Philadelphia, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team concluded a two-game road swing Wednesday, earning a 67-62 victory over La Salle at John E. Glaser Arena. The Dukes improved to 12-16 (.429) overall during the 2024-25 season, including 7-8 (.467) in the Atlantic 10.
 
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Senior guard Tre Dinkins III fed junior guard Kareem Rozier for a layup on the break to give the Dukes a 53-41 advantage with 6:19 to go, but an 11-2 run helped the Explorers close to within 55-52 less than three minutes later. Deuce Jones, who had failed to convert a field goal in the game up to that point, ignited the run with a three-pointer with 5:46 remaining and scored nine points during the burst, including a 4-for-4 performance at the free-throw line. Duquesne steadied, with sophomore forward Eli Wilborn connecting with Rozier for a floater to help stem the tide. Corey McKeithan would hit a jumper and Daeshon Shepherd a pair at the stripe with 2:23 left to give the Dukes just a one-point edge, 57-56, but a turnaround jumper from Dinkins III and a dunk from Wilborn helped Duquesne keep La Salle (12-16 | 4-11 Atlantic 10) at bay. The Dukes sealed the win at the stripe, going 6-for-6 in the final 38 seconds.
 
QUOTABLE
"We have to win with our support, our unit, and that's something we've preached since the very beginning," head coach Dru Joyce III said. "In order to be a team, you've got to be able to celebrate your brothers, even when things aren't going right for yourself. Tonight was an occasion where Eli stepped up. Usually Dave closes out games for us, and he has all season, but Eli had it rolling. Dave was there to support him, and that's all you can ask for."
 
ICE TRE
Dinkins III, a native of nearby Chester, Pa., enjoyed his second trip of the season to Philadelphia, Pa., registering his first career double-double. In addition to extending his streak of double-figure scoring games to 13, he handed out a career-high 10 assists. He's the first member of the Dukes to finish with at least 10 dimes in a game in exactly five years, as former guard Sincere Carry posted 11 in an 81-77 overtime win at St. Bonaventure, Feb. 26, 2020. Dinkins III also owns the longest in-season streak for consecutive double-figure scoring games since former guard Mike Lewis II scored 10 or more points in 14 straight games during the 2016-17 campaign.
 
QUOTABLE
"I challenged Tre before the game a lot defensively, too," Joyce III said. "I loved his purpose and intent to that side of the ball tonight. It really set the tone for us, and offensively he's paced us all season, so tonight was another good floor game from him."
 
BREAK OUT
Duquesne jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the contest and never trailed, with redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford sparking the Dukes early. Wilborn opened the scoring in the game with a flush off a feed from Dinkins III before Crawford scored 11 of the next 13 points, reaching double figures at the 15:44 mark of the first half. Defensively, the Dukes held the Explorers scoreless for almost four minutes to open the game in building a double-digit advantage. Crawford would pace Duquesne Wednesday against the Explorers with a season-high 15 points while also adding six rebounds. Wilborn, who also opened the scoring in the second half for Duquesne with a dunk, contributed 10 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks.
 
NOTES
The contest marked the 1,000th game on the sidelines for La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy, affectionately known as Mr. Big 5 … Dunphy, in his third season coaching the Explorers who will retire at the end of the season, has also served as head coach at Penn (1989-2006) and Temple (2006-19) and owns an overall career record of 623-377 (.623) … Duquesne shot 52.2 percent (24-for-46) from the field despite a 5-for-20 (25%) performance from beyond the arc … Junior forward Jakub Necas returned to the lineup after missing two games, earned the start at forward and contributed 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists … Corey McKeithan and Jones each scored 14 points to lead La Salle … Jones finished 2-for-8 from the field but was 9-for-9 at the stripe … Duquesne owned a 32-20 edge in points in the paint.
 
UP NEXT
The Dukes return to  the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for their final two home games of the 2024-25 regular season, beginning Saturday, March 1, with 2:00 p.m. tip against George Mason for the Chuck Cooper Classic. Two tickets can be purchased for $25 by using this link or calling (412) 232-DUKE.
 
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