Duquesne Commits 29 Fouls in 87-79 Loss to UMass

Duquesne’s Dea Dea Grant had his first career double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds), but it wasn’t enough as Duquesne (14-8, 4-5) fell to UMass (13-8, 4-5) 87-79.

Neither team would have much separation in the first half, with both teams trading small leads that never exceeded eight points. Duquesne had snagged the first significant lead, getting up by seven points early at 14-7, but UMass tied things up later at 16-16.

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After tying the game, both teams would trade shots until UMass took a 27-25 lead thanks to Tagara Gapare three-pointer. Duquesne wouldn’t tie things up for the remainder of the half, but also would never fall down by more than eight. At halftime, UMass led 39-33.

UMass did reach the double-digit margin mark early in the second half when RJ Lewis hit a pair of free throws to go up 48-38 with 15:15 left in the game. Lewis was the game’s leading scorer as he set a career high in points with 31.

The free throws were the middle of a 13-2 run for UMass as they extended their lead to 15 points. Duquesne would cut that lead back into single digits, but never came within a basket of UMass. The lead that UMass snagged last in the first half was never lost and they won 87-79.

Despite the loss, it was a career night for Grant. In addition to securing his first collegiate career double-double he passed 1,500 career points in the second half.

Jimmy Clark III also almost had a career night as he scored 21 points and had six steals. Those six steals were just one shy of the Duquesne record seven which is shared by six players.

Foul problems were a big reason for the loss. UMass went 30-for-39 from the foul line in the game. That 30 number is the most foul shots a team has made against Duquesne since Keith Dambrot became head coach and the 39 number is tied for the most attempts any team has had against Dambrot in his entire career.

In addition to that Duquesne had three players foul out, including Clark on his strong night, and committed 29 total fouls. Luis in his career-high scoring night for UMass benefitted the most from the Duquesne foul trouble, as he shot 17-for-18 from the foul line.

Duquesne will next travel to Washington D.C. to take on George Washington (11-10, 5-3) on Saturday, February 4 at 2:00 p.m.