PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was by any means necessary, Duquesne just needed a win. Whether it was scoring 90 points or the 54-50 final over St. Bonaventure, the Dukes had started 0-5 in conference play.
Dukes were in control much of the game and then held on as the full-court press gave Duquesne problems and the Bonnies went on a 14-1 run, but a few made free throws and defensive stops secured the 10th win of the season.
"It was a shame how the game ended, but we played really good defensively for 95% of the game," said Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot Wednesday. "We just had the jitters, the yips a little bit, but we survived and advanced."
"For those who are not with us, because we lost those four or five games continue to not be with us," said Duquesne guard Kareem Rozier. "We had a good crowd out there tonight. Those people that were here today, I'm thankful for you all."
"We ain't going nowhere. We are jump started now. We are on the road to greatness. That's all we needed was to get one."
It was a fewest points allowed in a half in the Keith Dambrot era as Duquesne led 22-15 at the break. The Bonnies shot 23 percent, 0-7 from three and only attempting a pair of free throws while going a stretch of 8:41 of the first half without a point.
"It was contagious with communication," said senior Jimmy Clark about the defense. "It's something we emphasized with our walk-throughs. That's something we've been trying to stay on and today we saw it helped."
No Duquesne players finished with double-digit points, Jimmy Clark had nine, Fousseyni Drame with eight and seven rebounds, seven each for Rozier and McKees Rocks native Jake DiMichele and David Dixon and Tre Williams with six points, Williams with a game-high eight rebounds.
The victory a rare win recently against St. Bonaventure only the third in the last 17 meetings, and second straight.
"Emotionally these guys have never quit," Dambrot said. "I was happy for them because emotionally it's hard to bring them back every day when you lose close games. It's a tribute to their character that they kept battling."
"If we make progress and get better, we can make a run at this thing at the end of the year."
"God is getting us ready for something," Rozier said. "We don't know what it is yet, but we are figuring it out."
Up Next
Duquesne home to Fordham at 12:30p on Saturday, Dukes are offering $1 beers.
