Shorthanded Duquesne Pulls Major Upset Over George Mason
Winning on the road is difficult regardless of the circumstances but the challenge was even more difficult for Dru Joyce’s Duquesne Dukes men’s basketball team.
Not only were the Dukes traveling to take on George Mason, who came into the game with a record of 20-2 but they would be without two starters- Tarence Guinyard, the team’s leading scorer, and Jakub Necas, its leading rebounder.
Despite the odds, Duquesne was able to pull out an impressive 71-65 victory over George Mason, which was their first home loss this season. With the win, Duquesne improves to 13-10 and 5-5 in the A-10.
With the losses from his starting lineup, Joyce gave Alex Williams the start and he delivered by scoring 25 points in his first start of the season. Williams helped Duquesne erase an eight-point 2nd half deficit by scoring 11 points in the final six minutes of the game.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Williams missed all of last season with a knee injury after transferring in from Furman.
Trailing 58-50, Duquesne went on an 11-3 run and tied the game on a pair of free throws from Williams.
Late in the game and trailing by 3 points, Brandon Hall connected on a 3-pointer, which tied the game at 65 apiece. Then with 40 seconds left, senior David Dixon gave the Dukes the lead with an offensive rebound putback.
Williams then iced the game with 4 consecutive makes from the free throw line.
Duquesne’s Stat Sheet:
*Alex Williams- 25 points, 4 rebounds
*Jimmie Williams- 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists
*David Dixon- 13 points, 7 rebounds
*Jake DiMichele- 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
*Cam Crawford- 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist
*Brandon Hall- 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists
*John Hugley– 2 points and 1 rebound
Next up for Duquesne is a matchup at home on Saturday against George Washington.
With 8 games left in the regular season, here is a look at the current A-10 standings.
ATLANTIC 10 STANDINGS
Saint Louis: 10-0
George Mason: 8-2
VCU: 8-2
Saint Joseph’s: 7-3
Dayton: 6-4
Duquesne: 5-5
Davidson: 5-5
George Washington: 4-6
Rhode Island: 4-5
Richmond: 3-7
Fordham: 3-7
LaSalle: 3-7
St. Bonaventure: 2-8
Loyola (Ill.): 2-9
