The Duquesne University men’s basketball team returns to action Wednesday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against George Washington in Washington, D.C., at the Charles E. Smith Center.
– The Dukes, winners of five of their last six games and seven of 10, are coming off an 85-81 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 8) at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
– Junior forward David Dixon hit a three-pointer with 4.8 seconds left in OT to snap an 80-80 deadlock, and a pair of free throws from sophomore forward Eli Wilborn sealed the win for Duquesne. Dixon finished with 17 points, a season high, tied for team-high honors with nine rebounds and posted three blocks in the win.
– The Dukes were led against the Hawks by senior guard Tre Dinkins III, who scored 16 of his season-high 26 points in the second half. He shot 10-for-20 from the field, including 4-for-12 from beyond the arc, while hitting both of his attempts at the free-throw line.
– Dinkins III has connected for four three-pointers in a game on six occasions this season, with Duquesne 3-3 (.500) in those contests.
– Also in the victory over Saint Joseph’s, redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford contributed 13 points, hitting three of his five attempts from deep while going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line.
– The leading active scorer for the Dukes is senior forward Jahsean Corbett, who owns career totals of 1,469 points and 821 rebounds. Corbett amassed totals of 1,303 points and 725 rebounds in three seasons at Chicago State prior to transferring to Duquesne.
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 Revolutionaries – Wednesday is the 92nd meeting in a series that dates to Jan. 21, 1932 … GW leads the all-time series, 55-36, including a 48-31 advantage during the regular season … In games played in Washington, D.C., the Revolutionaries have won 30 of the 42 meetings between the programs … The Dukes have won eight of the last 12 meetings between the two programs, with seven of those games decided by six points or less … George Washington is Duquesne’s second most-frequent all-time opponent, trailing only St. Bonaventure (133 games) on the all-time list … In the only meeting between GW and DU last season, Jimmy Clark III hit a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds left to help lift Duquesne to a 67-65 win at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (March 9) on Senior Day … James Bishop IV hit a jumper with 34 seconds left that knotted the game for the 10th time, 65-65, but out of a timeout, Clark III drove the lane and was fouled by Babatunde Akingbola for the eventual game-winning free throws … A shot from half court as time expired for GW was off the mark.
Saint Joseph’s Leftovers – The Dukes have won four of the last five meetings with the Hawks as well as six of the last eight … Duquesne owned its biggest lead, 50-38, with 15:07 to play, but Saint Joseph’s shot 55.6 percent (15-for-27) from the field in the second half to help force overtime … The contest featured nine ties and 10 lead changes … The Dukes shot 85.7 percent (12-for-14) from the free-throw line, while the Hawks were just 16-of-25 (64%) … Rasheer Fleming and Xzayvier Brown each recorded double-doubles for SJU, with Fleming finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Brown registering 17 points and 10 assists … Five Hawks finished in double figures scoring … Saint Joseph’s owned a 37-36 edge in rebounding, while the Dukes posted an 11-9 edge on the offensive glass … Both teams finished with 38 points in the paint … Duquesne held advantages in points off turnovers (20-12) as well as bench points (37-18).
Dixon Does It Again – One can certainly say that David Dixon has a flair for the dramatic. In connecting for a three-pointer with 4.8 seconds left in overtime to help lift the Dukes to an 85-81 victory over Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 8), it marked the second time in as many years Dixon has scored inside of five seconds to propel Duquesne to victory. Last season in a 69-67 win over Bradley (Dec. 18) at Lebron James Arena in Akron, Ohio, at Saint Vincent-St. Mary High School, Dixon scored with :00.2 seconds left with a layup to give the Dukes the margin of victory. It also marks the fourth consecutive year Duquesne has won a game late with clutch shooting. A closer look …
Distribution Center – 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 has owns career 215 dimes to his credit, has been masterful protecting the rock this season. Over the last six games, Rozier owns 29 assists against just three turnovers. It’s part of a larger trend, as Rozier owns an assist-to-turnover ratio of 7.17 during the last nine games for the Dukes thanks to 43 assists and just six miscues. The surge has Rozier atop the Atlantic 10 leaderboard in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.75), a mark that is tied for eighth in NCAA Division I with Michael O’Connell of N.C. State. During his career on the Bluff, Rozier, who is Duquesne’s active leader for consecutive games played (74), has compiled a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.76.
