from beyond the arc.
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"Seeing their record and seeing the way they play, coach had a game plan for us to make life difficult for them," Dixon said. "Thomas is the leading scorer and the leading assist guy in the A-10. Our job was to make life difficult for him. I go into every game, I just want to stop somebody. I just want to play. I just want to win games. I've always come off the bench, and I feel my role is to be a spark. That's my mindset. Try to bring something to the game."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Corbett led four Dukes in double figures in the win over Rhode Island with 13 points and notched his second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Corbett finished with four offensive boards, matching the total for the Rams as a team. Senior guard
Tre Dinkins III and Dixon each finished with 11 points, with Dixon adding six boards and three blocks, while Crawford contributed 10 points and four rebounds. Duquesne held a 41-30 edge on the glass and during its three-game homestand held opponents to an average of just 51.3 points per game and 33.8 percent (49-for-145) shooting from the field, including 33.3 percent (15-for-45) from deep.
NOTES
Duquesne improved to 25-24 (.510) all-time in conference openers, including a ledger of 25-23 (.521) in the first Atlantic 10 game of the year … Rhode Island has dropped five straight games to the Dukes in Pittsburgh, Pa., dating back to 2017 … The Rams shot 37 percent (17-for-46) from the field, including 4-for-14 (28.6%) from downtown … Wilborn finished 3-for-3 from the field in scoring six points in the victory and has converted each of his last nine attempts from the floor … Crawford has scored in double figures in each of his four games as a member of the starting lineup … Dixon's three rejections pushed his career total in blocks to 105, tied for seventh in program history with former center Darius Lewis (2013-17) … Duquesne held a 32-26 edge in points in the paint, while URI owned a 17-5 advantage in points on the break.
UP NEXT
The Dukes travel to Davidson, N.C., for their first Atlantic 10 road game of the season Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, with a 2:00 p.m. tip against Davidson at John M. Belk Arena.
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