Rocky year ends in disappointment
St. Bonaventure takes advantage of sluggish Duquesne
‘Kind of got what we deserved’
Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot didn’t make any excuses Friday after a 75-59 loss against St. Bonaventure at Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond.
“I take full responsibility,” Dambrot said via Zoom after the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament quarterfinal defeat. “Our issues today were predictable in some ways. I feel like we kind of got what we deserved.”
Those are harsh words from a 62-year-old coach who’s trying to reverse a lot of lousy basketball history at Duquesne. It’s been a long time since this was the type of program that drew in legends such asChuck Cooper and Norm Nixon.
Duquesne hadn’t advanced in the A-10 tournament since 2015 before Thursday’s victory against Richmond. The loss Friday for the ninth-seeded Dukes makes them 7-15 in quarterfinal games in the conference tournament.
Dambrot’s words were jarring. His postgame address to reporters was as honest as a coach will ever describe a season, one impacted by two lengthy stoppages related to COVID-19 and seeing top players Sincere Carry and Larry Norman Jr. leave the program during the season to transfer.
“We played just as inconsistent in that game as we have all season,” Dambrot said. “Our effort at the start of the game was pitiful.”
Dambrot came off a bit gruff after the loss. But the scoreboard agrees with him. The Dukes missed 17 of their first 21 shots as St. Bonaventure jumped to a 2311 lead.
It didn’t get much better for Duquesne (9-9) as the half continued. The Dukes went into the locker room down, 40-19.
“If we would’ve played even a mediocre first half, we probably would’ve had a chance,” Dambrot said. “We didn’t play well enough to win. We didn’t get the job done.”
Dominick Welch and Osunniyi Osun led the top-seeded Bonnies with 18 points each. Osun also added 14 rebounds, while Welch was one rebound away from a double-double.
The Dukes struggled to keep the pair from scoring in the paint, where Duquesne was outscored, 50-30.
There was a glimmer of hope in the second half. Freshman Toby Okani’s dunk with 13:42 left was a capstone moment. He celebrated with an exuberance that Duquesne hadn’t seen much of this season. The Dukes cut the Bonnies’ advantage from 20 to eight in a 1:47 span with a 12-0 run capped by an Okani free throw. Okani had a solid game with a career- high nine rebounds. He also hit a 3-pointer that started the 12-0 run.
Okani helped make an otherwise dull game intriguing for a
few minutes. Unfortunately, a few seconds after his dunk, the reality of the loss swiftly arrived for him and the Dukes. They missed 15 of their next 16 shots after the big dunk, and St. Bonaventure pushed the lead to 65-42 with less than five minutes remaining.
Michael Hughes paced the Dukes with 15 points and Tavian Dunn-Martin had 12 in what might be their final games at Duquesne. Fellow senior Marcus Weathers scored only six points, which is well below his season average of 15.9. He joined his fellow senior Hughes on the podium for the virtual media opportunity.
Typically, this would be a farewell moment for the seniors. But the trio of Hughes, DunnMartin and Weathers could return to campus next season. An NCAA rule allowing all athletes an extra year of eligibility changed the tone when a reporter posed the inevitable question.
“The season hasn’t been over for 15 minutes,” Hughes said when asked if he wanted to return. “I want to take some time and evaluate everything.”
Both players were non-committal, as they should be. Maybe they want to end their college careers. Perhaps they want to try another university, similar to their former teammates and other players at programs in Pittsburgh and around the nation. Or they might decide to stay for another run.
It’s uncertain when either of the seniors will announce a decision. But the offseason is here for Dambrot, and he’s trying to get ready.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Dambrot said. “We weren’t as connected as we should’ve been this season. I guarantee it won’t happen again. We are going to recruit the type of players that put winning first.”