Duquesne MBB Loses Double-Digit Lead; Fall To 0-2

The Duquesne Dukes led by 11 in the second half, determined to give its coach Dru Joyce III his first career to win, but instead will have to wait after falling 75-68 Friday night against Princeton in the Deborah Heart and Lung Center Jersey Jam.

Duquesne falls to 0-2 on the season for the first time since the 2012-13 season, Jim Ferry’s first season leading the Dukes.

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This game had 11 lead changes.

“Our attention to detail was very sharp in the first half, and even throughout the second half there were periods where we were locked in,” Joyce III told assembled media after the game. “Princeton is going to give you different matchups and styles. The backdoor style, running flairs and down screens, now they put you in isolation situations and that was the moment we didn’t take control of the game. They decided to go matchup on matchup, isolation and that’s when it got away from us. In those 1v1’s there wasn’t a lot of help to be distributed, and they made some big-time shots. Overall, I thought we made things difficult on them. It’s tough, it slipped away from us, and I thought we dominated a large portion of that game. That’s a hurdle we’ve got to climb, but we’ll be back.”

A faulty StatBroadcast ended up with a three-headed monster pacing Duquesne in points. Jahsean Corbett recorded an 11-point, nine-rebound effort, playing the most minutes of any Dukes player with 36. Both David Dixon and Kareem Rozier contributed 11 points, with the former adding three blocks.

Princeton (2-0) overcame its second double-digit deficit in as many games to come away with this win. Both Caden Pierce and Dalen Davis each scored 17 points, while Xaivian Lee recorded 13 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Blake Peters added 13 points.

The Tigers owned a 16-4 edge in fastbreak points.

Duquesne got the better of the early action as it set a defensive standard, which was absent in Monday’s season-opening setback against Lipscomb.

It was a far better start for the Dukes who did not need to use an early timeout and instead led 6-5 heading into the first media timeout.

Though Dixon had an early charge in that stretch, he made up for it with a block and a steal on consecutive defensive stands.

Offensively Princeton was out of rhythm, with Lee in particular frustrated and rushing shots. The Tigers post players were not having much luck getting clean looks.

Matus Hronsky subbed into the game, making a jumper and after Princeton responded to tie the game, Duquesne had a mini run as Tre Dinkins III made a three-point basket.

After Eli Wilborn was assessed a Flagrant 1 for an elbow to the face, he recorded an emphatic block the next time Princeton came down the court and finished on the other end, placing the Dukes in front by five points.

Eli working BOTH sides of the ball

Block ➡️ bucket pic.twitter.com/wM1Rc9DjFF

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) November 9, 2024

This would be the largest advantage either team had in the first half.

With both teams, battling for position, Corbett’s three-point shot with 1:37 in regulation, proved the difference on the scoreboard as Duquesne led 28-25 at halftime.

Princeton went on a 4:16 scoreless streak between the end of the first and start of the second half.

It took all of 13 seconds for Rozier to get in the act with a three-point shot and Dixon put the pieces together off a Maximus Edwards pass as the Dukes strung possessions together.

Duquesne’s start to the second half was capped off by Jake DiMichele connecting on a deep two-point field goal as the Dukes advantage reached double digits for the first time.

By the time Princeton made a field goal 6:40 had passed as Davis connected from three-point range.

Duquesne’s biggest lead of the night came from a pair of Corbett free throws, but once again the Dukes were not opportunistic from the charity stripe, shooting 12-for-19 as a team.

Princeton threw different looks at Duquesne throughout the evening, but Joyce opined that his Dukes struggled most when they were not double teamed inside.

A 7-0 Princeton run put the game back to within reach as the Tigers saw both Lee and Pierce each picked up his game. While a Hronsky triple briefly stopped the run, Duquesne was having clear problems keeping pace and the Tigers changed gears.

Princeton went on a 12-9 run which saw Lee hit a turnaround jump shot for the lead and then he found Pierce to extend the advantage to four points.

Rozier promptly responded with a trifecta of his own to will his team back into the fight, but the Dukes went without a basket for a critical 1:31 stretch which allowed Princeton to secure the victory.

On the injury front, Chabi Barre did not dress for a second consecutive game.

Duquesne will have time to regroup as it will not play until next Friday when it takes on DePaul in a contest slated for a 9 p.m. tip.

“It has not been the easiest of weeks, we’ve been challenged by two teams that have been picked to win their league,” concluded Joyce. “Within that you gain some scars, some resilience and can build too. It’s tough because at the end of the day, everyone feels better about a win, but there is an opportunity to learn and grow. We didn’t play a bad game, there are takeaways we can continue to roll on.”