PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne Dukes (16-10, 8-5 A-10) played perhaps their worst game of the season against the La Salle Explorers (7-19, 3-10) on Wednesday night. But there is one quality this team possesses that cannot be overlooked: their resilience.
Tarence Guinyard played hero in the final 6.2 seconds, hitting a missed free throw the length of the court for a layup plus the contact to give the Dukes the final lead of the game and a 62-61 victory over the Explorers at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Guinyard finished with 11 points, eight of which came in the final half. But of course none were bigger than the two he scored with 0.3 left.
It’s worth noting that Duquesne could have used a timeout, but Dukes head coach Dru Joyce III opted to “shut his mouth” and let his guys run.
“When I saw the game unfolding and they (La Salle) not really finding their way in transition and the ball in the hands of our most dynamic playmaker, the fastest man on the pitch, I said ‘we’ll see what we end up with’,” Joyce said.
“I’m glad I used my eyes and didn’t just jump out and call a timeout because I probably would have destroyed something good.”
Duquesne crawled out of a 60-54 hole with 2:35 to go thanks to two free throws from Dave Dixon and layups from Jakub Necas and Guinyard (subtle foreshadowing). With the score tied and 25 seconds remaining, Rob Dockery drove to the track and created contact, drawing the foul on Necas. As Necas walked back to the bench (after fouling), Dockery split the pair of free throws, and that’s when Guinyard cultivated the magic.
La Salle’s resilience and mental strength were tested early, when leading scorer Jaeden Marshall went down with 10:27 to go in the first half. He was taken off the field with an air cast on his left leg. The Duquesne faithful gave a standing ovation as he walked away. However, despite the setback, the Explorers dug deep to reduce a 13-point deficit to just four at halftime.
The Dukes struggled mightily from three-point range, shooting a modest 3/20. Brandon Hall had two of the threes, while Guinyard knocked in the third triple. Despite the misses, the out-rebound and the 18 turnovers, Joyce’s men found a way.
“A kind of sense of survival and progress, where you’re playing one of those ugly games,” Joyce admitted. “It’s hard to look at those numbers and think about how we could have almost extended the lead, but when you look at those numbers you know why, right?
I tell the team all the time, man, don’t look at the scoreboard. The scoreboard will deceive you. It will affect you emotionally. And it’s really about winning possessions.”
The Dukes acquired enough assets Wednesday night, and they will indeed survive and advance to Dayton on Saturday. They have a chance to make it six straight wins, a feat they haven’t accomplished since the 2010-11 conference campaign.
BONUS POINTS
The postgame presser with Dixon and Joyce was probably my personal favorite not only of the year, but of my three years covering Duquesne basketball. There was a lot of laughter and the atmosphere was high after a close victory. I highly recommend checking it out on Pittsburgh Sports Now’s YouTube.
#Duquesne #stun #Salle #buzzer