GAME 28
La Salle (14-14 | 5-10 A-10) at Duquesne (16-11 | 6-8 A-10)
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)
 
Stream: ESPN+ and SportsNet Pittsburgh with Tim Benz & Ellis Cannon
Radio: 104.7 HD2 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Jarrett Durham ('71)
 
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Opening Tip
 
- The Duquesne University men's basketball team closes out the shortest month of the calendar year Wednesday, Feb. 28, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against La Salle at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
 
- The Dukes, in search of their third consecutive home win, are coming off a 79-67 setback at Fordham. Senior guard Dae Dae Grant paced Duquesne against the Rams with 15 points on the strength of a 10-for-10 performance at the free-throw line.
 
- Senior guard Jimmy Clark III added 12 points and three steals at Fordham, while off the bench forward Fousseyni Drame contributed 11 points, three rebounds and three steals.
 
- Clark III enters Wednesday's game against the Explorers leading the Atlantic 10 in steals with an average of 2.33 per game, while Grant paces the circuit in free-throw percentage at 96.1 percent (123-for-128).
 
- Guard Jimmy Clark III has scored 936 career points at the NCAA Division I level entering Wednesday's game against La Salle, including 806 in two seasons with the Dukes, and also needs nine steals to crack the top 10 in program history for thefts, as Andy Sisinni (1981-84) currently ranks 10th with 148.
 
- Clark III is looking to become the third member of the Dukes to eclipse 1,000 career points this season, joining Fousseyni Drame (at Saint Joseph's) and Tre Williams (at Fordham), who own career point totals of 1,089 and 1,003, respectively. Senior guard Dae Dae Grant has also reached 2,000 career points this season, entering Wednesday's game with 2,096. 
 
- When holding opponents to less than 70 points in seven years under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne has posted a record of 68-17 (.800), including a 12-1 (.923) mark during the 2023-24 campaign.
 
- Duquesne heads out on a two-game road trip after taking on La Salle, visiting George Mason (3/2) and VCU (3/5) before wrapping up its 2023-24 regular season by hosting George Washington Saturday, March 9, in a 2:00 p.m. tip at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for the Chuck Cooper Classic. 
 
Scouting the Explorers – La Salle and Duquesne tip for the 82nd time in an all-time series that dates to Feb. 10, 1940, with the Explorers owning a 47-34 (.580) advantage. The Dukes own a 22-15 (.595) edge in the series in games played in Pittsburgh. La Salle has outscored Duquesne by just 22 points in the last 22 meetings (1,765-1,743) dating back to 2006-07. The Explorers own a 13-9 edge during that span, including an 81-70 win in the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the last meeting between the two programs. Duquesne snapped a six-game losing streak in Philadelphia, Pa., in the last meeting between the two programs in the regular season with a 91-74 triumph at Tom Gola Arena. The Dukes outscored the Explorers, 52-22, in the paint in the victory as Joe Reece scored a career-high 26 points while Tre Williams added 14.
 
Head Coach Keith Dambrot (Seventh Year at Duquesne | 26th Year Overall) – Keith Dambrot, who built Akron into one of the most successful - and most respected - programs in the Mid-American Conference over 13 seasons, was named head men's basketball coach at Duquesne University on March 28, 2017. The veteran coach wasted no time making an impact on the DU program with 65 wins in his first four seasons. He became just the fourth head coach in program history to reach 100 victories thanks to a 95-47 win over Cleary, and his two 20-win seasons - in just six years - are tied for the third-most in program history. Dambrot reached a significant career milestone on Feb. 8, 2023 when he posted his 500th career victory with a 75-52 triumph over George Mason. Dambrot owns an overall record of 520-304 (.631) during his career as a head coach, and his father, Sid, was part of Duquesne teams that finished ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 in 1952 (No. 4), 1953 (No. 9) and 1954 (No. 5). The 1954 team, which went 26-3, made it to No. 1 in the AP poll for two weeks in February of 1954. The Dukes played in both the NCAA tournament and NIT in 1952 and the NIT in both 1953 and 1954.
 
Fordham Leftovers – The Rams earned a split of the 2023-24 season series with their victory at Rose Hill Gym in the 50th meeting between the two programs, which Duquesne leads, 29-21 (.580) ... Antrell Charlton's eight assists and the six blocks for Abdou Tsimbila were both individual season highs by an opponent against the Dukes ... Fordham shot 65.4 percent (17-for-26) from the field in the second half and 51.9 percent (27-for-52) overall ... Duquesne converted 19 of its 55 attempts from the floor (34.5%), its lowest success rate since hitting just 30.6 percent (15-of-49) of its shots in a 54-50 win over St. Bonaventure ... Fordham owned a 30-24 edge in points in the paint but the Dukes outscored the Rams, 19-8, in points off turnovers ... Fordham finished with 18 turnovers, the second highest total for an opponent in Atlantic 10 play (20 at Loyola Chicago) ... Kyle Rose garnered game-high honors in scoring for the Rams with 23 points ... Duquesne shot 85.2 percent (23-for-27) at the free-throw line and is 50 for its last 59 (84.7%) over the last three games.
 
