Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak Saturday, earning a 69-56 victory over Loyola Chicago at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes improved to 10-14 (.417) overall during the 2024-25 season, including 5-6 (.455) in the Atlantic 10.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
On a night when the Dukes shot 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from beyond the arc, it was a pair of three-pointers that helped Duquesne grind out a victory. Junior forward
David Dixon provided the first, connecting from the left wing with 3:51 remaining that opened up a 61-55 cushion. Just over two minutes later, redshirt junior guard
Cam Crawford helped seal the win, snapping an 0-for-9 funk from deep by burying a triple from the corner with 1:31 left that opened up the first double-digit lead for either team, 66-55. The Dukes closed the contest on an 11-1 run and despite missing their first 11 shots of the second half shot 50 percent (13-for-26) from the floor after the break, closing by converting 13 of their final 15 shots. The bucket that broke the ice was also a three-pointer, with junior guard
Kareem Rozier connecting at the 12:33 mark of the second half that gave Duquesne a 37-36 advantage after the Ramblers had taken a 36-34 lead and erased a seven-point halftime deficit. Overall, Duquesne was successful on 43.1 percent (28-of-65) of its conversions from the floor.
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"I don't think we allowed our offense to affect our mood," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "I applaud my guys, they just kept playing. I applaud them for the looks they got, too. We had good possessions and weren't playing bad basketball. Sometimes that's more important than watching the scoreboard. How is our rhythm? How are we defending? Even during that stretch our defense was still strong. We had shots in front of the rim, we just didn't finish them. They kept attacking, and it finally broke our way."
BOHEMIAN CROWN
Sophomore forward
Jakub Necas provided one of his most complete performances on the Bluff, finishing as one of four players in double figures while stuffing the stat sheet. He contributed 10 points and also added six rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals and matched a career high with three blocks. All three of his rejections came in the second half, including a pair within 42 seconds and the Dukes clinging to a one-point lead, and his last block with 40 seconds remaining on a layup attempt from Des Watson, who led all scorers in the game with 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting, punctuated the win. Saturday marked the third double-figure scoring effort of the year for Necas as well as the fifth of his career. Duquesne is 5-0 over the last two years when Necas scores in double figures.
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"We try to build on the defensive side," Necas said. "It's our thing. We know on offense we need to share the ball, but we have to start on defense first. Then we create easy shots in transition after rebounds. I'm just trying to help my teammates as much as I can. I think I'm able to do that in very different ways. You know what they say, 'You have to lose big to win big.' The five-game losing streak just brings us together even more. Right now, we are on a good track. We have some days off and we'll make sure to recover well and prepare for the next game."
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Over the final four minutes of the contest and the game's deciding run, the Ramblers were 0-for-7 from the field, including five attempts from deep. Overall, Loyola Chicago (14-9 | 5-5 Atlantic 10) shot 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the floor, including 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from beyond the arc. The Dukes also forced the Ramblers into 15 turnovers and held a 37-35 edge in rebounding, including a 13-9 advantage on the offensive glass. Senior forward
Jahsean Corbett posted five of those offensive caroms and finished with six overall. Over the last four games, Corbett has collected 32 rebounds (8.0 per game), with a staggering 62.5 percent (20-of-32) of those on the offensive end.
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"We pride ourselves on our defensive capability," Joyce III said. "Tonight, we made some huge plays on that end. I thought we were tough defensively throughout the game, and it paid off. Our discipline and playing to our principles, we got those steals and were able to turn them into easy baskets. It sparked us and it helped us."
NOTES
Senior guard
Tre Dinkins III paced the Dukes with 12 points and also chipped in four boards, three assists and a pair of steals … Crawford finished with 11 points, while off the bench Dixon finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards … All 10 of the points for Dixon came in the second half and he also collected two assists and a block … Rozier scored seven points and handed out three assists without a turnover as the Dukes finished with 16 dimes on their 28 field goals … Six different players finished with at least two assists … Sheldon Edwards, Jr., scored 11 points for Loyola Chicago, which also got 10 from Miles Rubin … Duquesne owned a 32-9 cushion in bench points, improving to 5-4 (.556) this season when the reserves supply at least 30 points … The game featured three ties and eight lead changes … The Dukes have won 35 consecutive games dating back to the 2018-19 season when holding opponents under 60 points.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to action Saturday, Feb. 15, with a 2:30 p.m. tip at Dayton.
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