Duquesne Rallies to Beat Richmond, 67-62

RICHMOND, Va. — In the first half of their Atlantic-10 tournament second round game on Thursday, Duquesne took Richmond’s best shot in the first half.

The Spiders, playing in their hometown if not their home court, mounted an impressive offensive attack, using an 18-2 run that spanned six minutes to take command of the game with a 14-point lead.

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The Dukes whittled it away, closing to seven at the break, but as time wound down in the second period, and the Duquesne offense operating mostly in fits and starts appeared they’d never get the chance to fully respond.

With about six minutes play, the Duquesne offense woke up. The Dukes went on a 10-1 run, capped by a Mike Hughes 3-point play that gave Duquesne the lead with 4:34 to play.

The Dukes made their run stick, holding on for a 67-62 victory at VCU’s Siegel Center.

I love my teammates, the support crazy 💯🖤 https://t.co/XXBftulkPL

— Ⓣⓐⓣⓞ 💫 (@nolimitTDM_11) March 4, 2021

After Richmond tied the game at 60-60, Chad Baker hit a jump shot to give Duquesne the lead and Hughes came through with a big block to give the Dukes the ball back. A Tavian Dunn-Martin layup made it a two-possession game the rest of the way.

Hughes was a major factor for Duquesne in the second half, scoring nine points in the second half after having just two at the break and starting 1 of 9 from the floor. He also had 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, including a key one with Duquesne leading by two down the stretch.

Duquesne’s forward duo each had a double-double as Marcus Weathers had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Baker was Duquesne’s most consistent offensive performer. He finished 7 of 11 for 16 points.

The Dukes missed their first eight shots of the second half, but finished by making their final seven and shot 44.8% on the day while holding Richmond to 35.3% from the floor. The Spiders made just one field goal in the final 9:30.

Onto the next one 😤🔊#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/L0mDb1l6JU

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) March 4, 2021

Duquesne will advance to face No. 1 seed St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals. That game will tip off at 11 a.m. on Friday at VCU’s Siegel Center.