By Malcolm Price

1 21 2025

GAME 19
Dayton (12-6 | 2-3 Atlantic 10) vs. Duquesne (9-9 | 4-1 Atlantic 10)
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 | 7:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

Opening Tip

– The Duquesne University men’s basketball team, winners of seven of their last eight games as well as nine of 12 after an 0-6 start to the year, concludes a two-game homestand Tuesday in a 7:00 p.m. tip against Dayton at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

– The Dukes are coming off a 75-57 victory over St. Bonaventure (Jan. 18) that extended their winning streak to three. In addition, the triumph over the Bonnies marked the seventh consecutive home victory against Atlantic 10 opposition, the longest stretch since claiming eight straight home wins over conference foes in 2010 and 2011 (seven at A.J. Palumbo Center, one at CONSOL Energy Center).

– Redshirt junior guard Maximus Edwards led three players in double figures in the win over St. Bonaventure with 17 points while also adding four rebounds, an assist and a block. He scored 12 points in the first half, including three-pointers on consecutive possessions as part of a 14-2 run that gave the Dukes a 25-12 lead, and shot 6-of-8 from the field overall, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.

– Redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford added 12 points and two assists in the win over the Bonnies, while senior guard Tre Dinkins III contributed 10 points, three rebounds, six assists (zero turnovers) and a pair of steals.

– 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 five 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 1,480 points and 830 rebounds. Corbett amassed totals of 1,303 points and 725 rebounds in three seasons at Chicago State prior to transferring to Duquesne.

– Duquesne takes to the road for its next two games after hosting the Flyers to close out the month of January, beginning Sunday, Jan. 26, with a Noon tip at Fordham. The Dukes will also travel to Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 29) as part of their road swing.

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 – Tuesday marks the 90th meeting in a series that dates to Jan. 5, 1953 … Dayton leads the all-time series, 63-26 (.713), including a 41-11 lead in Atlantic 10 games during the regular season … In the last meeting between the two programs, Duquesne snapped a five-game losing streak against the Flyers with a 65-57 win at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship … 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 … Dae Dae Grant added a pair of free throws 37 seconds later, and his triple just inside of four minutes to go gave Duquesne some breathing room … Jimmy Clark III, who paced the Dukes with 16 points, sealed the victory with a three-pointer with 49 ticks left on the clock.

St. Bonaventure Leftovers – Duquesne has won five consecutive games against the Bonnies, its longest winning streak in the all-time series since 1986 … The Dukes outscored St. Bonaventure, 40-10, in bench points as well as 16-5 in points off turnovers, while the Bonnies owned a 32-24 advantage in points in the paint … Noel Brown registered a double-double for St. Bonaventure with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, the fourth double-double by a Duquesne opponent in the last three games … Duquesne set a season low with six turnovers … Three of the six turnovers for the Dukes were shot clock violations … The contest featured just one lead change … Both teams finished with 33 rebounds, with the Bonnies holding a 10-7 edge in offensive caroms … Juniors David Dixon (8) and Matúš Hronský (8) combined for 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench.

Mad Max – Redshirt junior guard Maximus Edwards was again a key contributor off the bench for the Dukes in a 75-57 win over St. Bonaventure (Jan. 18), as he led Duquesne with 17 points. He shot 6-of-8 from the floor, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, and also grabbed four rebounds. Coupled with his performance in a 73-65 triumph at George Washington (Jan. 15) with a season-high 22 points, Edwards was named the Under Armour Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Monday. He shares the honor with Rahsool Diggins of Massachusetts, who averaged 31.5 points in two wins last week for the Minutemen, including a 46-point explosion in a 120-118 triple overtime win at Fordham (Jan. 15). Edwards is the first member of the Dukes to garner the top weekly honor from the A-10 since former guard Leon Ayers III (2021-22) garnered the award Nov. 29, 2021. Ayers was honored after scoring a career-high 23 points in back-to-back games, including a 78-70 win over Bradley (Nov. 22) at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, as well as an 88-79 home win over American (Nov. 28). Edwards, meanwhile, was a five-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week during the 2022-23 season en route to being named the 2023 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year while at George Washington.

