Pittsburgh, Pa. – Four players scored in double figures, led by graduate student forward
John Hugley IV with 20, and the Duquesne University men's basketball team shot 55.2 percent (32-for-58) from the field in posting a wire-to-wire 92-78 victory over Loyola (Md.) Wednesday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes improved to 4-1 (.800) overall during the 2025-26 campaign.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Leading, 66-55, with 9:59 to go, junior forward
Jakub Nečas pulled down a long rebound on the offensive end after a missed three-pointer from junior guard
Jimmie Williams. Near the top of the arc, Nečas turned and made a dart to the basket, finishing with a dunk to ignite a 12-2 run that helped Duquesne open its largest lead of the contest, 75-57, with 7:48 to play. The Dukes also got a driving layup from Hugley IV and five points from Williams during the barrage, while redshirt senior guard
Cam Crawford capped it with a triple from the corner. Nečas would finish with seven points and tied a career high with 10 rebounds as the Dukes owned a 39-25 edge on the glass.
QUOTABLE
"Each game that we step into is different, but you want to make sure you're improving in areas," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "If you track our last couple of games, we hadn't rebounded the ball well. We gave up way too many second chance opportunities. Rebounding is a fundamental thing that is going to happen in every game. With our size and our depth and our athleticism, we concentrate on it. We emphasize it. We want to see the results. I think we did a good job of controlling both sides of the glass tonight."
FAST CAR
Duquesne continued its torrid start to games Wednesday against the Greyhounds, opening up a 15-point advantage, 19-4, just over four minutes into the contest. In each of its five games this season, the Dukes have had the lead five minutes into the contest, including double-digit cushions in two. In the opening salvo Wednesday against Loyola (Md.), Duquesne hit eight of its first 10 shots from the floor, receiving nine points from Hugley IV in building the double-double lead. Hugley IV reached the 20-point plateau for the third consecutive home game with his team-high 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and also added five rebounds and three assists. The Dukes also got a season-high 19 points from Crawford, who finished 8-for-12 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
GETTYSBURG ADDRESS
Forward
David Dixon posted the first double-figure scoring effort of his senior year in the win over Loyola (Md.), finishing with 10 points. He converted four of his six attempts from the field while hitting both of his chances at the free-throw line and also corralled three rebounds. Duquesne owned a 44-36 cushion in points in the paint and in its four wins this season, each of which have come at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, the Dukes are averaging 43.5 points in the paint per game. Dixon also added a pair of assists, a steal and a block in the win and posted a pair of dunks. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Duquesne is 17-7 (.708) when Dixon scores at least 10 points in a game.
QUOTABLE
"I wasn't having the best game, in my opinion, so to get a really big slam and get some frustration out was good," Dixon said. "I like to hype the crowd up, and I hyped myself up in the process. We have a lot better connection I feel like. We're all connected as a group and have a team full of talented guys. Anybody can come in and play and contribute to the game. Good coaching, good players, good wins."
HELLO, MR. SMITH
Also scoring 19 points for the Dukes in the win over Loyola (Md.) was senior forward
Tarence Guinyard, who handed out a game-high six assists while registering a pair of steals. Entering action Wednesday as the leading scorer in the Atlantic 10, Guinyard is averaging 20.6 points per game after his performance against the Greyhounds. He's the first Duquesne student-athlete to average 20 points or better through the first five games of a season since Wayne Smith (1998-2002) during the 1999-2000 campaign. In the first five games that year, Smith, who concluded his career ranked fourth all-time on the Bluff with 1,820 points, averaged 21.2 points per contest.
NOTES
The Dukes notched 21 assists on their 32 field goals … Duquesne matched a season high with eight steals originally set in its 2025-26 season opener, an 83-63 victory over Niagara (Nov. 3) … Williams finished with eight points, tied a career high with nine rebounds and also notched four assists and a pair of steals … Loyola (Md.) was led by guard Jacob Theodosiou, who scored a game-high 21 points and also added four assists and a steal … Five Greyhounds reached double figures, including 11 each from Braeden Speed, Jordan Stiemke and Emmett Adair … The Dukes matched a season high in free-throw percentage at 76.9 percent (20-for-26) … Of the 10 rebounds for Nečas, four came on the offensive glass … Duquesne shot 60 percent (15-for-25) from the field in the second half … Loyola (Md.) owned a 25-19 edge in bench points, while the Dukes finished with a 26-10 cushion in points on the break.
UP NEXT
Duquesne heads to Akron, Ohio, Saturday, Nov. 22, for a 4:00 p.m. tip against Northeastern for the Morgan & Morgan Classic. The game will be played at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the alma mater of Joyce III.
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