After losing a last-second game at Dayton last weekend, Duquesne took on Fordham at home, looking to avoid a season sweep to the Rams. But they were shorthanded in the frontcourt, without starters Jakub Necas and Chabi Barre available.
The good news is that after a tie game at the half, the Dukes went on a second-half run to take a double-digit lead. In the end, they were able to pull out the 73-64 victory to move to 6-7 in Atlantic 10 play. Here are the takeaways from the win for the home team.
1. Stellar frontcourt play
In the first go-around, the center position combined for just three points against Fordham. But even without Barre, David Dixon and Eli Wilborn combined for 24 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks in 40 minutes. For a team that couldn’t make too many shots from deep, the inside play was crucial for the Dukes in the win. Adding 12 points from forward Jahsean Corbett off the bench also was a nice touch.
2. Another career-high from Matus Hronsky
In the previous game against Dayton, Hronsky had a career-high 16 points in the close loss. He only had seven points in this game but also had a career-high seven assists. The junior wing is a skilled playmaker who took advantage of several fastbreak opportunities to allow the team’s offense to get another 70+ point game.
3. Slowed down Jackie Johnson just enough
Early on, Fordham’s star guard had 12 points in the game's first eight minutes. However, he was limited to just eight points in the final 32 minutes, finishing with 20 points total. Most importantly, the team prevented him from taking any shots for a good 10+ minute stretch, allowing the Dukes to take the lead. They’ve struggled with lead guards on opposing teams in A-10 play so the effort on Johnson was both noticeable and important for the team to get the win.