GAME 16
Saint Joseph's (10-5 | 1-1 Atlantic 10) vs. Duquesne (6-9 | 1-1 Atlantic 10)
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 | 7:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)
 
Stream: SportsNet Pittsburgh & ESPN+ with Tim Benz & Ellis Cannon
Radio: 104.7 HD2 | iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Noah Buono ('22)
 
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Opening Tip
 
- The Duquesne University men's basketball team returns home to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for its first home game of 2025 Wednesday, hosting Saint Joseph's in a 7:00 p.m. tip.
 
- The Dukes had their winning streak halted at four in their last outing, dropping a 77-71 decision to Davidson (Jan. 4) at John M. Belk Arena. Duquesne grabbed its biggest lead, 27-15, in the first half and led at the break, 38-34, before the Wildcats used a 20-6 run to open the second half to grab their first double-digit lead, 54-44.
 
- Senior forward Jahsean Corbett led all scorers in the game at Davidson with a career-high 29 points. He shot 12-for-20 from the field, including a successful attempt from beyond the arc, and was 4-of-6 at the free-throw line while also adding six rebounds and a pair of assists.
 
- Redshirt junior guards Cam Crawford and Maximus Edwards each scored nine points at Davidson, while junior forward Matúš Hronský scored all seven of his points in the opening 20 minutes of action.
 
- Duquesne, which had its streak of holding opponents under 70 points snapped at nine with the setback to the Wildcats, enters Tuesday's game ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense at 64.8 points per game.  
 
- 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 eight 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 1,466 points and 812 rebounds. Corbett amassed totals of 1,303 points and 725 rebounds in three seasons at Chicago State prior to transferring to Duquesne.
 
- The Dukes will have a week off after taking on the Hawks, with their next game coming on the road. Duquesne will travel to Washington, D.C., site of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship, to take on George Washington Wednesday, Jan. 15, for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the Charles E. Smith Center. 
 
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 Hawks – Wednesday marks the 64th game in an all-time series that dates to Feb. 25, 1938 … Saint Joseph's leads the series 43-20, including a 16-13 advantage in games played in Pittsburgh. Duquesne has won five of the past seven meetings between the two programs … The Dukes, who lost 16 of 17 to SJU from 1994 through 2007, have won 11 of the past 21 meetings, with three of the losses coming in overtime … In the last meeting between the two programs, DU earned a 66-56 win over SJU at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse Feb. 17, 2024 … Behind the first career double-double from David Dixon and the first career double-figure scoring game from 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 … In the opening game of the 2023-24 season series at Hagan Arena, Cameron Brown's layup with 0.3 seconds left helped lift Saint Joseph's to a 71-69 victory.
 
Davidson Leftovers – The Wildcats own a 13-1 (.929) advantage in the all-time series, including a 6-0 mark at John M. Belk Arena ... Davidson shot 60 percent (15-for-25) from the field in the second half and 51 percent (26-for-51) overall ... Duquesne held a 35-31 edge in rebounding, including a 13-6 cushion on the offensive glass ... Forwards David Dixon and Jahsean Corbett each recorded three offensive caroms ... The Dukes held a commanding 42-28 advantage in points in the paint and also outscored the Wildcats in points off turnovers (13-12), second chance points (13-5) and bench points (23-13) ... Reed Bailey scored 13 of his team-high 22 points in the second half for Davidson, while Zach Laput finished with 10 of his 17 after halftime ... The contest featured two ties and four lead changes ... Duquesne shot 53.3 percent (16-for-30) from the field in the first half, including a 7-for-8 stretch during a 17-5 run, and finished at 46 percent overall on a season-high 63 field goal attempts (29-for-63). 
 
Finding A Rhythm – Senior forward Jahsean Corbett enters Wednesday's game against Saint Joseph's having scored in double figures in five consecutive games as well as seven of the last nine contests. He has displayed an all-around game as of late, as during the last five games Corbett has produced averages of 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists while knocking down 50.8 percent (32-for-63) of his attempts from the field. Included among that is a career-high 29 points at Davidson (Jan. 4) in which he converted 12 of his 20 attempts from the floor. In the early portion of the Atlantic 10 slate, Corbett ranks in the top 10 among conference leaders in both scoring and rebounding with per game averages of 21.0 and 8.0, respectively, which rank eighth and ninth in the circuit. The performance against the Wildcats also marked the 80th career double-figure scoring effort of Corbett's career, including his team-high ninth with the Dukes this season.
 
Distribution Center – Junior guard Kareem Rozier, who eclipsed 200 career assists in a 95-47 win over Cleary (Dec. 27) and has owns 208 dimes to his credit, has been masterful protecting the rock this season. Over the last five games, Rozier owns 22 assists against three turnovers. It's part of a larger trend, as Rozier owns an assist-to-turnover ratio of 6.00 during the last eight games for the Dukes thanks to 36 assists and just six miscues. The surge has Rozier atop the Atlantic 10 leaderboard in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.31), a mark that ranks 15th in NCAA Division I. During his career on the Bluff, Rozier, who is Duquesne's active leader for consecutive games played (73), has compiled a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.67.
 
Home Cooking – Senior guard Tre Dinkins III will look to get back on track Wednesday against Saint Joseph's after being held scoreless for the first time in a Duquesne uniform at Davidson (Jan. 4). Dinkins III has been as consistent as any player for the Dukes at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse this season, as in eight games he leads Duquesne in scoring at home at 12.6 points per game while shooting 43.7 percent (31-for-71) from the field. Included in that is a 44.9 percent (22-for-49) success rate from beyond the arc, as Dinkins III is averaging 2.75 three-point field goals made in home games. Dinkins III is a career 36.4 percent (150-for-412) shooter from beyond the arc after connecting for 118 three-pointers in two seasons at Canisius prior to transferring to Duquesne. He enters Wednesday's game against the Hawks tied for 11th in the Atlantic 10 this season in three-point field goals made per game (2.13) along with Nate Santos of Dayton and Joe Bamisile of VCU.
 
Defense Wins Championships – Despite having their streak of consecutive games holding an opponent under 70 points snapped at nine at Davidson (Jan. 4), the Dukes hang their hat on the defensive end. Over the last 10 games, opponents are averaging 58.5 points per contest and overall this season Duquesne ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense (64.9 ppg), a mark that is tied for 40th in NCAA Division I. Duquesne's nine-game stretch of holding opponents under the 70-point plateau is its longest in over 60 years. During the 1961-62 season, Duquesne held 10 consecutive opponents to under 70 points. Overall this season in holding opponents to an average of 64.9 points per game, it would mark the best scoring defense for the Dukes in the shot clock era (since 1985-86).
 
Windex – A key to a good defense is the ability to crash the boards. Duquesne, which is 3-0 this season when grabbing at least 40 rebounds in a game, has outrebounded eight of their last 10 opponents entering Wednesday's game against Saint Joseph's after posting a 35-31 edge on the glass at Davidson (Jan. 4). Overall this season, the Dukes have owned the advantage in rebounding in 10 of their 15 games, posting a record of 5-5 (.500) in those contests. Duquesne will take on the Hawks Wednesday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 in offensive rebounds per game (12.1) and fifth in rebounding defense (32.9 per game). 
 
Sharpshooter – Junior forward Matúš Hronský is making the most of his opportunities when he's on the court, especially from beyond the arc. Hronský scored all seven of his points in the first half at Davidson (Jan. 4), hitting one of his two attempts from long range. Hronský ranks 10th in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal accuracy at 42.9 percent (18-for-42) this season and has hit at least one triple in 12 of Duquesne's 15 games. Over the last five games, Hronský is 6-for-11 (55.6%) from downtown and through 15 games this season has more three-pointers (18) than he connected for in the previous two seasons (14) combined.  
 
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