It was a fun night to be a Duquesne Dukes fan as they earned a huge 81-59 victory over the Niagara Purple Eagles on opening night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
Jimmie Williams got the Dukes going with 10 points in the first half and finished with 15 points for the game. Tarence Guinyard joined Williams and had a game-high 19 in the win. Dukes fans were treated to a possible preview of the next four months of basketball for their home team.
“We just built the chemistry off the field,” Guinyard said of the connection between him and Williams. “And it all flows together on the field.”
Williams explained after the game how he met Guinyard years ago at a park in Tampa, Florida. When he heard he had committed to Duquesne, he was more than ready to get involved.
“We just have a great relationship on and off the court, and we fit together well,” Williams said.
Duquesne started the first half strong. Williams scored 7 of the first 9 Duquesne points, and his layup with 14:33 left in the first forced Niagara to call a timeout. This start was to the delight of the fans, who were rocking from the moment the players stepped onto the ground.
“It’s positive for our players to see those people show up. It’s a good feeling,” Joyce said. “And at the end of the day, man, we want to make this Cooper Fieldhouse a very, very difficult place for opponents to come in and play.”
Duquesne forced more disarray on Niagara over the next five minutes, outscoring them 16-5 and forcing another timeout. During this run, David Dixon started his fourth year with the Dukes on a high note with a big breakaway shot to fuel the flames of the student section.
Duquesne shot 17/27 from the field and 6/13 from beyond the arc in the first half to hold a 41-20 lead after 20 minutes.
The second half was characterized by more of the same. Niagara cut the deficit to 13 after an 8-0 run in the first 2:22, but after their coach Greg Paulus picked up a technical foul a minute later, the air seemed to be sucked out of the Purple Eagle rally, and Duquesne increased their lead back to 21 at the 13:33 mark of the second half.
The Dukes won the rebounding battle Monday night by a 32-25 margin. An important reason for this success was the performance of John Hugley IV. Hugley had 7 points and 8 rebounds for the Dukes in his first game on The Bluff. Four other players recorded three rebounds, namely Guinyard, Dixon, Cam Crawford and Max Edwards.
Edwards had five of Duquesne’s 18 assists, tying his career-high in assists. Niagara recorded just six assists on the night.
Niagara had a brutal night, shooting the rock and making three-pointers at a modest 14.3% clip (2/14). They shot 41.7 from the field
Duquesne will get a few days of rest before its next game on Friday night against Sacred Heart. Tip-off is at 7:00 PM from UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
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