The seventh-seeded Duquesne Dukes opened play in the Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball tournament Thursday with a 67-61 victory over No. 10 Rhode Island.
The Dukes, hosting their first A-10 tournament since 2016, did not disappoint a PPG Paints Arena crowd filled with legends like Norm Nixon, who led Duquesne to the 1977 NCAA tournament, and a brigade of Duquesne students.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the conference, which at the time of its creation was known as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League and later became the Eastern Eight before being rechristened the Atlantic 10 in 1982.
The Dukes used a big performance off the bench from Alex Williams, who scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, to dispatch Rhode Island and move on to meet No. 2 seed VCU at 5 p.m. Friday.
The quick turnaround won’t allow the Dukes much time to prepare for their next opponent, but Duquesne coach Dru Joyce said VCU is in the same boat.
“They didn’t know who they were going to play until about 20 or 30 minutes ago, so they’re going through the same process,” he said. “We have a strategic plan in place. We’ll recover, we’ll game plan and we’ll be ready to play. It’s not like we have a choice — the game is the game. We have to arrive and be ready to go. That’ll be our mindset.”
Williams said his clutch effort Thursday was a matter of confidence.
“I’ve always been confident in myself,” he said. “I’ve always been a gym rat. My coaches instill confidence in me, and my teammates instill confidence in me. That’s been a huge part of the success.”
Jimmie Williams added 17 points and five rebounds and Tarence Guinyard tallied 15 points for the Dukes, who improved to 18-14 overall.
Alex Williams spearheaded the offense late, attacking the Rams’ leading scorer, Tyler Cochran, who was playing with four fouls.
“I was trying to get him out of the game because he was hitting a lot of threes and going to work,” Alex Williams said of Cochran, who kept the Rams in the game with 34 points – 27 of which came on nine 3-pointers in 14 attempts.
“That was definitely the game plan — getting to the rim, trying to get fouled and get to the free-throw line,” Alex Williams added.
The Dukes led the entire game but Cochran was a one-man wrecking crew, keeping his team close with his long-range shooting.
“I didn’t think he was going to keep making as many threes as he did in the second half, but he did,” Jimmie Williams said of Cochran, who was averaging 15 points per game entering the tournament. “He was a pest on defense too. He had a really big night — credit to him.”
Midway through the second half, the Dukes went on an 8-0 run that put them up 56-45.
However, Cochran pulled the Rams back and after a step back 3-pointer, Rhode Island trailed 60-55.
After a stop, Cochran had the chance to cut it to two on a deep three from NBA range but the shot went in and out.
Duquesne’s Alex Williams, knowing Cochran was in foul trouble, drove to the hole for a two that put them up 62-55.
The Dukes cruised to the finish from there.
Despite the Rams making 15 of 27 from 3-point range and finishing with a higher field goal percentage, Duquesne’s ability to hold on to the ball made the difference, as the Dukes committed just one turnover.
“Our game plan was to take care of the ball,” Jimmie Williams said, “and that’s something we did tonight.”
The Duquesne-Rhode Island game was the third contest of the day.
George Washington defeated Fordham, 66-62, to start the day with Rafael Castro leading the charge with 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
“I’m just trying to help my teammates,” Castro said. “I’ve been working on my timing to block shots.”
Castro’s defense helped fend off a furious Fordham comeback as the Rams trailed 38-17 at halftime but cut it to within one possession.
Castro notched a blocked shot to help seal the game.
St. Bonaventure followed up with its second straight upset win, coming back from an 11-point deficit to defeat George Mason, 63-57.
Dante Bowen tallied a career high 20 points.
Bonnies Coach Mark Schmidt, in his final year of coaching, would love to come home with an A-10 title.
Schmidt coached Robert Morris University from 2001-2007 so playing in Pittsburgh means a lot to him.
“I started my coaching career at Robert Morris, so it’s funny how life works,” Schmidt said. “Now I’m finishing back here in Pittsburgh. It’s a really neat thing.”
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