GAME 22
Rhode Island (13-8 | 4-4 Atlantic 10) vs. Duquesne (11-10 | 3-5 Atlantic 10)
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 | Noon
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
 
TV: USA Network with Jason Knapp (pxp) & Dereck Whittenburg (color)
Radio: 104.7 HD2 | iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) (pxp) & Darren Zaslau (color)
 
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Opening Tip
 
- The Duquesne University men's basketball team opens the month of February by closing a two-game homestand Sunday with a Noon tip against Rhode Island at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
 
- The Dukes are in search of their first Atlantic 10 home win of the year after falling to St. Bonaventure (Jan. 28), 87-79, to open the homestand. Senior forward David Dixon tied for team-high honors in scoring against the Bonnies with 12 points along with senior guard Tarence Guinyard as two of five Dukes to score in double figures.
 
- Guinyard tied a Duquesne single-game record with 12 assists against St. Bonaventure, establishing a career high in the category to help him register his first double-double on the Bluff and second of his career.
 
- Junior guard Jimmie Williams added 11 points against the Bonnies, while redshirt junior Brandon Hall and forward John Hugley IV each scored 10. For Hall, it marked the first double-figure scoring effort of his NCAA Division I career.
 
- Duquesne enters Sunday's game against the Rams ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring offense (83.2 ppg), field goal percentage (.478) and three-point field goals made per game (9.43).
 
- Individually, Guinyard sits atop the A-10 leaderboard in assists per game (5.57) while also ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.44) and fourth in scoring (16.2 ppg). He is the only player in the conference to rank in the top five in each of those categories.
 
- The 2025-26 season marks the 110th year of Duquesne basketball. The Dukes started play in 1913-14 (DU did not field a team in 1944-45-46 due to World War II). Thanks to an 83-63 victory over Niagara (Nov. 3) in its 2025-26 season opener, Duquesne earned program victory No. 1,500.
 
- In today's day and age of college basketball with the NCAA Transfer Portal, Duquesne offers senior forward David Dixon, who will play his final season with the Dukes in 2025-26 and has spent his entire career on the Bluff. Dixon, 6'9" and 230 pounds, owns career totals of 717 points and 526 rebounds and is just the second player in program history to eclipse career totals of both 100 blocks and 100 dunks.
 
- Dixon is one of just four players in the Atlantic 10 this season that have spent their entire career with one program, joining 6'10" forward Sean Logan of Davidson, 6'10" forward Christian Fermin of VCU and 6'11" center Mike Walz of Richmond. Ironically, each of the four student-athletes to have played their entire career at one institution are post players.
 
- Redshirt senior guard Maximus Edwards scored 10 points in a 92-80 win over Sacred Heart (Nov. 7) to reach exactly 1,000 points for his career. Named the 2023 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, Edwards scored 722 in two seasons at George Washington before transferring to the Bluff and has scored 402 points in his time at Duquesne. He owns a career scoring average of 9.8 points in 115 games at the NCAA Division I level thanks to 1,124 points.
 
- Duquesne heads to George Mason Wednesday, Feb. 4, for a 7:00 p.m. tip after hosting URI.
 
At The Helm – Dru Joyce III was named the 18th head coach in the 110-year history of Duquesne basketball March 28, 2024, and in his second year at the helm in 2025-26. He owns an overall record of 24-29 (.453) in his first head coaching job. Joyce III, a native of Akron, Ohio, spent two seasons as associate head coach for the Dukes under Keith Dambrot from 2022 to 2024, helping guide Duquesne to an overall record of 45-25 (.643), including a 20-16 (.556) mark in the Atlantic 10, during that span. The Dukes made an appearance in the 2023 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) before earning the automatic bid for the A-10 in the 2024 NCAA Championship by winning four games in five days en route to the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship crown in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center. Duquesne, as a No. 11 seed, made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1977 and earned its first victory in the championship since 1969 thanks to a 71-67 win over No. 6 seed BYU in Omaha, Neb., at CHI Health Center Arena. 
 
