Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team shot 56.7 percent (17-for-30) in the second half to erase a three-point deficit at the break en route to a 75-63 victory over La Salle Wednesday at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. In posting their third consecutive home victory, the Dukes improved to 17-11 (.607) overall during the 2023-24 campaign, including 7-8 (.467) in the Atlantic 10.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
A carbon copy role reversal from its game at Fordham, Duquesne opened the second half on a 17-4 run to turn a 34-31 deficit at halftime into a 48-38 lead with 14:17 remaining. Forward
Dusan Mahorcic converted in the paint to open the scoring after the break and senior guard
Jimmy Clark III pushed the Dukes in front with a jumper. Five consecutive points from sophomore guard
Kareem Rozier extended the advantage to 40-34, and Clark III added a pair of three-pointers to give Duquesne its first double-digit cushion. Freshman guard
Jake DiMichele gave the Dukes their biggest lead, 58-44, with 9:42 to go with a driving layup as Duquesne finished with 10 assists after the break while also forcing the Explorers into seven turnovers in the same time span as well as 13 overall during the game.
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"We have to defend, and we have to share the ball," head coach
Keith Dambrot said. "It's not rocket science. It's simple. When we've defended, we've won, and when we get assists, we win. When we don't defend and don't get assists, we lose. If you care about winning you're going to defend on every possession. If you slip in that area, you're not going to win."
ON THE DOWN LOW
Mahorcic was a factor for the Dukes off the bench and in the paint Wednesday, as he notched his second double-figure scoring game of the year with 13 points. He converted five of his nine shots from the floor and was a perfect 3-of-3 at the free-throw line. Each of the five field goals for Mahorcic were in the paint as Duquesne posted a 38-32 edge in points in the category. Thanks to the performance from Mahorcic against La Salle (14-15 / 5-11 A-10), the Dukes have received a double-figure scoring game off the bench in nine of their last 10 games. During that stretch, six different student-athletes have scored at least 10 points a total of 13 times as a reserve.
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"I'm just trying to push myself as much as I can," Mahorcic said. "I knew coming in this year was going to be a rebuild year for me in the sense of everything. Moving, jumping, everything. I try to push myself every day on and off the court and improve as much as I can. My game is an incline and I'm trying to give this team the best chance to win. Whatever the role is, I'll fulfill it. We're just focusing on the next game right now and trying to build momentum up to the tournament."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Clark III eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the fifth time this season, finishing with a game-high 22 points while matching a season high with eight assists. The Dukes are 4-1 (.800) this year when Clark III scores at least 20 points, with their only loss at Saint Joseph's, while Duquesne is a perfect 6-0 this season when he dishes out least seven dimes. Clark III posted eight assists in the 2023-24 season opener, a
79-77 win over Cleveland State, as well as in a
68-59 triumph over Fordham. Clark III has now scored in double figures in six consecutive games.
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"Jimmy's whole thing is his discipline on both ends of the court," Dambrot said. "What makes him really good is he's fearless. I hit him really hard about being more sound. He's got a load of ability, and when he leaves here I don't want him to not become what he should become. You can be hard on guys for specific reasons because you really want them to get what they deserve out of this thing. Dae Dae (Grant), too. Same thing. My goal and objective is for us to win and for them to get what they deserve when they're done."
UP NEXT
The Dukes head to Virginia for their final two road games of the 2023-24 regular season, beginning Saturday, March 2, with a 2:00 p.m. tip at George Mason. Duquesne will also travel to VCU Tuesday, March 5, before returning home to close out the regular season Saturday, March 9, against George Washington for the
Chuck Cooper Classic. The game against the Revolutionaries will also serve as Senior Day.
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