The Steal City – Duquesne matched a season high for the second consecutive game in steals at Fordham, posting 12 as four different Dukes finished with at least a pair of thefts. Leading the way individually was guard Jimmy Clark III and forward Fousseyni Drame, who each recorded three steals. Duquesne has finished with double digits in steals nine times during the 2023-24 season, with the Dukes 7-2 (.778) in those contests. In addition to 12 thefts against the Rams, Duquesne has also posted 12 steals in wins over Bradley, Cleary and Saint Louis. Clark III enters Wednesday's game against La Salle with 139 steals in two seasons with the Dukes, which is nine thefts shy of cracking the top 10 in program history. As a team, Duquesne ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in steals per game with an average of 7.52 per contest, trailing only Fordham (8.33) and Massachusetts (8.15).
 
Welcome To The Club – Senior forward Tre Williams eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau at Fordham, as his layup with 5:08 remaining in the first half tied the contest, 26-26, and ignited an 8-0 run to help the Dukes grab a 32-26 advantage at halftime. In five seasons at the NCAA Division I level, including two at Indiana State, Williams has scored 1,003 career points, including 560 in three years at Duquesne. Williams, who became the 11th different student-athlete to score in double figures with 10 points in an 81-66 victory over Saint Louis, is the second member of the Dukes to eclipse 1,000 career points this season. Forward Fousseyni Drame reached the mark in the first half at Saint Joseph's and owns 1,089 career points entering Wednesday's game against La Salle. Within striking distance of 1,000 career points as Duquesne hits the stretch run of the 2023-24 campaign is forward Andrei Savrasov (966) and guard Jimmy Clark III (936).  
 
Did You Know? The Dukes are 8-0 this season when first to reach 70 points against an opponent and have won 27 consecutive games when turning the trick. In seven seasons under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne is 71-7 (.910) when hitting the 70-point plateau first.
 
Chalk Talk – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant has proven to be adept at the free-throw line during his career, and those numbers have only been amplified in his two seasons at Duquesne. Thanks to a 10-for-10 performance at the stripe at Fordham, Grant broke his own record for consecutive free throws made (46), eclipsing the mark of 43 he set earlier this season. So far this season, Grant owns streaks of 43, 29 and 46 for consecutive conversions at the line. Since the season opener against Cleveland State, where he hit his final three free throws as part of an 8-for-11 performance, Grant has converted 118 of his last 120 chances (98.3%) at the line. Grant enters Wednesday's game against La Salle leading the Atlantic 10 in free-throw percentage at 96.1 percent (123-for-128), a success rate that also ranks second in NCAA Division I.
 
Where's the Beef? Balance. Elbow. Eyes on target. Follow through. Senior guard Dae Dae Grant has used those mantras to put forth an amazing performance at the free-throw line this season. Grant is averaging 5.33 attempts per game at the stripe in 2023-24 and has recorded 10 games this year in which he has finished 5-for-5 or better at the chalk, including a 10-for-10 performance at Fordham. That performance matched a 10-for-10 showing in a 68-59 win over Saint Peter's earlier this season. The Duquesne single-season (91.8%) and career records (87.7%) for free-throw percentage are both held by former guard Rick Suder (1983-86), with Grant in line to break both marks. Grant is shooting 96.1 percent (123-for-128) during the 2023-24 season and owns a career success rate of 92.2 percent (212-for-230) in two seasons with the Dukes.
 
Consistency – The prowess by Dae Dae Grant at the free-throw line as well as his ability to knock down the three-point shot has led to some incredible consistency for the fifth-year guard. Grant's 15-point performance at Fordham marked the 110th game of his career at the NCAA Division I level to score in double figures. Included in those 110 games are 49 in two seasons at Duquesne, as his next effort scoring at least 10 points marks his 50th with the Dukes. Grant has reached double figures in 76.4 percent of the games he's played over the last five years (110-of-144), including 49 out of 57 contests (86%) on the Bluff. The Duquesne school record for double-figure scoring games is held by Dick Ricketts (1952-55), who finished with 98 during his career with the Dukes and scored at least 10 points in a whopping 88.2 percent (98-of-111) of his career contests.
 
The Chuck Cooper Classic – The annual Chuck Cooper Classic will take place on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. when the Dukes take on George Washington for their final game at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse this season. Get two tickets for $25 using the promo code CCC2024. Both entrances will have drop off boxes for fans to donate traditional school supplies to help support the local Pittsburgh community. Stick around postgame for an autograph session with all of the Dukes and receive a free team poster. Join us for a fun weekend as we honor the legacy of Chuck Cooper, the first African American to be drafted in the NBA.      
 
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