Spencer Thomas | editor-in-chief

Duquesne men’s basketball sunk to an unprecedented low on Tuesday night, losing their fourth consecutive game to open the season, one of the worst starts in program history. The 80-76 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee marks the first time a Duquesne squad opened up 0-4 against Division I opposition since the 1983-84 season.

After being blown out in the second half at DePaul on Friday, this game was supposed to offer a step down in competition and be Head Coach Dru Joyce’s first career win. Instead, Duquesne was muddled by the Panther defense, conceded timely 3-pointers and wasted 21 bench points from Jake DiMichele to suffer an agonizing defeat.

Despite the close final score, Duquesne’s only lead came for barely a minute of the first half, when a floater from Jakub Necas put the Dukes up 21-20. The Panthers jumped out to an early lead and besides that moment, carried a 4–to-10-point lead all the way to the finish line. They were led by guard Kentrell Pullian, whose 22 points were a game high. He set the tone early, splashing a 3 on their first offensive possession, granted by a travel from Duquesne’s Tre Dinkins. The Panthers outscored Duquesne 18-11 off of turnovers.

“I don’t think we have a talent issue at all,” DiMichele said. “I think we need to develop an attitude of buying in and being completely unselfish… as the year progresses, and we keep buying in on the defensive end you’re going to see things change.”

Duquesne’s most hopeful moments came in the second half, when DiMichele, still getting his wind back after his preseason was hampered by injury, took over for a stretch of individual heroics Duquesne hadn’t seen all year. He single-handedly cut the deficit to 1 about halfway through the half, at 54-53. He found a ton of success driving from the left side, first hitting a 3, then a layup, then ditching an assist to Eli Wilborn in the paint, and finally getting to the line for free throws.

DiMichele also controlled the defensive side of the ball, jumping in passing lanes for heads-up steals in crucial moments. He repeatedly found himself looking up from his back, having hit the deck trying to make a hustle play. Nineteen of his points came in the second half.

“I realized I need to make plays in order for us to win. I just took what the defense gave me and was able to have some success,” he said. “But at the end of the day none of that really matters because we lost the game.”

Moments later, however, the Duquesne offense dried up, and Milwaukee, one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the nation, knocked down a couple long balls that cemented a 10-0 run and a 68-58 lead.

Milwaukee often shot deep in the shot clock and picked up offensive rebounds; Duquesne’s offense, meanwhile, was disjointed and unsettled. It struggled severely with the Panthers’ zone defense, and were limited by a 9-of-31 3-point performance when they tried to shoot over it. Upon receiving a pass, a Duquesne player went through their reads with increasing desperation until the defense had them in the palm of their hand. Even training partners Necas and Matus Hronsky struggled to get on the same page, conspiring to send a pass in the first half up into the stands.

“The zone slowed us a little bit, but if anything was slow, it wasn’t due to pressure. They allowed us to make the passes. We held onto the ball,” Joyce said. “When the ball finally moved is when we were able to crack the wall of their defense.”

Besides DiMichele, Duquesne lacked a player with the individual brilliance to carry them through a game like this. Only 15 of 25 field goals were assisted, though the passing mildly improved as the game went on, as skip passes bouncing around the arc created a more dynamic offense.

“There’s a simple recipe that makes us good,” Joyce said. “Get stops and ball movement.”

Dinkins hit four 3-pointers on the way to a 20-point showing, while no other starter scored more than 5.

A furious rally from Duquesne in the final minutes throttled the Dukes into false hope, but they couldn’t take advantage, quickly and quietly exiting the court after the final buzzer sounded.

DiMichele invoked last season’s 0-5 start in conference play when searching for hope in a desolate moment.

“I’m glad we have that precedent of last year because we can keep looking at that ‘cause we were in the dumps just like we are now,” he said.

Duquesne will leave the country next week in search of a victory, traveling to the Cayman Islands Classic. Duquesne will play three games in the eight-team tournament, opening against defending Summit League champs South Dakota State on Sunday afternoon.