Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team earned a season series split with Saint Joseph's in the opener of a two-game homestand Saturday at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, posting a 66-56 victory over the Hawks. The Dukes improved to 15-10 (.600) overall during the 2023-24 season, including 5-7 (.417) in the Atlantic 10.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Behind the first career double-double from forward
David Dixon and the first career double-figure scoring game from forward
Jakub Necas, Duquesne used a pair of bursts in the first half to grab a 31-23 lead at the break before pulling away in the second half. Tied, 14-14, an 8-0 run gave the Dukes a 22-14 advantage, with a dunk from Dixon igniting the surge while Necas drilled a three-pointer. Saint Joseph's scored the next seven points of the game to close to within 22-21 before forward
Andrei Savrasov canned a triple, which bolstered a 9-2 run in the final 2:20 of the opening 20 minutes to give Duquesne an eight-point lead at the break. Guard
Jimmy Clark III capped the scoring in the first half with a layup as time was expiring on a feed from guard
Jake DiMichele.
QUOTABLE
"We just want to build on the defensive end," Necas said. "If we're good on the defensive side and all the hard work pays off it can pay off with easy baskets. We just need to build on the defensive side, and it's our priority basically. My defense was probably the one reason why I was playing the last few games. It's my starting point and helped my confidence really, really well. Every time I start from the defensive end and now I'm feeling comfortable on offense. That's why I knocked down those shots."
REYNOLDS WRAP
Duquesne held Erik Reynolds II, the leading scorer for the Hawks entering Saturday's contest at 16.9 points per game, to five points on 2-of-11 shooting, including a 1-for-8 performance from beyond the arc. It was part of a defensive effort that saw the Dukes hold Saint Joseph's to just 24.3 percent (9-for-37) from deep. The 37 attempts by the Hawks are the most from three by an opponent against the Dukes in seven years under head coach
Keith Dambrot. Six different players attempted at least two shots from beyond the arc Saturday for Saint Joseph's, which entered the game tied for third in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal percentage (36.7%). Duquesne, meanwhile, has allowed its last seven conference opponents to connect on just 26.1 percent (40-for-153) of its chances from international waters. The Dukes are 5-2 (.714) in those contests.
START ME UP
Dixon earned his third start of the 2023-24 season Saturday and paced the Dukes with 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. He finished 6-for-9 from the floor, converting his only attempt from three, while going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. He also notched two assists, three steals and a pair of blocks. The starting lineup of Dixon, forward
Tre Williams, Clark III, senior guard
Dae Dae Grant and DiMichele marked the seventh different starting five for the Dukes in the last 13 games. Clark III added 15 points, four assists and a pair of steals, Grant scored 11 and Necas finished with 10 points in just under 20 minutes of work. He shot 3-of-5 from the field, including 2-for-3 from deep, and was true on both of his attempts at the free-throw line. He also grabbed four rebounds and registered a block.
QUOTABLE
"Jakub and Matúŝ (Hronský) come every day first thing in the morning and work their behinds off," Dambrot said. "When you have reasonable ability and you spend enough time at it, eventually something good is going to happen. I was happy for (Jakub). He's had a really rough time shooting the ball, but he's been one of our best defensive players every time he's gone out there all year long. He comes to the ball, can guard multiple positions, moves the ball well. It's a tribute to him staying ready and having his mind in the right place so that when he got his opportunity, he made the most out of it. He delivered the goods."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Rasheer Fleming hit the front of a pair at the stripe with 10:24 to play to pull the Hawks to within 45-38, but Duquesne used an 11-1 run to open up its biggest advantage of the game, 56-39. DiMichele put a charge into the Dukes with a three-pointer, while consecutive triples from Necas and Dixon forced Saint Joseph's to call timeout. Out of the break sophomore guard
Kareem Rozier came up with a steal and forward
Halil Barre converted in the paint to bolster Duquesne, which has now won 24 consecutive games when holding foes under 60 points dating back to 2019. In seven years under Dambrot, the Dukes are 32-1 (.970) when turning the trick.
UP NEXT
Duquesne hosts Saint Louis Tuesday, Feb. 20, with a 7:00 p.m. tip at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
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