Dae Dae Grant’s perfection leads to Duquesne’s blowout over Montana
Dae Dae Grant was one of the top transfers in the Atlantic 10 this offseason. His 25-point performance against Montana was a nice start to his tenure.
After going 6-25 and losing the final 17 games of last season, Duquesne Basketball went through complete roster turnover, with nine newcomers. That includes a nice mix of freshmen, JUCO and D-I transfers. The most notable was Dae Dae Grant and Tevin Brewer, who both averaged at least 15 ppg and 4.0 apg at their previous stops.
Brewer, still recovering from appendectomy surgery, was out for this game. But Grant was available and had a major impact in his first game in a Dukes’ uniform. In a game where 11 different players got minutes in the first half for them, it was the former Miami (Oh) that was the clear go-to option. He scored 13 points in just eight minutes, before finishing with a game-high 25 points in 21 minutes on a perfect 8/8 shooting from the field, including 6/6 from deep.
“Perfect” would be a nice way to describe Duquesne as a team. They were up 45-19 at the half over a preseason contender in the Big Sky and were up by as much as 42 points, winning 91-63 at the end. Josh Bannan, the best player for the Grizzlies, did finish with 19 points but was 0/6 from the field in the first half when the game was competitive. The Dukes shot 64% from the field and held Montana to just 39%, one of the best defensive performances since Coach Keith Dambrot arrived at the program.
It wasn’t just Grant that had a great debut for the Dukes. Bowling Green forward Joe Reece had 12 points and five rebounds, along with back-to-back blocks in a momentum-building sequence. JUCU transfers, Tre Clark and Quincy McGriff, each got the start and combined to produce 18 points.
But outside of Grant, the most impressive player on Duquesne’s side had to have been Matus Hronsky. The 6’8 freshman guard was second on the team with 13 points on 5/6 shooting off the bench and played nearly 29 minutes. Most importantly, he was a game-high +30 on the court. His shooting ability, size, and versatility make him a highly intriguing piece for the team this season and in the future, and was the most impressive freshman in the entire Atlantic 10 on opening nights.
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This was easily the most impressive performance for Duquesne in the past two years and was done without potentially its best player Brewer, who potentially could return to the court within the next week. It’s just the first game but those who projected the Dukes to finish last in the conference this season should start to get nervous about that.