Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team opened its 111th season of NCAA Division I basketball Tuesday with a 78-71 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes improved to 92-19 (.828) all-time in season openers, including an 87-5 (.946) mark when opening the year at home.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Anthony Isaac, Jr., hit a pair at the free-throw line with 7:12 to play to snap a 62-62 tie, but Duquesne responded with 12-1 surge to open 74-65 cushion with 1:24 remaining. Junior
Kerem Konan put the Dukes on top for good, 65-64, with a three-pointer, while junior
Yoav Berman contributed four points, including a floater in the paint that capped the run. The Mastodons closed to within 74-71 with just over 16 seconds to play after a Duquesne turnover, but a 4-for-4 performance at the free-throw line from senior guard
Josh Smith sealed the victory.
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"We kept them off the line, which is a huge benefactor for them," head coach
Dru Joyce III said. "I thought we did a great job of defending without fouling. Pretty solid from a rebounding standpoint, but our effort in going to the boards was there. We turned them over 14 times, and I think the only way we win the game tonight is through our defensive stops. They got us back in our rhythm and our flow. We don't want to allow teams to shoot 50 percent from three, because that's a huge equalizer. We contested some of those, too. Sometimes you have to battle through some rhythm that teams gain. We did an excellent job of not allowing them to decide the game at the free-throw line. They had the bonus in their advantage, but I thought we defended well, including a couple of big steals that generated offense."
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH
Duquesne came out with a spark from the jump, charging to a 14-0 advantage just over four minutes into the contest. Konan contributed six points, including a dunk, while off the bench redshirt junior guard
Jake DiMichele buried a three-pointer. The Mastodons got on the board at 14:09 thanks to a three-pointer from Edir Ortiz and began to chip away, using an 8-2 burst to close to within 16-8. Smith converted in the lane, drew contact and converted a three-point play with 9:13 left in the first half to stretch the lead for the Dukes to 24-12, but Purdue Fort Wayne (0-1) responded with a 13-1 run to make it a one-point game, 26-25. A three-pointer on the break from Tamaje Izuagbe with under a minute left before halftime gave PFW its first lead, 33-32, and eventually the Mastodons owned a 37-36 edge at the break thanks to a jumper from DeAndre Craig just before the buzzer.
DEEP THREATS
Purdue Fort Wayne shot 50 percent (13-for-26) from beyond the arc, with eight different Mastodons converting from deep. Ashton Williamson gave PFW its biggest advantage, 56-50, with a triple, but the Dukes erased the deficit with six consecutive points, including a dunk from senior
Ege Demir as well as driving layups from Smith and DiMichele. Meanwhile, during the deciding run, Duquesne forced five turnovers, including a shot clock violation. Konan and Smith each finished with 16 points to lead the Dukes as four players scored in double figures. Berman contributed 14 on 6-of-8 shooting from floor, while DiMichele added 11 off the bench while dishing out four assists.
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"Since I've been here that's about as good of a start we've had defensively," DiMichele said. "Then we fell into a lapse. As a team, during those dips is when we have to get more connected. One of the keys to the game was dominate the paint and dominate the glass. Looking at it, we won the rebound battle by nine. We just have a lot of good people in the room. We all like to be around each other and we all genuinely enjoy each other's company. I think that translates onto the court and that's our biggest strength. Everybody is connected, share the ball and it translates on the court."
NOTES
The season opener for both teams marked the first meeting between the two programs in school history … The double-figure scoring game for DiMichele marked his first since finishing with 11 in a victory over Cleary (Dec. 27, 2025) at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse … Duquesne held a 37-28 edge on the glass despite being outrebounded, 10-8, in offensive caroms … In his debut for the Dukes, Demir scored six points, grabbed eight boards and blocked a pair of shots … Duquesne finished with four rejections in the contest … Redshirt freshman
Arness Lawson made his debut for the Dukes Tuesday, igniting the decisive defensive stand and finishing with four steals in the contest while adding four points and a pair of rebounds … Smith has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games dating back to last year at West Georgia thanks to 16 points in the win over the Mastodons … Konan added nine rebounds, two assists and a steal … Craig garnered game-high honors in scoring with 17 points for Purdue Fort Wayne.
UP NEXT
Duquesne continues a five-game homestand to open its 2026-27 campaign Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:00 p.m. against Central State at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
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