By Chris Coopersmith

2 13 2024

GAME 24
Duquesne (14-9 | 4-6 A-10) at No. 16 (AP) Dayton (19-4 | 9-2 A-10)
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
Dayton, Ohio | UD Arena (13,409)

Opening Tip

– The Duquesne University men’s basketball team, winners of five of its last six, concludes a two-game road trip Tuesday, Feb. 13, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Dayton at UD Arena.

– The Dukes opened their swing with a 75-69 win at St. Bonaventure as forward Fousseyni Drame came off the bench to record his third double-double of the season and 10th of his NCAA Division I career with 16 points while tying a career high with 14 rebounds.

– Guard Jimmy Clark III added 15 points in the victory over the Bonnies and matched a career high in assists (8) while guard Dae Dae Grant contributed 12 points. The win helped Duquesne earn a season series sweep of St. Bonaventure for the first time since 2009.

– Eight of the last 10 games for the Dukes have been decided by 10 points or less, including five by five points or less. Included in that stretch is a 72-62 setback to the Flyers at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, Jan. 12, the 2024 Atlantic 10 home opener for Duquesne.

– Forward Fousseyni Drame reached the 1,000-point plateau at Saint Joseph’s thanks to a free throw with 47 seconds remaining in the first half and enters Tuesday’s game with 1,075 career points.

– Forward Tre Williams is 15 points shy of 1,000 for his career entering Tuesday’s game at Dayton. Williams has shot 49.8 percent (419-for-841) during his NCAA Division I career, including 46.8 percent (228-for-487) in two seasons at Duquesne.

– Guard Jimmy Clark III scored 404 points in his first season at Duquesne last season and owns 876 career points entering Tuesday’s game at Dayton. Clark III also needs 23 steals to crack the top 10 in program history for thefts, as Andy Sisinni (1981-84) currently ranks 10th with 148.

– When holding opponents to less than 70 points in seven years under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne has posted a record of 66-17 (.795), including a 10-1 (.909) mark during the 2023-24 campaign.

– The Dukes return home after taking on the Flyers Saturday, Feb. 17, with a 2:00 p.m. tip against Saint Joseph’s at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Scouting the Flyers – Tuesday marks the 88th meeting in a series that dates to Jan. 5, 1953. Dayton leads the all-time series, 62-25 (.713), including a 40-11 lead in Atlantic 10 games during the regular season. In the season series opener at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, the Flyers earned a 72-62 win over the Dukes. Duquesne closed to within 45-41 with 10:11 to play, but Dayton used a 16-6 burst to open up a 61-47 advantage en route to the victory. Senior guard Dae Dae Grant scored all of his team-high 14 points in the final 5:35 of action in the first meeting this season, while guards Jake DiMichele and Jimmy Clark III each scored 12 points for the Dukes. In the first game at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, Duquesne earned a 69-64 win over Dayton Feb. 3, 2021. In posting a wire-to-wire victory, the Dukes jumped out to a 15-3 advantage and were led by Marcus Weathers (2016-21), who scored 20 points. Forward Michael Hughes (2016-21) added a double-double in the victory thanks to 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Head Coach Keith Dambrot (Seventh Year at Duquesne | 26th Year Overall) – Keith Dambrot, who built Akron into one of the most successful – and most respected – programs in the Mid-American Conference over 13 seasons, was named head men’s basketball coach at Duquesne University on March 28, 2017. The veteran coach wasted no time making an impact on the DU program with 65 wins in his first four seasons. He became just the fourth head coach in program history to reach 100 victories thanks to a 95-47 win over Cleary, and his two 20-win seasons – in just six years – are tied for the third-most in program history. Dambrot reached a significant career milestone on Feb. 8, 2023 when he posted his 500th career victory with a 75-52 triumph over George Mason. Dambrot owns an overall record of 518-302 (.632) during his career as a head coach, and his father, Sid, was part of Duquesne teams that finished ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 in 1952 (No. 4), 1953 (No. 9) and 1954 (No. 5). The 1954 team, which went 26-3, made it to No. 1 in the AP poll for two weeks in February of 1954. The Dukes played in both the NCAA tournament and NIT in 1952 and the NIT in both 1953 and 1954.

