Brooklyn, New York – The Duquesne University men's basketball team claimed its first Atlantic 10 Championship title since 1977 on Sunday with a 57-51 victory over No. 5 VCU at Barclays Center. The Dukes improved to 24-11 (.686) overall with the win and claimed an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Leading 36-22 at halftime, the Rams (22-13) weakened in the second half, pulling within 44-41 after a dunk by Toibu Lawal. Duquesne responded, getting a layup from the sophomore forward. David Dixon in a senior guard broadcast Dae Dae Scholarship to bring the lead back to five, 46-41. Duquesne shot just 17.2 percent (5 of 29) from the field in the second half, but freshman forward Jakub Necas came up big, as he took an outlet pass in the paint from Dixon and hit a three-pointer to help push the Dukes' lead to 49-41. VCU didn't give up and scored the next seven points to cut its deficit to 49-48 with 1:36 left, but on the next possession senior guard Jimmy Clark III found first year guard Jake DiMichele alone in the paint for a floater at 1:07 to push Duquesne to a 51-48 lead. The Dukes sealed the victory at the free throw line, including four from Clark III and a pair of forwards. Fousseyni drama.
QUOTABLE
“Very proud of the resilience and toughness of our guys,” the head coach said. Keith Dambrot. “We were in so many games and had so many disappointments at the beginning of the year that we learned to win even when things weren't going very well for us. We were mature. Emotionless. We got into a rock fight, which is probably good for us. instead of smooth, fluid gameplay. We're one of the best defensive teams in the league, and if we're 57-51, that's good for us. We did a good job defensively throughout the tournament, and I think that's why we won.”
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Grant was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship after averaging 16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 42.6 percent (23 of 54) from the field. He scored 10 points in the title game, all of which came in the first half as Duquesne took its largest lead, 36-18, with 2:14 left before halftime. Joining Grant as a member of the 2024 Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team was Clark III, who averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists while converting 13 of his 15 opportunities at the free throw line (86, 7%).
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