By Malcolm Price

2 15 2025

GAME 25
Duquesne (10-14 | 5-6 Atlantic 10) at Dayton (17-8 | 7-5 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 | 2:30 p.m.
Dayton, Ohio | UD Arena (13,409)

Opening Tip

– The Duquesne University men’s basketball team heads to Dayton, Ohio, Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. tip against Dayton at UD Arena in a game that can be seen live on the USA Network.

– The Dukes snapped a five-game losing streak in their last outing as four players scored in double figures in a 69-56 victory over Loyola Chicago (Feb. 8) at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Duquesne closed the contest on an 11-1 run to earn the victory, with three-pointers from junior forward David Dixon and redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford helping propel the Dukes.

– Senior guard Tre Dinkins III scored a team-high 12 points against the Ramblers and also added four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals, while Crawford contributed 11 points.

– Sophomore forward Jakub Necas chipped in a balanced effort, scoring 10 points while also registering six boards, three assists and two steals. Necas also matched a career high with three blocks.

– Off the bench against Loyola Chicago, Dixon missed a double-double by a rebound with 10 points and nine caroms.

– Six of the nine players in the rotation for Duquesne in the win over Loyola Chicago recorded at least a pair of assists as the Dukes finished with 16 dimes on their 28 field goals.

– The 2024-25 season marks the 109th year of Duquesne basketball. The Dukes started play in 1913-14 (DU did not field a team in 1944-45-46 due to World War II). Duquesne, which has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1971 & 1972, is looking to record three consecutive 20-win campaigns for the first time since finishing with four straight 20-win seasons from 1952 to 1955. The Dukes are also four wins shy of 1,500 as an NCAA program.

– The leading active scorer for the Dukes is senior forward Jahsean Corbett, who owns career totals of 1,527 points and 866 rebounds. Corbett, who eclipsed 1,500 career points with a layup in the first half at Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 29), amassed totals of 1,303 points and 725 rebounds in three seasons at Chicago State prior to transferring to Duquesne.

– Saturday’s tilt with the Flyers is the first of three consecutive games where Duquesne will face an opponent that completes a home-and-home series. The Dukes return to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse to host Fordham Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7:00 p.m. after taking on Dayton before traveling to St. Bonaventure Saturday, Feb. 22.

At The Helm – Dru Joyce III was named the 18th head coach in the 109-year history of Duquesne basketball March 28, 2024. Joyce III, a native of Akron, Ohio, spent two seasons as associate head coach for the Dukes under Keith Dambrot from 2022 to 2024, helping guide Duquesne to an overall record of 45-25 (.643), including a 20-16 (.556) mark in the Atlantic 10, during that span. The Dukes made an appearance in the 2023 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) before earning the automatic bid for the A-10 in the 2024 NCAA Championship by winning four games in five days en route to the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship crown in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center. Duquesne, as a No. 11 seed, made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1977 and earned its first victory in the championship since 1969 thanks to a 71-67 win over No. 6 seed BYU in Omaha, Neb., at CHI Health Center Arena.

Scouting the Flyers – Saturday marks the 91st meeting in a series that dates to Jan. 5, 1953 … Dayton leads the all-time series, 64-26 (.711), including a 42-11 lead in Atlantic 10 games during the regular season … In the first game of the season series, UD finished 13-for-23 (55.6%) from beyond the arc and 32-for-55 (58.2%) from the field in an 82-62 win at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse … Senior guard Tre Dinkins III led the Dukes with 14 points, four assists and a block … In the quarterfinals of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship, Duquesne snapped a five-game losing streak against the Flyers with a 65-57 win in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center … DaRon Holmes II gave the Flyers a 52-48 lead with 7:15 to go after knocking down a pair of free throws, but Duquesne used a 10-0 burst to jump in front, 58-48 … David Dixon got the rally started with a dunk off an offensive rebound, and Jake DiMichele put the Dukes on top for good, 53-52, with a triple from the top of the key with 5:06 remaining … Jimmy Clark III, who paced the Dukes with 16 points, sealed the victory with a three-pointer with 49 ticks left on the clock.

Loyola Chicago Leftovers – Duquesne holds a 13-7 (.650) edge in the all-time series, including a 2-1 (.667) mark during the Atlantic 10 regular season … The Dukes have won both games between the two programs at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse … Duquesne missed its first 11 shots from the field in the second half yet still converted 50 percent (13-of-26) of its opportunities after halftime, closing 13-for-15 (86.7%) … Overall the Dukes shot 43.1 percent (28-of-65) while holding the Ramblers to 37.7 percent (20-for-53) … The contest featured 11 blocks, including three each from sophomore Jakub Necas and both Miles Rubin and Jalen DeLoach of Loyola Chicago … Des Watson led all scorers in the game for the Ramblers with 14 points but was 6-for-19 from the floor … The Duquesne bench outscored the reserves for Loyola Chicago, 32-9 … The Dukes also owned an 18-12 cushion in points off turnovers, 34-24 in points in the paint and a 16-6 edge in fast break points … Duquesne outrebounded the Ramblers, 37-35, including a 13-9 advantage on the offensive glass … Senior forward Jahsean Corbett finished with six rebounds for the Dukes, including five of the offensive variety … Over the last four games, a staggering 62.5 percent (20-of-32) of Corbett’s rebounds have been on the offensive glass.