Scouting the Rams – Duquesne and Rhode Island tip for the 68th time in the all-time series Sunday, with the Rams owning a 36-31 (.537) edge … The series dates to Jan. 13, 1966, with the Dukes having won three consecutive in the all-time series as well as five straight over URI at home … In the lone meeting between the two programs last season, Duquesne posted a 67-55 victory at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams Dec. 31, 2024 … The Rams led early, 11-8, before a 12-0 run gave the Dukes a 20-11 edge … Rhode Island scored the first five points of the second half to make it a one-possession contest, 34-31, but Duquesne answered, using a 10-1 surge to get its lead back to double digits, 44-32 … URI closed to within 62-54 with 4:47 remaining, but the Dukes steadied, getting five consecutive points from forward Jahsean Corbett to seal the win … Corbett finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds to pace Duquesne.
 
St. Bonaventure Leftovers – The Bonnies have won three consecutive games in the all-time series after a five-game winning streak by Duquesne ... The Bonnies owned a 35-34 edge on the glass despite the Dukes posting a 13-4 advantage in offensive rebounds ... Darryl Simmons II scored 17 of his game-high 31 points in the second half ... Simmons II and Dasonte Bowen combined for 50 of the 87 points for SBU, combining to shoot 15-for-22 (68.1%) from the field, including 5-of-8 (62.5%) from deep, and 15-for-16 (93.8%) at the free-throw line ... The Bonnies shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the field in the second half and 55.8 percent (29-for-52) overall ... Duquesne's 54.5 percent (12-of-22) success rate at the free-throw line marked a season low ... The reserves for the Dukes outscored the bench for the Bonnies, 25-16 ... Forward John Hugley IV finished with 10 points for Duquesne off the bench, his first double-figure scoring effort in Atlantic 10 play and his first since scoring 11 points at Boise State (Dec. 10).
 
Point Break – Senior guard Tarence Guinyard tied a Duquesne single-game record for assists against St. Bonaventure (Jan. 28) at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in posting his first double-double on the Bluff as well as the second of his career. In setting a career high with 12 dimes, Guinyard, who also scored 12 points against the Bonnies, became the fifth player in program history to accomplish the feat and the first in almost 20 years. Former guard Bryant McAllister (2002-06) was the last to record 12 assists in a game, posting the total against Fordham Feb. 4, 2006, at the A.J. Palumbo Center. The head coach for the Rams that night in a game that Fordham won, 90-71? Dereck Whittenburg, who will serve as the color analyst for Sunday's game on the USA Network. Guinyard's first career double-double came last season while at the University of Tennessee-Martin (UTM) when he finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds at Tennessee Tech Feb. 20, 2025. A closer look at the five Dukes to finish with 12 assists in a game in the program's 110-year history ...
 

Player, Opponent (Date)	Assists	Result
Brian Shanahan (So.), vs. Iona (Dec. 14, 1986)	12	W, 94-71
Clayton Adams (Fr.), vs. IUP (Dec. 3, 1987)	12	W, 85-67
Martin Osimani (Jr.), vs. Ohio (Jan. 7, 2004)	12	W, 96-91
Bryant McAllister (Jr.), vs. Fordham (Feb. 4, 2006)	12	L, 81-90
Tarence Guinyard (Sr.), vs. St. Bonaventure (Jan. 28, 2026)	12	L, 79-87

 
Distributor – Despite an 87-79 setback to St. Bonaventure (Jan. 28) that opened a two-game homestand at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, Duquesne is 8-2 (.800) this season when senior guard Tarence Guinyard finishes with six or more assists in a game. When Guinyard finishes with five assists or less, Duquesne is 3-8 (.273). As a team, the Dukes rank second in the Atlantic 10 in assists per game (17.10), a total that ranks 44th in NCAA Division I. In conference play, Duquesne ranks third in the circuit with an average of 15.88 assists per contest.
 
