Dukes grind out another win
Team still unbeaten in conference play
Back before Duquesne played George Washington last Saturday, Dukes coach Keith Dambrot mentioned that the games that worry him most as a coach are the ones in which his team is perceived to be the favorites.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, and Duquesne (152, 5-0 Atlantic-10) was embroiled in exactly one of those games against Fordham (6-10, 0-4). The Rams kept the Dukes from getting much production inside, which is their strength, so Duquesne had to score in ways which it usually doesn’t. The result was an ugly, grind-it-out type of game all the way until the end.
It was such a slugfest that the game went to overtime, and it was still tied at 56-56 with 30 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, junior forward Michael Hughes found fifth-year senior forward Baylee Steele cutting through the lane,
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where he was fouled with 21.5 seconds left. He hit one of the two free throws to put the Dukes in the lead, but Fordham still had a chance to win it.
As it has done for much of the season, Duquesne came up big defensively, denying the Rams any good looks and forcing a travel. Sophomore guard Sincere Carry hit a free throw to make it 58-56 with three seconds left, and the Rams failed to get a shot off at the end, securing the win for the Dukes’ fifth consecutive victory to start conference play.
“In the overtime, we did what we had to do,” Dambrot said. “It wasn’t perfect, but most of the time it’s all little intangible plays that win the game, so I’m not really too worried about it. A win’s a win’s a win. At the end of the year, nobody gives a damn how you played, it’s just the record.”
With 1:08 remaining in regulation, the Dukes had a chance to seal the game, but on the ensuing possession, they couldn’t get a bucket and Fordham hit a layup to tie it up at 51-51.
Duquesne had another empty possession its next time down the court as Carry turned the ball over and the Rams bricked a fadeaway at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
The Dukes would have been completely lost offensively if it weren’t for sophomore guard Lamar Norman Jr. After averaging just 4.6 points per game for the entire season, he broke loose for 20 points to tie his career high.
“I feel like because I’ve been off a couple games the past, like, the whole season, so I feel like [Fordham was] sagging off,” Norman Jr., said. “So I’m glad I finally got my clip back this game.”
His effectiveness was immediate, as he scored Duquesne’s first 12 points, all on 3-pointers, finishing 6for-10 on 3-pointers for the game.
Duquesne used Norman’s sharpshooting to start a 12-0 run, as it took an early 18-9 lead. But after a few more buckets, Fordham answered right back with an 8-0 run to draw close. The Dukes struggled to find consistent offense outside of Norman Jr.’s burst, though, and the Rams hit just enough shots to take a 30-27 advantage into halftime.
“I really wasn’t that disappointed with the first half, I was disappointed with the ending of the game,” Dambrot said. “I thought the ending of the game was difficult. It’s a catch-22, because you want to use clock, but you need to be aggressive as well, and we didn’t do a very good job with it. The good thing is I felt like our best players didn’t play great, we still won, and we got a really good performance from Lamar Norman.”