Dunn-Martin scores 30 as Dukes rally for win
Guard also has career high with seven 3-pointers
Tavian Dunn-Martin is listed at 5 feet 8.
That might be a little bit of a stretch.
His size, though, hasn’t stopped him from producing since he transferred to Duquesne from Akron, and it didn’t stop him from hanging 30 points and seven 3-pointers, both career highs, on Massachusetts in the Dukes’ come-from-behind 80-73 win Saturday at Palumbo Center.
“The little guy was like playing in high school again,” Dukes coach Keith Dambrot said. “That’s how he played in high school. He just flung them up there, flinging and stinging them. We don’t win without him, really. We were mediocre at best. They’re a talented team. They just beasted us on the boards.”
No word yet on how the sophomore guard feels about being labeled “the little guy.”
But Dunn-Martin, who also tied his career high with six assists, opened with a 3 on Duquesne’s first possession and seemingly couldn’t miss, shooting 9 for 12 from the field (7 of 9 from 3, 5 of 5 from the free-throw line).
At 19-10 overall and 10-6 in the Atlantic 10, Duquesne has set a Palumbo Center record with 14 home wins and has clinched the program’s sixth winning record in the A10 (out of 42 seasons). Those 10 conference wins tie a school record.
This marked Duquesne’s eighth double-digit comeback win this season.
“Coach hates it,” DunnMartin said of all the holes Duquesne has dug itself into this season. “He hates it… But we just try to fight hard, no matter how much we’re down.”
Duquesne traiIed by 11 points in the first half and 10 in the second half, but a 3pointer by Dunn-Martin tied the score at 67-67 and another at the 4:18 mark gave Duquesne its first lead since being up 8-7 early. The Dukes never gave up the lead after that, with a key dunk by sophomore forward Marcus Weathers putting them up by five.
It’s hard to defend distance, Dambrot pointed out, with Dunn-Martin pulling up from close to the UPMC logo once. He made contested 3’s over taller defenders and he wasn’t afraid to drive and draw contact.
“Definitely top 2,” DunnMartin said of where he’d rank this game. “Winning the state championship was probably the best, or when I scored 52 points in AAU. But that was definitely up there for me … I think I was feeling it early, when I made my first two. My teammates did a good job of finding me and getting me open. It was going in tonight.”
With Duquesne trailing, 63-56, sophomore center Mike Hughes, who had 17 points and 9 rebounds, catalyzed the offense, tipping an inbounds pass right at the baseline, spinning around and finishing with a onehanded slam.
Duquesne closed the first half on a 7-0 run (six of those points coming from Dunn-Martin) to trail 34-32 at halftime. The Dukes shot 36 percent in the first half and 51.7 percent in the second (44.4 percent overall to Massachusetts’ 43.9 percent).
Playing five of seven games on the road in February may have something to do with the team’s up-anddown nature, per Dambrot. The Dukes were crushed on the boards, 49-24, with Massachusetts grabbing 20 offensive rebounds.
“Teams go in streaks,” Dambrot said. “They hit the wall at different times, and I felt like we were a little bit, a little frazzled and uptight, and not much juice. But enough to win.”
Massachusetts center Rashaan Holloway (6-11, 310) gave Duquesne problems all game, scoring 14 and tallying 13 rebounds, but he fouled out with a little more than a minute to play.
Next up, Duquesne plays at Saint Louis at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Dukes conclude the season at home at 7 p.m. Saturday vs. Dayton before the Atlantic 10 tournament begins March 13 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
With Duquesne entering Saturday’s game a spot behind
George Mason and St. Bonaventure, which are tied for fourth place in the Atlantic 10 standings, its odds at a double bye in the Atlantic 10 took a big hit with its disappointing 68-47 loss to the Bonnies on Tuesday.
But the Dukes will look to finish the season strong and enter the conference tournament on the upswing.