The Comet – Arguably turning into the most consistent scorer for the Dukes this season is junior guard Jimmie Williams. Williams enters Sunday's game against URI having scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games, a stretch in which he has produced averages of 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per contest while shooting 51.5 percent (100-for-194) from the floor and 84 percent (42-for-50) at the free-throw line. Included in that stretch is a career-high 28 points against No. 24 Saint Louis (Jan. 20) as well as his first career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in a 71-59 victory at Loyola Chicago (Jan. 24). Williams, who has hit at least one three-pointer in each of his last 17 games, has converted 47 of his last 56 opportunities (83.9%) at the free-throw line after opening his Duquesne career just 2-for-7 at the stripe in the first three games of the season.
 
The Big Guava – While senior guard Tarence Guinyard has proven more than adept at creating offense for his teammates, he's more than capable of putting the ball in the basket. Guinyard enters Sunday's game having scored in double figures in four consecutive games, seven of his last eight games and nine of the last 11. Guinyard has scored 20 or more points six times in the last 11 games, including 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half of a 71-59 triumph at Loyola Chicago (Jan. 24). Guinyard finished 6-for-10 from beyond the arc against the Ramblers and in 53 games at the NCAA Division I level over the last two seasons has canned 98 three-pointers, an average of 1.85 per contest and two shy of 100 for his career. Over the last 11 games, Guinyard has produced averages of 16.9 points and 6.0 assists per contest while shooting 47.2 percent (60-for-127) from the field and owning an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.64.
 
On The Block – Senior forward David Dixon has been a rim protector for the Dukes since the schedule has switched to Atlantic 10 action. In a 71-59 victory at Loyola Chicago (Jan. 24), Dixon blocked three shots, and he has finished with at least three rejections in six of Duquesne's eight games in conference play. That stretch includes a season-high four blocks against No. 24 Saint Louis (Jan. 20). Dixon enters Sunday's tilt against Rhode Island ranked third the A-10 in blocks against conference foes with an average of 2.63 per game while also producing averages of 8.8 points and 7.4 rebounds against conference opposition and shooting 54.5 percent (24-for-44) from the floor. During that span, Dixon set a career-high with 13 rebounds in an 89-83 double overtime victory at Davidson (Dec. 30) to open Atlantic 10 play as well as recorded his second career double-double with a season-high 15 points and 12 boards at Saint Joseph's (Jan. 7). Overall this season Dixon is tied for fourth in the conference with an average of 1.48 blocks per game.
 
Even Flow – Duquesne knocked down 11 three-pointers against St. Bonaventure (Jan. 28) to open a two-game homestand at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse as seven different Dukes connected from beyond the arc. Duquesne was also successful converting high percentage shots against the Bonnies, scoring 32 points in the paint. It marked the sixth time this season that the Dukes have hit at least 10 three-pointers while also scoring 30 or more points in the paint. Duquesne is 5-1 (.833) in those contests after suffering its first loss of the year against St. Bonaventure. The Dukes enter Sunday's game against Rhode Island ranked third in the Atlantic 10 against conference foes with an average of 9.38 three-pointers per contest.
 
Instant Impact – The latest recruiting class has paid dividends for Duquesne this season, as have a pair of Dukes that have seen their first action on the Bluff after missing last year with injuries. The eight newcomers, which includes four transfers and a quartet of freshmen, as well as guard Brandon Hall and forward Alex Williams, have combined to account for 62 percent (1,084-of-1,747) of Duquesne's offense through 21 games of the season. A total of 79 double-figure scoring games have been tallied so far this year, with 52 (65.8%) received from a newcomer. The latest to join the fray is Hall, who contributed 10 points in his second career start against St. Bonaventure (Jan. 28), which marked his first career double-figure scoring effort at the NCAA Division I level. Amazingly, a total of 12 different players have registered a double-figure scoring game for Duquesne this season thanks to the performance by Hall against the Bonnies.

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