Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team wrapped up the home portion of its 2024-25 schedule Tuesday, falling to VCU, 71-62, at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes slipped to 13-17 (.433) overall, including 8-9 (.471) in the Atlantic 10.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Leading at the break, 37-29, the Rams stretched their advantage to 45-31 in the first three minutes of the second half, forcing Duquesne to call timeout. Out of the break answered with an 8-0 burst, with all eight points coming from redshirt junior guard
Maximus Edwards, to close to within 45-39. VCU (25-5 | 15-2 Atlantic 10) called its own 30-second timeout, and Max Shulga, who led all scorers in the game with 22 points for the Rams, stemmed the tide by hitting the back end of a pair of free throws. Edwards came through again, hitting a three-pointer to help Duquesne close to within 46-42 with 14:46 to play. He was fouled on the play but missed the opportunity at the stripe to make it a one-possession affair. A stretch of solid defense followed, with neither team scoring for over three minutes before Zeb Jackson was able to connect from deep to push VCU's lead to 49-42 at the 11:44 mark of the second half. The lead would swell to 59-47 for the Rams with 5:31 left after another Jackson triple.
QUOTABLE
"I thought early in the game we were very disruptive," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "It was our turnovers that hurt us. Their pressure, we didn't do a good job getting to our spots and operating within our sets. Too nonchalant at times. Against their pressure you have to be sharp with your movements and your passes and your routes. That's what pressure does to you sometimes, it fatigues you. We have to be better in that regard. I don't dislike our matchups. We just have to do better. I think we can guard and defend better one-on-one much better than that. We have to accept the challenge and win those matchups."
AT IT AGAIN
Duquesne, which was 0-for-7 from beyond the arc in the first half, got its first three-pointer thanks to Edwards at the 16:41 mark of the second half, which ignited a personal run of 11 consecutive points from the junior guard. It marks the second run of at least 10 points this season from Edwards, who scored 13 straight points in the first half in a 73-65 victory at George Washington (Jan. 15). It also is the fourth time during the 2024-25 season a member of the Dukes has provided a personal run of at least 10 points. Edwards led the Dukes off the bench with 20 points, converting seven of his 14 shots from the field, including a 3-for-6 performance from beyond the arc, while going 3-for-4 at the free-throw line.
QUOTABLE
"Max did a very good job of bringing the pressure down," Joyce III said. "He got to his spots and cut hard. Those things gave him a good rhythm. Max did a good job of coming off ball screens, and then even in the pick and roll, being able to turn the corner and get downhill. Some of it is his size and athleticism. Max, with his ability to play above the rim on those drives, he can get to the rim, and of course he can shoot the ball in. We just tried to get him as many opportunities as we could. He did a great job of finding the basket."
RUNNING
Senior forward
Jahsean Corbett converted a floater in the lane at the 5:03 mark of the first half to close Duquesne to within 24-22, but a 13-5 spurt gave VCU its first double-digit advantage, 37-27. Jack Clark hit a three-pointer as the Rams finished 8-for-22 (36.4%) from deep while the Dukes connected on just four of their 16 (25%) opportunities. Shulga scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half and collected four rebounds, two assists and three steals, while Jackson chipped in 16 points and Joe Bamisile 12. Clark finished with seven points but corralled a game-high 14 rebounds, including five offensive boards.
QUOTABLE
"We just couldn't close it any tighter," Joyce III said. "We had a couple possessions that I would love to get back. Down the stretch it became an eight or nine-point game, and we just couldn't get past that. You have to commend (VCU). They made some big shots. They handled the pressure and handled the run. That's what winning teams do."
NOTES
Sophomore forward
Eli Wilborn matched a season-high with 14 points and also finished with six rebounds, an assist and a block for Duquesne … Senior guard
Tre Dinkins III connected for a three-pointer with 18 seconds left to finish with 10 points, extending his streak of double-figure scoring games to 15 … Dinkins III also handed out a game-high five assists … Junior forward
David Dixon supplied five points, five rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocks off the bench … Dixon owns at least one block in seven consecutive games, a span in which he has posted 11 rejections … Duquesne's bench outscored the VCU reserves, 30-24 … Both teams scored 28 points in the paint … The Rams owned a 38-33 edge in rebounding, including a 14-12 cushion on the offensive glass … The win snapped a three-game losing streak in the all-time series for VCU.
UP NEXT
The Dukes head to St. Louis, Mo., for their final game of the 2024-25 regular season Saturday, March 8, with an 8:00 p.m. ET tip against Saint Louis at Chaifetz Arena.
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