Duquesne Fizzles Out in 80-74 Loss to VCU

Duquesne lost to visiting VCU, 80-74, Saturday afternoon in front of a sizeable crowd at the A.J. Palumbo Center to fall to 0-8 all-time against the Rams. The loss – Duquesne’s first since Jan. 5 – snapped its five-game Atlantic 10 win streak and dropped them to 14-6 overall and 5-2 in conference play.

After VCU’s full-court press caused an early 9-2 deficit, the Dukes used a 16-0 run to storm ahead and lead by as much as nine largely paced by Tavin Dunn-Martin and Gavin Bizeau, who combined to shoot 5-for-5 on 3-point attempts. However, the Dukes then failed to convert a field goal in the final 2:53 of the first half and took just a two-point lead – 41-39 – into halftime.

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And that’s when momentum swung into VCU’s favor. The Rams garnered the lead at the 16:58 mark in the second half and would never trail again as Duquesne’s offense fizzled out. They shot just 13 for 33 in the second half and were outrebounded 45-29 for the game.

Tavian Dunn-Martin led the team with a career-high 21 points and Frankie Hughes added 20. Eric Williams Jr. finished with 10 points, Gavin Bizeau added eight points and Michael Hughes ended with seven points and six boards. For the Rams, Marcus Evans and Marcus Santos-Silva combined for 42 points as the team finished on 48 percent shooting from the field.

Freshman guard Sincere Carry – who’s currently second on the team in scoring (12.1 points-per-game), first in assists (5.8 per-game) and steals (2.8 per-game) – did not play due to injury.

Keith Dambrot’s opening statement following the loss @PghSportsNow pic.twitter.com/ZGEHn53GXG

— Chris Mueller (@bychrismueller) January 26, 2019

The Dukes look next to a matchup with Rhode Island on Jan. 30.