Ben Deihl | sports editor

John Hugley IV owned the paint. No one dared to test him.

Duquesne started the Villanova Challenge flawlessly, beating Sacred Heart 92-80 on the back of Hugley’s 25-point performance.

The Xavier transfer scored 18 of his points in the paint. During a 9-0 Duquesne run in the second half, he had a streak of three consecutive scores in the paint which were headlined by two emphatic dunks that brought everyone in the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse to their feet.

Fellow transfer Tarence Guinyard added another 25 points and a game-high seven assists for the Dukes.

The final transfer starter, Jimmie Williams, put up 13 points to round out the top three Duquesne scorers.

Head Coach Dru Joyce III’s use of the transfer portal has been paying off, as all three of the transfers have led the Dukes in scoring through the team’s first two games.

Duquesne started off quick, as their tight man defense stifled the Pioneers early. Williams collected the first offensive rebound of the game and slung it out to Guinyard, who opened Duquesne’s scoring by splashing a three.

Hugley then made his impact in the paint known, stuffing a huge two-handed jam on top of a Pioneer defender. His dominance around the rim helped to lead the way for Duquesne to score 38 points in the paint.

Still, Sacred Heart put up a fight. The two teams went back and forth, with whistles being blown on what seemed to be every possession. By halftime, the Dukes led 45-42 with assistance from Stef Van Bussel and Alex Williams to close out the first 20.

“We went into halftime with the mindset that we can’t let nobody come into our territory and play harder,” Hugley said. “I feel like in the second half, we played harder, we fought harder, we rebounded harder.”

Duquesne took command in the second half, thanks to herculean efforts by Hugley and a sharp-shooting Cam Crawford. Crawford opened the half with a three right down center field, and the Dukes continued to rain threes down with the help of Maximus Edwards.

Edwards, one of the remaining Duquesne veterans, stepped up in the second half and took command from beyond the arc, collecting all but 1 of his 10 points from the 3-ball.

With Edwards’ added efficient 3-point shooting and fast break ability paired with Hugley’s continued domination in the paint, the Dukes built their lead to as much as 17 in the second half, cruising to a 92-80 win.

“We can win in a multitude of ways,” Crawford said. “It doesn’t have to be from us shooting 50% from three.

We’ve got big guys that can score in the paint and impose their will. This just showed that we can win in a variety of ways.”

In the second game of the Challenge, the Dukes prevailed over Queens University of Charleston 87-81 in overtime to keep Duquesne’s record perfect.

After falling behind early, the Dukes went on a 13-0 run to start the first half and gave Duquesne a 15-3 lead with 14 minutes left in the half.

Hugley once again played hero for Duquesne, scoring a game-high 27 points en route to his first double-double on the Bluff. Fellow big man David Dixon was also active, pulling down seven rebounds while stuffing two shots.

“Look at the size of our roster,” Joyce said. “That’s where the emphasis lies. We want to be able to score and create [in the paint], but we also want to be able to rebound.”

Even with his impressive start to his Duquesne career, Hugely has remained humble and chooses to value team productivity over personal highlights.

“I don’t even look at the [statsheet],” Hugley said. “I’m just out there trying to play the right way, trying to lead these guys to an A10 championship. That’s the bigger goal here.”

Freshman Dom Aekins impressed in his limited time off the bench, scoring 12 points in just 12 minutes of play time. Aekins shot 5-for-7 from the field, using his small stature and quick burst to maneuver around defenders and find openings in the paint.

Duquesne continued to nurse its lead throughout the first half, once leading by as much as 21 points. By the halftime buzzer, the Royals had worked their way to only being down 41-32.

Queens guard Yoav Berman was lights-out, notching 22 points and four assists. Berman shot 7-for-15 from the field, helping propel Queens to a second-half push in the final 5 minutes.

Fast breaks and second-chance points lead the Royals right back into the game, taking a 71-70 advantage with just over 90 seconds left in regulation. The lead was their first since a 3-2 spread in the opening minute.

On the final possession, Berman pulled up for a two, but bounced off the rim. Maban Jabriel collected the offensive rebound, and Berman lined up for a three. The whole stadium held its breath as his shot rattled off the rim, sending the game to overtime at 73 a piece.

In overtime, Duquesne regained control on their way to their second victory of the Villanova Challenge. The Dukes shot 100% from the field in overtime, scoring 14 points to bury Queens 87-81.

“This was our first time this season in a close game,” Joyce said. “We showed some grit. They had the momentum, but we continued to fight and make plays.”

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu