Pittsburgh, Pa. – Junior forward
David Dixon hit a three-pointer with 4.8 seconds left in overtime to lift the Duquesne University men's basketball team to an 85-81 victory over Saint Joseph's Wednesday at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes, winners of five of their last six games and seven of 10, improved to 7-9 (.438) overall during the 2024-25 season, including 2-1 (.667) in the Atlantic 10.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Erik Reynolds II hit a three-pointer with 3:11 to go in the extra period, his only field goal of the game, to give the Hawks their biggest lead, 80-75, but the Dukes closed the contest on a 10-1 run to win their fourth consecutive home game. Junior guard
Kareem Rozier answered the triple from Reynolds II with one of his own to ignite the deciding rally, while a pair of free throws from junior forward
Jahsean Corbett knotted the game for the ninth time, 80-80. On the ensuing possession for SJU (10-6 | 1-2 Atlantic 10), the Hawks had three cracks at the go-ahead basket, the last of which saw a layup from Xzayvier Brown blocked by Dixon, who grabbed the defensive rebound, with 21.5 seconds left. Out of a timeout by the Dukes, senior guard
Tre Dinkins III, who led all scorers in the game with a season-high 26 points, found Dixon open on the wing in front of the Duquesne bench. Dixon rose up and hit his second three-pointer of the game to push Duquesne in front for good.
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"We were tied, I got to do something," Dixon said. "Honestly, they left me open. I've worked on my shot a lot. I worked on it a lot before the game today. I hit the one in the first half, so I had a little bit of confidence in myself going down the stretch. You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take, so I was going to attempt it. Three's, they come and go. I try to get lost in the game and not worry about the stats I have. I just want to win games. We were built for this. A lot of our team has been down with injuries, and we've had to step up and do certain things and play certain roles. It was tough at first having to adjust, but we got it right down the stretch."
CONFERENCE BASKETBALL
The Dukes grabbed their biggest lead at the 15:07 mark of the second half, as a nine-point run from Dinkins III courtesy of a trio of three-pointers opened up a 50-38 lead. Duquesne also led by double digits, 54-43, with 13:04 to go, before a 17-5 run pushed Saint Joseph's in front, 60-59, with 7:14 remaining. The Dukes only owned a pair of leads in the final five minutes of regulation, including 69-67 with 2:32 left after dunk from Dixon, as well as 71-70 with 1:50 to go after a pair of free throws from Dinkins III. Derek Simpson answered the pair of free throws from Dinkins III with a floater in the lane to push SJU back on top, 72-71, and Brown would give the Hawks a 73-71 edge with just over 30 seconds remaining in regulation with a 1-for-2 performance at the chalk. Duquesne was able to send the game to overtime, 73-73, thanks to a pair at the stripe from redshirt junior guard
Cam Crawford, who hit a pair with 23 seconds to go after a foul from Reynolds II. Saint Joseph's had two chances in the final seconds of regulation, but a Rasheer Fleming layup was blocked by Dixon, while an alleyoop on an inbounds pass to Justice Ajogbor wouldn't fall.
SEASONAL FLURRIES
Dinkins III, who was held scoreless at Davidson, scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. He missed his first four attempts from beyond the arc Wednesday before hitting three in a row during a mini-run that gave the Dukes their biggest lead. He finished 10-for-20 from the field against the Hawks, including 4-for-12 from beyond the arc, and also added two rebounds and two assists. Dinkins III was one of three players to score in double figures, with Dixon finishing with 17 points, nine boards and three blocks, while Crawford contributed 13 points on the strength of a 3-for-5 performance from deep. As a team, Duquesne finished 11-for-31 (35.5%) from beyond the arc in the victory, the fourth time in the last seven games the Dukes have connected for at least 10 three-pointers. Duquesne is 3-1 in those contests.
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"Since day one, upon coming here to Duquesne, Dave has been a staple on the defensive end," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "With his rim protection, his ability to step out and guard smaller guards, he brings a lot of versatility to us on defense. I'm proud that he battled through. He had to play some heavier minutes. He gives it everything he's got. As far as sharpshooter goes, the guy has unbelievable confidence in himself. He is capable of making a three. They swung it to him, he stepped up and he made the shot. It's no different than what he's done in practice before. I just love Dave at the end of games. He has a confidence and a gamesmanship to him that he just believes that he can go make the play. That's why he stepped in and made that three."
NOTES
Duquesne has won four of five against Saint Joseph's and six of the last eight meetings … Rozier tied a career high with seven assists while posting no turnovers and also scored seven points … The Hawks held a 37-36 edge in rebounding … Sophomore forward
Eli Wilborn scored six points, including a pair of free throws to ice the game in overtime, and was true on both of his attempts from the field … Over the last four games, Wilborn is 12-for-13 (92.3%) from the floor … The contest featured nine ties and 10 lead changes, with the ties matching a season high (South Dakota State) … Fleming led five players in double figures for SJU with 20 points and also notched a double-double thanks to 10 rebounds … Brown also recorded a double-double for the Hawks with 17 points and 10 assists … The Duquesne bench owned a 37-18 advantage in scoring … The Dukes earned their first overtime victory since March 3, 2020, an 80-77 triumph at VCU … The last overtime game for Duquesne came March 2, 2022, a 98-93 setback in three overtimes at George Washington … The win also marked the first overtime win at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, as the last home overtime win came Jan. 15, 2020, a 58-56 win over Fordham at PPG Paints Arena.
UP NEXT
Duquesne has a week off before traveling to Washington, D.C., site of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship, Wednesday, Jan. 15, with 7:00 p.m. tip at George Washington.
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