Duquesne Wins Season Opening Thriller, 79-77, Over Cleveland State

In a contest which came down to the final moments, the Duquesne Men’s Basketball Team won its season opener Monday night by a 79-77 count over Cleveland State in front of 2,364 fans at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Duquesne (1-0) was paced by Dae Dae Grant’s 21 points, while teammate Jimmy Clark III recorded 16 points and 8 assists. Hassan Drame made his Dukes debut with 11 points, while twin brother Fousseyni Drame added 10.

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The Duquesne bench outscored Cleveland State 34-12 in this contest.

Cleveland State (0-1) saw Drew Lowder lead the way with his game-high 27 points. Teammate Tae Williams finished play with a double-double consisting of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Tristan Enaruna contributed with his 15 points.

After winning the opening tip, Duquesne would first score when Grant got to the foul line, sinking both free throws.

The Dukes would lead in the early going before Lowder began to heat up from the field. At one point, Lowder dribbled aimlessly before settling on a long-distance three-point basket.

Lowder would pick up his second foul, taking a seat, but the Vikings did not lose their edge, utilizing a 10-2 run to take some

Duquesne played 11 in a half which saw both teams in foul trouble. A total of 21 whistles were assessed in that first half and the Dukes shot 15 free throws.

Cleveland State shot 47.2% from the field in the first half and held onto a 41-38 advantage after Duquesne was unable to get a shot up.

In the second half, Grant made a splash play for the Dukes as he was fouled after getting off a three-point shot, which he buried. Though he missed the free throw in the aftermath, it got the Dukes going.

Grant was part of another key moment for Duquesne as Fousseyni Drame overcame pressure in the post and got the ball out for a trademark three-point shot. When Cleveland State committed a turnover, Grant encouraged the fans to get loud.

With the outcome very much on the line, Clark found Fousseyni Drame in the corner for a three-point basket which fired up the fans in attendance.

After the Vikings came up empty, Clark added a layup and the lead would stretch to four points, before Lowder attempted to play spoiler with another three pointer.

David Dixon would ultimately split free throws and Cleveland State drew front iron as the game clock expired.

Duquesne will continue its regular season on the road when it faces College of Charleston Friday in the Veteran’s Classic at the U.S. Naval Academy.

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