Net Kiss – Jakub Necas was a key factor for Duquesne in its 69-56 victory over Loyola Chicago (Feb. 8), as the sophomore forward stuffed the stat sheet with solid play on both ends of the court. In addition to scoring 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, including 2-for-5 from beyond the arc, Necas also handed out three assists, grabbed six rebounds, posted a pair of steals and tied a career high with three blocks. Necas originally blocked three shots in the 2024 NCAA Championship, a 71-67 win over No. 21 BYU (March 21) in the first round, and he matched that in a 75-57 victory over St. Bonaventure (Jan. 18) earlier this season. Necas has reached double figures in scoring three times this season as well as five times over the last two years, with Duquesne a perfect 5-0 in those contests.

Army Reserve – Junior forward David Dixon just missed his first double-double of the 2024-25 season in a 69-56 triumph over Loyola Chicago (Feb. 8), as he scored all 10 of his points in the second half while also grabbing nine rebounds. The contributions from Dixon helped Duquesne own a 32-9 edge in points off the bench as the Dukes improved to 5-4 (.556) this season when their reserves score at least 30 points in a game. So far this season, Duquesne has received 19 double-figure scoring efforts off the bench, including four from sophomore guard Jake DiMichele, who has missed the last two months due to injury, and three each from Dixon and redshirt junior guard Maximus Edwards. Duquesne enters Saturday’s game leading the Atlantic 10 in bench points per game (28.07), which also ranks 39th in NCAA Division I.

Closing In – Junior guard Kareem Rozier enters Saturday’s game at Dayton just eight assists shy of reaching 250 for his career, and he’s been masterful protecting the rock this season. In Atlantic 10 games, Rozier has handed out 41 assists against just eight miscues in 11 games of conference action, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.13. Not only does Rozier lead the Atlantic 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio overall this year (3.95), the total ranks fourth in NCAA Division I. During his career on the Bluff, Rozier, who is Duquesne’s active leader for consecutive games played (82), has compiled a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.88. He has handed out at least five assists on seven occasions so far during the 2024-25 season, including a career-high seven dimes in an 85-81 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 8), with the Dukes 5-2 (.714) in those contests. A closer look at the NCAA Division I leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio …

Tre Day – Senior guard Tre Dinkins III reached double figures in scoring for the ninth consecutive game, the longest streak by a student-athlete for the Dukes this season, by leading the way in a 69-56 victory over Loyola Chicago (Feb. 8) with 12 points. Over the last nine contests, Dinkins III is averaging 15.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43.4 percent (49-for-113) from the field, including 37.3 percent (25-for-67) from beyond the arc, and 81 percent (17-for-21) at the free-throw line. He’s also done a solid job distributing over that same time frame, handing out 27 assists (3.00 per game) while also registering 12 steals. Dinkins enters Saturday’s contest at Dayton ranked eighth in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goals per game (2.37) while also sitting 15th in three-point field goal percentage (.383). Against conference foes, Dinkins III ranks eighth in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goals made per game (2.45). Dinkins III also enters Saturday’s game against the Flyers 36 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his NCAA Division I career. He scored 669 in two seasons at Canisius prior to transferring to the Bluff and owns a career scoring average of 11.2 points in 86 career contests, including 63 starts.

Defense Wins Championships – Duquesne snapped a five-game losing streak with a 69-56 victory over Loyola Chicago (Feb. 8) in much the same way it has earned victories all season: Defending. The Dukes have given up 80 or more points just three times this year and currently rank fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense (66.2 ppg). Duquesne, which held nine consecutive opponents under 70 points earlier this season, the longest streak by the program in over 60 years, is also ranked fifth in the A-10 in scoring defense against conference opposition at 68.1 points per contest. The Dukes own a record of 9-5 (.643) this season when holding opponents to under 70 points, including a perfect 6-0 when yielding less than 60 points in a contest.

Did You Know? The Dukes have won 35 consecutive games dating back to the 2018-19 campaign when holding opponents to under 60 points thanks to a 69-56 victory over Loyola Chicago (Feb. 8) at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Included in that stretch is a perfect 23-0 mark in three years Dru Joyce III has been a member of the coaching staff on the Bluff, including two years as associate head coach from 2022 to 2024.

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