Duquesne Earns Big Win Over College of Charleston in Veterans Classic, 90-72

ANNAPOLIS — On Friday night, Duquesne advanced to 2-0 on the season after completing a roller coaster of a win over College of Charleston in the Veterans Classic at Navy.

The Dukes came out scorching hot, clamping the Cougars on the defensive end and creating offense on the other end. Duquesne hit nine of its first 13 shots, including three early makes from Jimmy Clark III, en route to a 22-5 lead early on. The Dukes took a 15-0 run into the 12-minute mark, leading to a Pat Kelsey timeout to stop the bleeding.

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However, it didn’t take long for Kelsey’s squad to wake up. Charleston clawed back into the game throughout the remainder of the first half, as eight different Cougars hit the score sheet in the frame. The Dukes turned the ball over eight times in the frame, resulting in more and more Charleston momentum. Former Division Two national champion Kobe Rodgers led the way for Charleston, scoring seven points in the first period on 2-for-4 shooting. By the break, the Cougars had battled all the way back into the lead, taking a 37-33 lead.

After Charleston built its lead up to five two minutes into the second half, Duquesne went on a 7-0 run, forcing three turnovers and turning them into buckets from Rozier and Clark. The Dukes led 50-47 with 16 minutes to go, and the momentum swung back into the Dukes’ direction.

The two teams battled back-and-forth throughout the rest of the second half, and with nine minutes to go, it was the Rozier show in Annapolis as Duquesne’s point guard hit a fancy late-shot-clock lay-in followed by a transition three to extend the Dukes’ lead to seven.

Down the stretch, Rozier and the Dukes closed out the Cougars with strong defense, timely shooting, and all-around production on the offensive end. Georgia Southern transfer Andrei Savrasov made big play after big play late in the game, and finished with ten points for Duquesne. With just over two-and-a-half minutes to go, Dae Dae Grant hit the dagger, draining a deep three late in the shot clock to finish off the Cougars.

Freshman Jakub Necas hit a win-capping three in the last minute and finished with seven points. The final score was 90-72.

Rozier exploded for a career-high 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting, while Grant added a team-best 22 points. Jimmy Clark led the team in assists with seven, and also contributed with 18 points.

The Dukes now move to 2-0 on the season and will take on Stony Brook at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13.