In The Zone – Senior guard Tre Dinkins III led Duquesne its 85-81 overtime victory over Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 8) by pouring in a season-high 26 points, scoring in double figures in each half. In bouncing back from his first scoreless game as a member of the Dukes at Davidson (Jan. 4), Dinkins scored 10 points before halftime while adding 16 in the second half. Each of his four three-pointers against the Hawks came after the break, and he set up the game-winning basket in overtime by junior forward David Dixon with his second assist of the contest. Dinkins III is a career 36.3 percent (154-for-424) shooter from beyond the arc after connecting for 118 three-pointers in two seasons at Canisius prior to transferring to Duquesne. He enters Wednesday’s game at George Washington ranked 10th in the Atlantic 10 this season in three-point field goals made per game (2.25) while sitting 18th in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (38.3%) with both Zach Anderson (23-for-60) of George Mason and junior forward Matúš Hronský (18-of-47).
Surging – Redshirt junior guard Cam Crawford has been a key contributor for the Dukes since being inserted into the starting lineup. Over the last six games, Crawford has scored in double figures in five of them in producing averages of 11.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 51.1 percent (24-for-47) from the floor, including 55.2 percent (16-for-29) from beyond the arc. Crawford enters Wednesday’s game at George Washington ranked sixth in the Atlantic 10 this season in three-point field goal accuracy at 43.2 percent (19-for-44). Crawford’s ability from deep is a key reason Duquesne has reached double figures in three-point field goals four times in the last seven games, including 11 triples in an 85-81 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 8). In matching a season-high with 13 points in the win over the Hawks, the Dukes improved to 6-0 this season when Crawford scores in double figures. Meanwhile …
600 – Duquesne enters Wednesday’s game at George Washington having hit at least one three-pointer in 600 consecutive games, a span of almost 20 years. The last time the Dukes failed to connect for a three-point field goal in a game came March 9, 2005, when Duquesne finished 0-for-21 from beyond the arc against Fordham in the 2005 Atlantic 10 Championship. The NCAA Division I record for consecutive games with a triple is held by UNLV at 1,177 straight games, an active streak that started 20 years prior to the current streak by the Dukes and began Nov. 21, 1985.
Oh, That’s Dave – While David Dixon came through with his shooting prowess in an 85-81 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 8), the junior forward has been a factor in the paint for the Dukes. Thanks to a trio of rejections against the Hawks, Dixon continues to climb in the career record book for blocks. He ranks sixth all-time with 109 career rejections and is just two shy of cracking the top five in program history. Dixon, who is also just 13 dunks shy of 100 for his career, enters Wednesday’s game at George Washington tied for sixth in the Atlantic 10 in blocks per game (1.56) with Rafael Castro of the Revolutionaries, who also has blocked 25 shots in 16 contests. Should Dixon reach 100 career dunks, he would be just the second player on record in program history 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.
Insider Trading – Duquesne’s depth has never been more apparent than with its frontcourt. Forwards Chabi Barre and Eli Wilborn enter Wednesday’s game at George Washington with identical conversion rates from the floor, as both have shot 72.7 percent (24-for-33) from the field. Barre owns one more point (58) than Wilborn (57), with the difference at the free-throw line. The pair have also combined for 24 blocks, including 15 from Barre, while 49.4 percent (42-of-85) of the rebounds for the pair has come on the offensive glass.
Defense Wins Championships – Despite having their streak of consecutive games holding an opponent under 70 points snapped at nine at Davidson (Jan. 4), the Dukes hang their hat on the defensive end. Despite allowing 80 or more points for just the third time this season with an 85-81 overtime victory over Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 8), opponents are averaging 60.5 points over the last 11 games. Overall this year, Duquesne ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense (65.8 ppg), a mark that is tied for 46th in NCAA Division I. Duquesne’s nine-game stretch of holding opponents under the 70-point plateau was its longest in over 60 years. During the 1961-62 season, Duquesne held 10 consecutive opponents to under 70 points. Overall this season in holding opponents to an average of 65.8 points per game, it would mark the best scoring defense for the Dukes in the shot clock era (since 1985-86).
Source: Duquesne Athletics/goduquesne.com
