Duquesne Basketball
Duquesne Uses First Half Shooting Masterclass to Defeat St. Joe’s, 92-80
Duquesne used a incredible first half shooting display to lead them to a 92-80 win over St. Joe’s on the road at Hagan Arena in Philadelphia, Pa. Wednesday night.
The Dukes (13-5 overall, 3-2 Atlantic 10) win just their fifth game ever on the road against the Hawks (6-10 overall, 0-4 Atlantic 10), with three of those wins coming in the past five meetings at Hagan Arena.
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The win is also the first on the road for the Dukes, who lost their first four away games this season. It is also the first A-10 road win for the Dukes since they beat the UMass Minutemen, 78-74, on Jan. 8, 2022.
Duquesne scored 60 first half points, the most under head coach Keith Dambrot in his seventh season as head coach. They shot 20-for-30 from the field and an impressive, 10-for-13 from 3-point range. They managed to build an 18 point lead ove St. Joe’s at halftime thanks to that great shooting.
The Dukes shooting performance waned in the second half, as they made only 11 of their 25 attempts from the field and four of their 12 3-point shots. The Hawks outscored them, but only 36-32, as the Dukes remained in control throughout the second half for the victory.
Graduate forward Rodney “RJ” Gunn Jr. played his best game for Duquesne in the win over St. Joe’s. He scored a career high 26 points in the victory, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 5-for-7 from behind the arc.
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Senior forward Joe Reece tied a season high with 18 points against the Hawks and junior guard Dae Dae Grant scored 18 points as well, the most for him in A-10 play this season.
The Dukes shot 56.4% from the field against the Hawks, second best in a game this season, and 56.0% from 3-point range, the best in a game this season. The 14 made 3-pointers for the Dukes are also the most in a game this season.
Passing played an important part in the win for the Dukes as well. They made 14 assists, the most in a game this season, with guards in graduate Tevin Brewer and first-year Kareem Rozier providing six assists each to lead the Dukes.
Duquesne also made 11 steals against St. Joe’s, tied for the most steals in a game in 2022-23 with their victory over Colgate on Nov. 18.
Duquesne will finish off their third straight road game in conference play, as they take on St. Bonaventure next Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.
Great performance
Why were there less than a hand full of televised games for our Dukes this season? The A-10 is huge, yet where is the local push for more exposure> This is not only an embarrassment, but it’s sad. I do wish that the Athletic Director would focus more on this issue, and less on the bizarre new “D” logo. That his only pathetic accomplishment.