Weathers, hot start carry Dukes
Duquesne has won three of four games, excited for return to on-campus home
The Duquesne’s men’s basketball team bid farewell to La Roche University’s Kerr Fitness Center with a resounding 67-50 victory Saturday against intrastate rival Saint Joseph’s.
Senior forward Marcus Weathers paced the Dukes (6-6, 5-5 Atlantic 10 Conference ) with 24 points and 12 rebounds to help the team finish this season’s schedule at La Roche with a 3-2 record.
Duquesne played at La Roche to allow renovations to be completed to the on -campus UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Weathers is the only player to start every game for Duquesne this season. The 6-foot-5 Kansas native has scored in double digits in all but one of the Dukes’ 12 contests. He recorded his second consecutive double-double, his third of the season and 14th of his career.
“I feel like we’re starting to find our identity on defense,” Weathers said. “We need to shoot better, but we are attacking the basket. We are starting to find our way.”
Duquesne won the game handily despite shooting 38.2% and not scoring for the final 4:28. Defense carried the Dukes, who held Saint Joseph’s to a seasonlow 28.3% from the field.
Michael Hughes opened the game with two of his 12 points on a layup, and Duquesne went on a 25-7 run, never trailing. The score was 40-17 at the half.
If the Dukes had shot a little better, they would’ve won the game by 20 or 30. Weathers was the only Dukes player who shot 50% from the field, finishing 8 of 16. There were a few attempts around the basket he makes most of the time.
“It’s a big adjustment,” Weathers said when asked about the shooting the smaller gym at La Roche. “Both of the rims are kind of different. They’re not the same.
“It’s a relief that this is the last game. It’s going to be great to get in a place where we have consistent rims and not have to worry about traveling so far to play a game.”
La Roche is only about 10 miles from Duquesne, but it’s a lot different than playing on campus. Traveling to home games by bus takes a lot of effort, especially with social distancing policies in place.
Duquesne has won three of its past four games. The Dukes are working to overcome a three-week lapse in games because of a COVID19 outbreak within the team.
It also is battling back from losing three starters. Sincere Carry and Lamar Norman left the program and entered the transfer portal. Maceo Austin is on a leave of absence for personal reasons.
Tavian Dunn-Martin had 7 points and 4 assists for the Dukes. Toby Okani, Chad Baker and Tyson Acuff all contributed Saturday and in the run that that Duquesne back to .500 for the first time since it was 22 after a loss Jan. 3 at George Washington.
The 3-pointer was a big part of both teams’ offense, each attempting 28 from long range. Neither shot well. Duquesne hit just six while the Hawks made seven.
“There aren’t a lot of teams that come back from all the stuff we’ve dealt with this season,” Dukes coach Keith Dambrot said. “We have a tough team. I’m so proud of how we’ve fought.”
Wins against Fordham, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph’s will provide some assurance. That confidence will get tested when the Dayton Flyers come to the new arena at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Duquesne struggled against Dayton in a 72-63 loss Jan 13. If Weathers is right, Tuesday could be a fun opening night.
“We are fighting to be a good team,” Weathers said. “We know we have some tough competition coming up. We are looking forward to playing well in our new home.”
The Dukes were 7-2 at La Roche dating to the 2019-20 season.