Dukes Chill Bonnies in a Solid 75-57 Victory

PITTSBURGH – Duquesne demonstrated strong defense against St. Bonaventure on Saturday afternoon, resulting in a 75-57 victory at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Duquesne commenced the game with an impressive 25-6 lead after Bonaventure had an initial advantage.

The Dukes, now standing at 4-1 in the Atlantic 10 following a challenging 0-6 in the non-conference phase, held a 38-29 advantage at halftime.

St. Bonaventure (15-4, 3-3 A-10) regained some momentum right out of the intermission, narrowing the gap to 38-33 just two minutes into the half.

Consecutive three-pointers from Duquesne restored the lead back to 45-33 before Duane Thompson sparked energy into the Bonnies with back-to-back scores bringing the margin to 53-46 with nine minutes to play.

However, that would be the closest the Bonnies would come in the final minutes as Duquesne continued to pour in three-pointers, extending their lead back into double digits.

Noel Brown topped the Bonnies with his inaugural double-double, contributing 19 points and 10 rebounds, whereas Melvin Council Jr. fell just one rebound short of his own double-double, with 17 points and nine boards in addition to four assists.

Lajae Jones added 11 points and five rebounds.

Duquesne successfully made 14 three-pointers which kept the Bonnies at a distance, posting almost 47 percent shooting overall. Meanwhile, the Bonnies struggled from long range, hitting only 3 out of 14 attempts from beyond the arc.

Maximus Edwards contributed 17 points for the home team, with Cameron Crawford scoring 12 points.

Tre Dinkins provided six assists for the Dukes (9-9, 4-1).

GAME NOTES

• Thompson matched his personal best with seven points off the bench.
• Duquesne’s bench combined for 40 points.
• Bona’s offense struggled to find momentum, shooting 38 percent overall as 32 of their points came from within the paint.
• The teams were even on the rebounding front, tying at 33-33.
• Chance Moore was restricted to 12 minutes due to a foot injury.

COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH MARK SCHMIDT
“We didn’t defend effectively. Credit to Duquesne, but you cannot allow being outscored by 33 from the three-point line and expect to succeed. We’re struggling to contain athletic players in front of us. We did not execute well on the ball screens, and fundamentally, we didn’t defend the ball well at all.”

“Losing Chance required us to shift Lajae to the three position and bring in Miles and Noah; we need more output from our bench. Injuries are simply part of the game. The bench must respond, and the players logging significant minutes need to elevate their performance. Yet, it all starts and ends on the defensive side.” 

“We attempted a zone defense, but they penetrated effectively. They recorded 21 assists on 28 field goals, which emphasizes that most plays were made off the pass. They excelled in driving and distributing for three-point shots. We need to improve our ball guarding if we desire to achieve success.”

UP NEXT

St. Bonaventure makes its way back home to face George Mason on Tuesday night. The tip-off at the Reilly Center is slated for 7 p.m.