Duquesne Drops to 0-6 with Loss to Hampton

On Monday afternoon, Duquesne men’s basketball fell to 0-6 on the year with a loss to Hampton.

The Pirates entered the game 2-4 on the season with a 28-point loss to Atlantic 10 foe George Washington on their resume already.

Duquesne men's and women's basketball on PSN is sponsored by Moon Golf Club.

Duquesne led at the half after a back-and-forth affair early on. With 4:32 remaining in the first half, Duquesne’s David Dixon and Hampton’s Zzavier Long were both ejected from the game after getting tangled up on the way down fighting for a rebound. The shot attempt went in the basket from the Dukes, but as the ball went in, Dixon and Long fell to the ground together. See the replay below.

Duquesne’s David Dixon and Hampton’s Xzaivier Long both got ejected for this play.

Ref’s explanation was apparently that when Dixon was being “pulled down” he “pulled down” Long with him. pic.twitter.com/mShIfWVf4M

— A10 Talk (@A10Talk) November 25, 2024

At the time of his ejection, Dixon had three steals and two points for the Dukes. Maximus Edwards, Kareem Rozier, Tre Dinkins, Jakub Necas, and Jahsean Corbett all made field goals in the first half, alongside Dixon. However, Dru Joyce III’s squad struggled at the free-throw line throughout the entire game, and it held the team back from extending its lead over Hampton.

Despite a 9-14 mark from the free-throw stripe in the first half, the Dukes still held onto the lead at the break, 32-28, over Hampton.

In the second half, the Dukes did not score for the first 2:50 of the frame. Despite the slow start, a Jake DiMichele layup with 15:04 remaining in the game extended the Dukes’ lead to five points over the Pirates. Duquesne held onto its lead for much of the second half following that bucket, earning offensive production from Matus Hronsky, Chabi Barre, and others. Once again, DiMichele drained a big shot for the Dukes down the stretch, hitting a three pointer to extend the lead all the way up to eight points with 5:28 to play.

Several buckets from Tre Dinkins helped Duquesne stay afloat, but Hampton came charging back behind Kyrese Mullen, Daniel Johnson, Noah Farrakhan, and others. Johnson made two straight jumpers late in the game, with the second one tying the game at 57 with just over three minutes to play.

In the final three minutes, both teams struggled to score. Dinkins and Farrakhan traded buckets, and with 44 seconds to play, the Pirates led by one. Dinkins and Necas missed shots on the next possession for the Dukes, and DiMichele turned the ball over. Hampton’s Wayne Bristol added two free throws on to make it a three-point game, and on Duquesne’s final possesion, Dinkins turned the ball over with three seconds to play after Joyce called a timeout.

The Pirates closed out the win, 64-59. Duquesne shot 42% from the field and 33% from three-point range, but struggled mightily from the charity stripe, going just 15 for 29 (52%) on free throws.

DiMichele came off the bench and scored in double digits for the fourth-straight game with 13. Barre added 11 rebounds and eight points for the Dukes, while Necas added nine points as well.

For Hampton, Farrakhan went 9 for 18 from the field and scored 24 points. The Pirates forced 18 turnovers from Duquesne.

Joyce and his team will look for their first win of the season against the loser of High Point Vs. Old Dominion. The Dukes’ final game in the Cayman Islands Classic will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 11 a.m. est.