Pittsburgh, Pa. – Five Dukes scored in double figures as part of a balanced offensive effort to help propel the Duquesne University men's basketball team to a 73-64 victory over Fordham Wednesday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes improved to 11-15 (.423) overall during the 2024-25 season, including 6-7 (.462) in the Atlantic 10.
 
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Tied, 31-31, at halftime, Duquesne grabbed the lead early in the second half and never wavered, using a 10-2 burst to open up a 46-37 advantage at the 14:58 mark and force the Rams to call a timeout. The Dukes got a boost from sophomore forward Eli Wilborn, who scored six points, while senior forward Jahsean Corbett capped the surge with a pair of layups on the break thanks to timely passes from junior forward Matúš Hronský. Fordham (11-15 | 3-11 Atlantic 10) whittled its deficit to 52-48 with under 10 minutes to go on a jumper from Jackie Johnson III before Duquesne followed with a 9-2 run to open up its first double-digit cushion, 61-50, with 4:06 to play. Wilborn contributed 10 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks in the victory in registering his first double-figure scoring game as a member of the starting lineup, with all six of his caroms coming on the offensive glass. He shot 3-for-7 from the field and 4-of-5 at the free-throw line.
 
QUOTABLE
"Tonight (Eli) was able to have patience," head coach Dru Joyce III said. "His offensive rebounds were huge, and he stepped up to the line and made free throws. He's putting forth the energy and effort when it comes to be a better free-throw shooter. Tonight, it was on display. Overall, he had a lot of balance to his game. Defensively, he made some early mistakes, but he was able to battle through. He gave us unbelievable juice and really dominated and set a tone in the paint."
 
THE SEEKER
Hronský, coming off a career-high 16 points at Dayton (Feb. 15), was the lone starter to fail to reach double figures but was active in other areas, dishing out a career-high seven assists while also contributing seven points, four boards and two steals. In addition to his two dimes on feeds to Corbett that capped a run for Duquesne early in the second half, he finished with four assists after the break and was also a key contributor to an interior defense that saw the Dukes reach double figures in blocks for the second time this year. Hronský rejected a pair of shots as Duquesne notched 10 blocks, including four from junior forward David Dixon, who scored a team-high 14 points off the bench while grabbing five boards. Dixon also provided a trio of highlight reel dunks in the first half as he scored 10 points in the opening 20 minutes of action.
 
QUOTABLE
"Coach gave us a challenge to go for it, to play hard, play together and enjoy this," Hronský said. "I think we succeeded at that and played pretty good basketball today. We always want to play aggressive. Our team is based on defense. That's where we try to get better always. We're not going to be perfect, but we try to force turnovers and get to the fast break. It's easy points from those. For me, most important is to win and get the whole team going."
 
UP AND DOWN
Duquesne finished with just four three-pointers but by being active down low owned a 38-32 edge in points in the paint and also converted 80.8 percent (21-for-26) of its attempts at the free-throw line. It's the highest percentage for the Dukes at the line (minimum 20 attempts) this season. Dixon and Corbett each finished 4-for-4 at the stripe, with Corbett contributing 12 points and three steals. Crawford and senior guard Tre Dinkins III each scored 13 points, with Dinkins III stretching his streak of double-figure scoring games to 11.
 
QUOTABLE
"We have five games that are guaranteed to us, six if you include maybe the first round," Joyce III said. "What are you going to do with that? If you mess around with those, you'll think on that for a long time. You don't want to get to the end of the season, or five years down the road, and think 'man, my sophomore year I laid down. I didn't finish hard.' Who wants to live with that? Competitive people, that stuff sticks with you. That's regret. I don't want them to have any regrets. You can embrace the moment, love the opportunity. Don't take these moments for granted. It's everybody. You don't get these chances back. Whether you're a freshman or a sophomore, you have to treat these times with care and really go after it."
 
NOTES
Duquesne finished with 10 steals, marking the second time during the 2024-25 season the Dukes reached double figures in both thefts and blocks … In a 73-65 victory at George Washington (Jan. 15), Duquesne posted a season-high 12 rejections and 11 steals … Fordham was led by Johnson III, who in a return to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse led all scorers in the game with 20 points … Sophomore forward Jakub Necas missed the game due to injury … The Dukes used their eighth different starting lineup of the 2024-25 campaign, with Corbett replacing Necas in the starting five … A total of 10 different players have posted a double-figure scoring game as a member of the starting lineup with Wilborn's performance Wednesday, a game after Corbett became the 11th different player to score at least 10 points off the bench this year … The contest featured three ties and three lead changes … Duquesne also had five players score in double figures in a 93-45 win over Cleary (Dec. 27) … Fordham owned a 35-34 edge on the glass, with each team notching 11 offensive caroms.
 
UP NEXT
The Dukes head on the road for their next two games, beginning Saturday, Feb. 22, with a 4:00 p.m. tip against St. Bonaventure in Olean, N.Y., at the Reilly Center.
 
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