Dayton, Ohio – Malachi Smith hit the back end of a pair of free throws with 6.1 seconds left to lift Dayton to a 77-76 victory over the Duquesne University men's basketball team Saturday at UD Arena. The Dukes fell to 10-15 (.400) overall during the 2024-25 season, including 5-7 (.417) in the Atlantic 10.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Sophomore forward
Jakub Necas hit a pair at the stripe with 3:42 remaining to give Duquesne a 69-66 edge, but an 8-0 run helped Dayton jump in front, 74-69, with under a minute to play. Zed Key provided a dunk, and a layup from Smith pushed the Flyers on top. Smith looked to seal the victory with 52 seconds left with a pair at the stripe, but the Dukes provided one last flurry. A pair of free throws from redshirt junior guard
Maximus Edwards and a three-pointer from senior guard
Tre Dinkins III helped Duquesne close to within 76-74 with just over 13 seconds to go. The Dukes followed by forcing a Dayton turnover, with a bad pass from Smith intercepted by redshirt junior guard
Cam Crawford, who tied the game, 76-76, with a layup. Dayton started its final rush for the possible game-winning basket, but a foul was whistled on the Dukes just near midcourt, with Smith hitting the second free throw to settle the final score. A three-pointer from the wing from Dinkins III as time expired was off the mark.
QUOTABLE
"I'm proud of my guys," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "We didn't necessarily get the results we want from the outcome of the score, but we got the effort and energy we want. Everyone stepped up in the game, so I'm extremely proud of my group. It's a tough one. Certain losses aren't a reflection of who we are and what we do on a daily basis. I know my guys and my team are always going to step up to the challenge and today we did. It was just an unfortunate ending."
VENUS OF MORAVANY
Junior
Matúš Hronský, earning his fourth consecutive starting assignment, was a lightning bolt on offense for the Dukes in the early portion of the game. He scored in double figures before the contest was six minutes old, including a trio of three-pointers, the last of which at the 15:46 mark gave Duquesne a 13-9 advantage. Both teams opened the game with hot shooting, but the Flyers never led in the opening 20 minutes. Javon Bennett helped UD close to within 23-22 with 9:52 to go prior to halftime before the Dukes used a 12-1 burst to grab their biggest lead of the game, 35-23, just over three minutes later. Duquesne got a three-pointer from Dinkins III and two more from Edwards during the surge as part of a 7-for-13 showing from beyond the arc in the first half. The Dukes eventually led at the break, 44-40.
FREE IS FOR ME
Dayton took advantage of its opportunities at the free-throw line, finishing 24-for-33 at the stripe, a success rate of 72.7 percent. The Flyers had more free throw conversions than Duquesne had visits to the line, as the Dukes closed 14-for-22 (63.6%). The duo of Enoch Cheeks (8-for-10) and Zed Key (6-for-6) combined to hit 14 of their 16 attempts, with Cheeks pacing the Flyers with 19 points and Key adding 18. The performance from Key allowed Dayton to own a 33-22 edge in bench points. Dinkins III led the Dukes with 21 points and also added three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals, while Hronský set a career high with 16 points. He shot 5-of-7 from the field, including 4-for-5 from deep, and was true on both of his chances at the chalk.
NOTES
Senior forward
Jahsean Corbett contributed 11 points off the bench and also added four rebounds, an assist and two steals … Junior guard
Kareem Rozier handed out three assists against no turnovers, pushing his assist-to-turnover ratio on the season back over 4.00 (4.09) … Duquesne held a 30-29 advantage in rebounding, including 13-9 on the offensive glass … Malachi Smith added 12 points for the Flyers, which held a 40-26 cushion in points in the paint as well as a 23-6 advantage in points off turnovers … The contest featured two ties and seven lead changes, each of which came in the second half … The biggest lead for the Flyers came with 52 seconds left before the final push from Duquesne … The Dukes led, 19-13, in second chance points and finished 10-for-28 (35.7%) from deep.
UP NEXT
Duquesne hosts Fordham at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7:00 p.m.
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