Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team opened its 2025-26 season Monday with an 83-63 victory over Niagara at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The triumph was a historic one for the Dukes, as it marked program win No. 1,500 in the first game of the 110th NCAA Division I season.
 
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Off the opening tip, center John Hugley IV pushed the ball toward Niagara's rim and senior guard Tarence Guinyard tracked it down for an easy layup just two seconds into the contest, igniting a 9-0 opening burst for the Dukes. Defensively, Duquesne held Niagara (0-1) without a field goal for the first 10 minutes of the game, as a driving layup from Justin Hawkins with 9:59 to go in the opening half snapped an 0-for-13 drought for the Purple Eagles to open the season. The layup by Hawkins came after a steal and dunk from senior forward David Dixon gave the Dukes an 18-3 cushion. The lead swelled to 25-5 with eight-and-a-half minutes left in the first half after a three-pointer from junior guard Jimmie Williams and a layup from Guinyard as Duquesne eventually entered halftime with a 41-20 advantage.
 
QUOTABLE
"The mindset of making sure we progress still stays the same," head coach Dru Joyce III said. "We want to accomplish things when we go into the game in terms of 'Are we better than we were yesterday?' Overall, I'm excited what we did as a group today. Offense is supposed to put you in a bind and create advantages, and defensively we have to pressure, disrupt and dictate. I thought we did a good job of cleaning up possessions, and it really jump started us offensively. It really set the tone. It starts with ball pressure, but I saw a lot of guys locked in and doing their job."  
 
LINE CHANGE
A strong opening shift from the starting lineup, the Dukes went to their bench, which stretched 10 deep Monday as 10 different players saw at least nine minutes of action in the season-opening victory. Redshirt senior guard Brandon Hall was a key piece to the rotation, as after missing the 2024-25 season rehabbing from an injury during his junior college career played 10 minutes in the win over the Purple Eagles and contributed six points, converting each of his two shots from deep in the opening 20 minutes. Duquesne also got a spark from redshirt sophomore Stef van Bussel, who finished with four points and a block, and freshman Lazar Milošević, who in just over six minutes of work scored seven points and grabbed a pair of rebounds. The contributions from the bench assisted the Dukes in opening the season by shooting 56.4 percent (31-for-55) from the field, including 11-for-26 (42.3%) from deep.

QUOTABLE
"We just have to continue to work on our chemistry," Joyce III said. "It's an everyday process. When you think about your culture, it's something you have to fight for every day. It's tough to build but easy to dismantle. You have to come in with the idea of being selfless, trusting your teammates and wanting the best for them. It's not easy. Everyone wants their own personal success at times. This is basketball and it takes a team. Since June 9 we've competed hard against each other. Now we're at the point where it's time to be together and, as a unit, give that energy to another opponent. It may not be you throwing the majority of the punches, but you better root your teammate on. Especially if you consider that teammate more than a teammate but a brother or a friend. I think our guys are trying to do that each and every time. They're fighting against their own insecurities and their own character in order to do that. It's not easy to be selfless and give yourself to the team."  
 
NOTES
Duquesne improved to 91-19 (.827) all-time in season openers, including an 86-5 (.945) mark when opening the year at home … Guinyard and Williams each scored in double figures for the Dukes with 19 and 15 points, respectively, as the duo combined to shoot 12-for-18 (.667) from the floor, including 7-for-12 (.583) from deep … Duquesne owned a 32-25 edge in rebounding and finished with 18 assists, including five from Guinyard and four from Williams … In his Duquesne debut, Hugley IV contributed seven points, a game-high eight rebounds and a block … Off the bench redshirt senior guard Maximus Edwards scored four points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out five assists without a turnover … Both Duquesne and Niagara finished with 20 points off turnovers … The Dukes held a 36-30 advantage in points in the paint … Duquesne's largest lead came with 4:20 to play, 76-50, after a three-pointer from Williams … Junior guard Lucas Prolla celebrated his 21st birthday Monday and played the final 2:28 of action, registering a steal … Duquesne's 900th program win also came against Niagara Dec. 5, 1978, with an 82-69 victory in the third game of the 1978-79 season as the Dukes improved to 3-0 in their first season under head coach Mike Rice.
 
UP NEXT
Duquesne continues a three-game homestand with the first of three games in the Villanova Challenge Friday, Nov. 7, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Sacred Heart at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.  
 
FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and information on Duquesne basketball, follow the Dukes on X and Instagram.