St. Bonaventure Leftovers – Duquesne has won three consecutive games in the all-time series and swept the season series from the Bonnies for the first time since 2009 … Tied, 19-19, the Dukes used a 15-2 run to open up a 34-21 advantage en route to a 34-23 halftime edge … Duquesne sealed the win at the free-throw line, going 10-for-10 at the stripe in the final 1:40 of action, including a 6-for-6 performance from guard Dae Dae Grant … Guard Jimmy Clark III posted as many assists (8) as St. Bonaventure recorded as a team … The Dukes owned a 36-34 advantage in points in the paint and also finished with a 17-13 edge in points off turnovers … Charles Pride (22) and Mika Adams-Woods (21) combined for 43 of the 69 points for the Bonnies … Duquesne held St. Bonaventure to just 1-of-7 (14.3%) from beyond the arc in the first half and 33.3 percent (5-for-15) overall.

Drame Delight – Arguably the most consistent member of the Dukes in recent weeks has been forward Fousseyni Drame, who enters Tuesday’s game at Dayton having scored in double figures in four consecutive games. During that stretch, Drame is averaging 13.0 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 53.3 percent (16-for-30) from the field, including 6-of-10 (60%) from deep. In a 75-69 triumph at St. Bonaventure, Drame recorded his third double-double with the Dukes and 10th of his NCAA Division I career thanks to 16 points while matching a career high with 14 rebounds. He also finished with 14 rebounds at Niagara in December of 2020 while a student-athlete at St. Peter’s. Duquesne is 6-2 (,750) this season when Drame scores in double figures.

30/30 – Despite six different starting lineups in its last 12 games, Duquesne has been getting consistent production from its bench in recent weeks. The reserves for the Dukes have outscored their opponents, 192-64, over the last six games. The Dukes have scored 33 points off the bench in each of their last two games, including a 75-69 win at St. Bonaventure, with forward Fousseyni Drame leading Duquesne against the Bonnies with 16 points while also matching a career high in rebounds with 14. The performance from Drame helped the Dukes post a 36-34 edge in points in the paint in the victory, helping Duquesne improve to 5-0 this year when scoring at least 30 points in the paint and receiving at least 30 points from its bench. Over the last six contests, Duquesne has received nine double-figure scoring performances from its reserves, including four from Drame. In all this year, seven different Dukes have come off the bench and supplied a total of 20 double-figure scoring efforts.

Did You Know? The Dukes are 7-0 this season when first to reach 70 points against an opponent and have won 26 consecutive games when turning the trick. In seven seasons under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne is 70-7 (.909) when hitting the 70-point plateau first.

Road Warrior – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant has reached double figures in each of his six road games this season, averaging 19.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during those contests. In those games, Grant has knocked down 38 of his 40 attempts (95%) at the free-throw line. In his two years with the Dukes, Grant has scored in double figures 11 times in true road games, with Duquesne owning a mark of 6-5 (.545) in those contests. Grant’s 12 points in a 75-69 win at St. Bonaventure marked the 45th time overall the last two seasons he has scored in double figures with the Dukes.

Chalk Talk – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant has proven to be adept at the free-throw line during his career, and those numbers have only been amplified in his two seasons at Duquesne. Having established a new program record for consecutive free throws (43) made this year, Grant has converted each of his last 27 attempts at the free-throw line over his last seven games. It marks his third streak of the season hitting at least 20 consecutive free throws. Since the season opener against Cleveland State, where he hit his final three free throws as part of an 8-for-11 performance, Grant has converted 99 of his last 101 chances (98.0%) at the line. Grant enters Tuesday’s game at Dayton leading the Atlantic 10 in free-throw percentage at 95.4 percent (104-for-109), a success rate that also ranks second in NCAA Division I. DJ Davis of Butler leads the country at 96.4 percent (80-for-83).

Y2K – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant became the 13th active student-athlete at the NCAA Division I level with at least 2,000 career points after a game-high 31 points in an 85-71 win at Rhode Island. He reached the threshold with 17:33 to play, as his three-pointer gave the Dukes a 49-34 lead over the Rams and pushed his career point total from 1,998 to 2,001. Grant enters Tuesday’s game at Dayton with 2,028 points in 140 games across five seasons, an average of 14.5 points per contest. In two seasons with the Dukes since transferring from Miami, Ohio, Grant has scored 857 points in 53 games (16.2 ppg). Grant sits fifth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring this season at 17.6 points per game and with eight games left in the regular season is looking to become the 40th player in the 108-year history of the program to score 1,000 points at Duquesne.

Last Man Standing – Senior guard Jimmy Clark III is the only member of the Dukes to start each of Duquesne’s 23 games this season. In the last 12 games, Duquesne has used six different starting lineups, with 11 different Dukes having earned a start in 2023-24. Clark III enters Tuesday’s game at Dayton as the program’s active leader in consecutive games (56) and consecutive starting assignments (41).

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COURTESY DUQUESNE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS