Akron, Ohio – William Kermoury's three-pointer from the corner with 32 seconds to play helped keep the Duquesne University men's basketball team at bay as Northeastern earned a 93-86 victory Saturday at Lebron James Arena on the campus of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. The Dukes slipped to 4-2 (.667) overall during the 2025-26 campaign.
INNOVATION WAY
Junior forward
Jakub Nečas pulled the Dukes to within 87-86 thanks to a layup on the break with just under a minute to go. On the next possession for the Huskies, Kermoury drove the lane but missed a layup, with Petar Pinter grabbing the offensive rebound for Northeastern (3-3). The shot clock winding down on the second chance, Kermoury broke free and got to the corner in front of the visiting bench and buried his second three-pointer of the game to push the lead to 90-86. Kermoury finished with 13 points for the Huskies, who held a 36-27 edge on the glass, including a 9-5 advantage in offensive rebounds.
QUOTABLE
"I didn't like our attention to detail," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "We didn't play hard, not every possession. We didn't dig, didn't have enough focus. Didn't own the rebounds or win the boards. It just wasn't a good attack. We definitely have to a bring a better, intentional purpose and energy into each game we play."
GOODYEAR WORLD HEADQUARTERS
Duquesne was unable to contain Xavier Abreu, who scored a game-high 32 points for Northeastern, including 21 in the second half. He finished 11-for-17 from the floor and 9-for-10 at the free-throw line while also posting five rebounds, two assists and three steals. Abreu led an effort from the reserves for the Huskies that held a commanding lead in bench points, 60-7, as Haris Elezovic came off the bench to supply a double-double with 17 points and 10 caroms. As a team, Northeastern converted 55.2 percent (32-for-58) of its opportunities from the floor despite a 5-for-19 showing (26.3%) from beyond the arc.
QUOTABLE
"We just didn't come with our best today, and you see what happens," Joyce III said. "A team comes in, plays hard and follows through with their game plan and handed us a loss. The game unfolds how it unfolds. We got to the rim. We're going to take those shots all day if we can get them. Offense wasn't a problem outside of us turning the ball over, but when you give up 93 points there's something going on with your defense. Can we take care better of the ball? Absolutely. Defensively was the bigger issue. We have to recover from our mistakes. If we turn the ball over, you have to go down and get a stop."
FIVE AGAINST ONE
Each of the five starters for the Dukes scored in double figures, led by senior guard
Tarence Guinyard, who scored 13 of his team-high 19 in the second half. Graduate student forward
John Hugley IV added 18 points and six rebounds, junior guard
Jimmie Williams finished with 17 and Nečas contributed a season-high 14 points. Redshirt senior guard
Cam Crawford, meanwhile, scored 11 points. Crawford's three-pointer with 1:57 left before halftime snapped a 33-33 tie, but the Huskies closed the opening stanza on an 8-3 burst to grab a 41-38 edge at the break. Northeastern led for 35:58 of a contest that featured four ties and a pair of lead changes.
NOTES
Duquesne shot 54.2 percent (32-for-59) from the field, including 60 percent (18-for-30) in the second half … Xander Alarie notched five blocks for Northeastern as the Huskies posted eight rejections … The Dukes forced 21 turnovers and notched 15 steals, including a career-high six from Williams … Duquesne suffered 19 turnovers … It was a one-possession game a total of 11 times in the second half, but the Dukes could never tie it or grab the lead … Nečas was 6-for-6 from the field and was true on both of his attempts from the free-throw to produce a perfect shooting night … The biggest lead for Northeastern came in the first half, 21-12, after a pair of free throws from Youri Fritz with 8:17 to go before the break … Duquesne used an 11-2 surge to grab a 36-33 lead that was capped by the triple from Crawford before the Huskies closed out the first half with a three-point lead ... Each of the three wins for Northeastern in the all-time series have come on a neutral court.
UP NEXT
The Dukes open a three-game homestand at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse Wednesday, Nov. 26, with a 6:00 p.m. tip against Central State.
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