By Bert Leeson
3 14 2024
Clark III, Grant combine for 37 points in win over Saint Louis at the Barclays Center
Brooklyn, N.Y. – The Duquesne University men’s basketball team opened the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Wednesday with an 83-73 victory over No. 14 seed Saint Louis at the Barclays Center. In extending their winning streak to a season-high five games, the Dukes improved to 21-11 (.656) overall during the 2023-24 season and will face No. 3 seed Dayton Thursday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Less than four minutes into the contest Duquesne owned a double-digit lead, 12-2, on the strength of a balanced attack offensively. Senior guards Jimmy Clark III and Dae Dae Grant each connected from beyond the arc, while the inside game produced layups from forward Dusan Mahorcic, Tre Williams and David Dixon. The Dukes were able to keep their lead in double figures, including 17-7 after a pull-up jumper from Grant, but the Billikens used a 13-4 run to close to within 21-20 at the 8:10 mark of the first half. SLU was never able to grab the lead, however, as a 9-2 burst helped Duquesne open up a 41-32 advantage en route to a five-point lead at halftime, 43-38. Clark III opened the second half with three-pointers on consecutive possessions to again push the advantage back to double digits, and his turnaround jumper at the 17:24 mark opened up a 51-39 cushion for the Dukes.
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“I was a little nervous at halftime because the score was so high,” head coach Keith Dambrot said. “Typically that’s not good for us. We had some rough moments. We’ve made big strides in taking punches and delivering punches when we’ve gotten hit. We’ve become more of a winning team. I’ve said it all along that this league is unbelievably balanced, and every game in this tournament has shown that. I like the way we hung in there.”
THE X-FACTORS
Mahorcic scored all eight of his points in the first half for Duquesne and also added four rebounds, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. When Saint Louis (13-20) made its run also coming up big for the Dukes was forward Matúŝ Hronský. His floater at the 9:54 mark of the first half gave Duquesne a 21-14 edge, and he connected from beyond the arc two minutes later after the Billikens had trimmed their deficit to 21-20. Hronský was true on each of his three attempts from the floor in the win in scoring seven points and also added a rebound in just under nine minutes of action. He was part of a Duquesne bench that outscored the reserves for Saint Louis, 27-9, while the Dukes also owned a 30-18 advantage in points in the paint as well as a 17-9 edge in points off turnovers.
SHARE THE LOVE
Duquesne finished with a season-high 22 assists on its 31 field goals and also suffered a season-low five turnovers, winning the turnover battle by eight. Each of the five starters and eight different Dukes registered an assist, with five different student-athletes finishing with at least pair of dimes. Grant led the way with a season-high seven assists, Clark III added four and off the bench both forward Fousseyni Drame and guard Kareem Rozier each handed out three. It marks the third time Duquesne has finished a game this season with at least 20 assists, improving to 3-0 in those contests. The Dukes registered 21 assists in a 95-47 win over Cleary as well as 20 dimes in an 85-71 win at Rhode Island.
STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT
Both Clark III and Grant came through for Duquesne Wednesday, combining for 37 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and four steals. Clark III led way for the Dukes with 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a 4-for-7 performance from beyond the arc, while Grant chipped in 17 points. Also scoring in double figures for the Dukes was Dixon, who led the frontcourt with 13 points and also tied for game-high honors with six rebounds.
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“Coach had preached to contest all jumpers and end each possession with a rebound,” Clark III said. “That was our main focus was to get to their main players and take away their strengths.”
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The 83 points scored by Duquesne were its most in an Atlantic 10 Championship victory since a 91-81 win over Massachusetts in the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championship in Atlantic City, N.J., at Boardwalk Hall. It was the first of three wins that season as the Dukes made a run to the title game. At the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championship, the Bob Vetrone Award winner was Duquesne play-by-play broadcaster Ray Goss. In the first half Wednesday, the Atlantic 10 handed out its 2024 Bob Vetrone Award to former Duquesne communications professional Dave Saba, who retired in August of 2023 after a 25-year career with the Dukes.
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“The best teams in the country can play defense and offense,” Dambrot said. “We’ve made some good adjustments to try and find the right niche for our team. I’ve been an inside-out coach most of my career but we’re definitely not an inside-out team. We’re an outside-in team. You’ve got to be able to play fast, you’ve gotta be able to play slow, you have to be able to play man, zone and be able to press. You have to play a variety of ways to be a really good team. Even though the numbers haven’t indicated, I think we’ve played better offense over the last 10 games.”
UP NEXT
Duquesne takes on No. 3 seed Dayton in the final game of the quarterfinals of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Thursday, March 14, at the Barclays Center. The Dukes and Flyers tip at 7:30 p.m. and the game can be seen live on USA Network.
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COURTESY DUQUESNE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