Deal Me In – Junior guard Kareem Rozier, who tied a career high with seven assists in an 85-81 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 8) and owns career 225 dimes to his credit, has been masterful protecting the rock this season. Over the last eight games, Rozier owns 39 assists (4.88 per game) against just five turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 7.80, and in five Atlantic 10 games has handed out 24 assists vs. just four miscues (6.00). Not only does the recent surge have Rozier atop the Atlantic 10 leaderboard in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.89), the total ranks fifth in NCAA Division I. During his career on the Bluff, Rozier, who is Duquesne’s active leader for consecutive games played (76), has compiled a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.81. A closer look at the NCAA Division I leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio …

The Arc – In a 75-57 victory over St. Bonaventure (Jan. 18), Duquesne matched a season high in three-pointers, as six different Dukes combined to knock down 14 triples in the win. Redshirt junior guard Maximus Edwards led the way with a 5-for-7 performance, becoming the first player this season to connect for at least five three-pointers for Duquesne as well as the second time during his career he’s drained five triples. The Dukes have reached double digits in three-pointers five times in the last nine games entering Tuesday’s tilt with Dayton at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, averaging 10.22 triples per game during that stretch while converting 39.7 percent (92-for-232) of their attempts from long range. Redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford has shot 53.8 percent (21-for-39) from deep over the last nine games, while senior guard Tre Dinkins III is 21-for-58 (36.2%).

CC – Redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford has been a key contributor for the Dukes since being inserted into the starting lineup. Over the last eight games, a stretch in which Duquesne is 7-1 (.875), Crawford has scored in double figures in six of them in producing averages of 11.4 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 50.8 percent (32-for-63) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (20-for-36) from beyond the arc. Crawford enters Tuesday’s game against Dayton ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 this season in three-point field goal accuracy at 45.1 percent (23-for-51). In contributing 12 points in a 75-57 win over St. Bonaventure (Jan. 18), the Dukes improved to 7-0 this season when Crawford scores in double figures. Crawford’s production has also been part of a remarkably balanced offensive attack over the last eight games. While Crawford leads the Dukes during that stretch in scoring at 11.4 points per game, senior forward Jahsean Corbett is providing 11.3 points per contest, while senior guard Tre Dinkins III supplies 11.1 points per game. In all over the last eight contests, six Dukes are averaging between 7.7 and 11.4 points as Duquesne as a team is averaging 74.9 ppg.

On The Mark – Duquesne enters Tuesday’s game against Dayton to conclude a two-game homestand with the top two shooters in the Atlantic 10 against conference foes in both field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage. Junior forward David Dixon has shot 72.4 percent (21-for-29) from the field in the first five A-10 tilts to lead the circuit, while redshirt junior guard Maximus Edwards ranks second at 69 percent (20-for-29). Edwards, meanwhile, leads the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal accuracy vs. conference foes at 55.6 percent (10-for-18), while fellow redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford has been successful on 54.5 percent (12-for-22) of his attempts, which ranks second in the A-10. As a team against league foes, Duquesne ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring offense (74.2 ppg) while sitting fifth in scoring defense, yielding 67.0 points per contest. VCU is the only other program to rank in the top six in both categories.

Fifth Avenue – Junior forward David Dixon has elevated his game since Duquesne has entered Atlantic 10 play, as he enters Tuesday’s game vs. Dayton with averages of 9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in five games of conference action. For the fifth time over the last three years he matched a career high in blocks with five in a 73-65 victory at George Washington (Jan. 15), helping him crack the top five all-time in program history. He sits fifth with 115 career rejections and also ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 this season with an average of 1.72 blocks per game. Dixon is also now 10 dunks shy of 100 for his career and is looking to become just the second player on record in school history to reach career totals of both 100 dunks and 100 blocks. Former forward Damian Saunders (2008-11) owns career records in both categories with 166 jams and 300 rejections.

Depth Charge – The performance from redshirt junior guard Maximus Edwards in a 75-57 win over St. Bonaventure (Jan. 18) has continued a season-long trend for the Dukes in getting quality production from their bench. Edwards finished with a team-high 17 points in the win over the Bonnies, and he is the ninth different player to post a double-digit scoring effort by a reserve. The Dukes finished with a 40-10 advantage in bench points in the win over St. Bonaventure and own a record of 4-3 (.571) this season when receiving at least 30 points from the reserves. In their first five Atlantic 10 games, Duquesne is averaging 31.6 points from its bench.

Did You Know? The Dukes have won 34 consecutive games dating back to the 2018-19 campaign when holding opponents to under 60 points thanks to a 75-57 victory over St. Bonaventure (Jan. 18) at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Included in that stretch is a perfect 22-0 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.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and information on Duquesne basketball, follow the Dukes on X and Instagram.

COURTESY DUQUESNE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS