Evan Rossman & Ben Deihl & Jack Morgan | staff writer & sports editor &
staff writer

Tarence Guinyard’s last-second heroics saved Duquesne from a La Salle upset bid at home as the Dukes squeaked out a 62-61 victory at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Wednesday, adding to their win streak after beating St. Bonaventure 78-73 on Saturday.

Duquesne started the game hot, opening with a 9-0 run and an extended 11-2 run. David Dixon dominated the floor early, slamming down a dunk and ruling the paint to help the Dukes stretch their opening run.

With the win, Dixon collected his 74th W in his Duquesne career, becoming the new victory king on the Bluff. Dixon’s four-year career at one school has become an anomaly in modern collegiate sports, helping him earn his victory title.

“He plays super unselfishly,” said guard Ethan Anish. “[He] does every little thing, one of our best defenders. It’s his fourth year here, trying to carry this winning culture that we have here.”

Duquesne’s lead inflated to as much as 13 early in the first half, but the Explorers still had fight in them. Back-to-back Truth Harris 3-pointers cut Duquesne’s lead to 7, but there was still work to do.

Jimmie Williams continued his recent offensive explosion with two fast-break buckets to keep the Dukes’ lead healthy, but the two teams played tug of war for the rest of the first half. The score settled at a 32-28 Duquesne advantage at halftime.

Dixon notched a double-double after stepping into a starting role in the latter half of the season, scoring 13 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Dixon scattered the stat sheet, also posting two blocks while staying a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.

Duquesne once again captured a 13-point lead to open the final half, but La Salle dominated in the paint to box Duquesne out. Small runs by the Explorers chipped Duquesne’s lead down, until eventually La Salle captured their first lead with 9 minutes remaining, courtesy of a Jaden Johnson trey.

La Salle built on their new-found momentum, building their lead to 6 points with just under two minutes to go. But now, it was Duquesne’s time to take over.

“We’re all doing a good job of staying in the present,” Dixon said. “It motivates us. It shows that anybody can beat anybody. We use that as motivation to keep working and keep playing our best.”

The Dukes ended on an 8-1 lead to capture their fifth straight victory. With just 2 seconds left, Guinyard blistered down the court and rolled in a layup for the team’s final score, giving Duquesne their closest win of the season.

“You could feel the energy shifting,” Head Coach Dru Joyce III said. “You could feel the crowd noise. I want to keep encouraging the fans to be rowdy. Be louder. Bring more energy, because we enjoy it.”

On Saturday, the Dukes nearly blew a 12-point halftime lead. Duquesne opened with a 10-2 run that included triples from Brandon Hall and Guinyard. The offense would continue to shoot it well throughout the first half, draining 8 out of 11 three-point attempts, the most they’ve converted in the first half since conference play began.

“Our connection is continuing to get stronger, and the belief in what it takes to win games,” Joyce said. “We have this understanding now of, let’s dig in on the defensive end and continue to play unselfish.”

St. Bonaventure’s bench was able to keep the away team in control, as the scoring bug seemed to be contagious. Alex Williams got into the game and immediately made his presence known, connecting on a three to extend the Duquesne lead to double digits midway through the first half.

Turnovers proved to be a major issue for the Bonnies as they handed possession over eight times in the first half. Duquesne was able to capitalize on the Bonnies’ miscues, creating 13 points from the turnovers.
 The second half proved to be much closer than the first, as the Bonnies halved the Duquesne lead to 6 with an 8-2 run, largely thanks to Frank Mitchell, who scored or assisted on all three of the Bonnies field goals to open the half. The Bonnies played through Mitchell for the majority of the second half, as he contributed 14 points and nine boards in the final period.

The Bonnies continued to dig themselves out of their first-half rut as they sliced the Duquesne lead to just 3 early in the second. The Bonnies would again struggle to take care of the basketball, as the Dukes capitalized on three St. Bonaventure turnovers and stretched the difference back to 9 with 10 minutes left.

The Dukes were unable to pull away, however, as a 7-0 Bonnie run saw the margin shrink to 2 with 8:30 left to play.

Mitchell would earn the Bonnies their first lead since the first minute of the game with just over 6 minutes to play, finding nylon on a 8-footer to give St. Bonaventure a 64-63 advantage. Trading buckets and fouls, the game turned into a dogfight until the last minute.

Williams would drain a clutch corner 3 to regain the lead with just over a minute left, again quieting the raucous Reilly Center crowd. The Dukes held their own for the last 60 seconds, fending off a feisty Bonnies team to get revenge for their earlier defeat.

Evan Rossman can be reached at rossmane@duq.edu

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu

Jack Morgan can be reached at morganj10@duq.edu