Rebecca Jozwiak & Will Stover | multimedia editor & staff writer

Tarence Guinyard’s season-high 27 points helped Duquesne University soar to an 88-86 victory against A10 conference foe George Washington University on Saturday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

The opening minutes of the game set the tone for a physical, competitive first half — George Washington jumped out to an early 8-4 advantage behind a Christian Jones layup and a pair of 3-pointers from Trey Autry. The Revolutionaries kept control for much of the opening sequence, with Jean Aranguren orchestrating the offense and connecting with his teammates for open looks.

Duquesne struggled to find their offensive rhythm early, relying heavily on points from the bench. The Dukes methodically chipped away at the Revolutionaries’ defense, using an inside-out approach that saw David Dixon and Jacub Necas consistently attack in the paint while Jimmie Williams played a sharp-shooter role with perimeter shooting.

“They made some tough shots throughout the game,” Duquesne Head Coach Dru Joyce III said. “But, maybe a few weeks ago, we let that run continue to go, but our guys are hustling, they’re springing back.”

The Revolutionaries appeared poised to take a comfortable lead into halftime when they built a 7-point lead with 5:33 remaining in the half. George Washington seemed to have seized momentum, but the Dukes refused to fold — a characteristic necessary to win close games.

Duquesne mounted an energetic 10-7 run to close the half, sparked by clutch free-throw shooting and well timed baskets.

In his first game since dropping a career-high 25 points against George Mason, graduate student Alex Williams played a crucial role off the bench toward the end of the first half, converting four free-throws in the final three minutes, drawing fouls from George Washington’s defense.

“He’s tough, he’s aggressive,” Joyce said. “He continues to spark everything.”

Guinyard provided a surge with a late layup while the Dukes’ defense tightened considerably in the final five minutes, forcing turnovers and contesting shots. George Washington managed to stay even thanks to Garrett Johnson’s free throws with 27 seconds remaining, sending both teams into halftime locked up at 40-40 and setting up a dramatic second half.

Guinyard came alive after the first half, going on a flaming stretch in which he scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half of the game. He credited his teammates’ ball communication to his offensive success.

“I just appreciate my team that gave me the ball,” Guinyard said. “I’ll make the big-time shots.”

George Washington started off the second half on the wrong foot, producing three turnovers in the first eight minutes. Duquesne would force 16 turnovers total against George Washington, while only committing four as a team to highlight its polished ball control as a major winning factor.

Though he made himself known for his scoring prowess, Guinyard helped his teammates make some big-time shots, too, feeding Dixon the ball with 7:07 left on the clock to put the Dukes ahead 68-67. Regardless of the slow start, the Dukes continued to prosper under pressure.

“They’re talking, they’re pointing and they’re fighting,” Joyce said. “So I think that’s the biggest change, you know. Slow starts are going to happen sometimes”

Duquesne’s fight continued well into the end of the game: Guinyard scored 16 consecutive points in the span of five minutes and 44 seconds, giving them an 11-point lead with 1:03 left.

“[Guinyard] just got hot and it was like, find [him],” Jimmie Williams said. “When he’s [scoring] high, I already know when he’s going to hit one.”

The Revolutionaries were not done quite yet, though — Jean Aranguren, who led the team with 18 points, netted a 3-point shot with 30 seconds in the game to pull within four points of Duquesne.

Autry pushed the score to 86-84 after hitting a three-point shot with 16 seconds left in the game. Autrey finished with 15 points, joining George Washington’s four other starters in the double-digits.

The Dukes narrowly slipped by the Revolutionaries, posting 50% accuracy at the free-point line, going 4-for-8 in the last minute of regulation.

Autry’s missed three-pointer concluded the game, giving Duquesne its third straight win and moving the Dukes to seventh place in the A10.

The Dukes look to extend their win streak after a seven-day hiatus when they face off against St. Bonaventure on Saturday at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York, at 4 p.m.

Rebecca Jozwiak can be reached at jozwiakr@duq.edu

Will Stover can be reached at stoverw1@duq.edu