Duquesne falls to 0-6 after loss to Hampton in Cayman Islands Classic
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Duquesne’s nightmarish start continues.
A year after making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 47 years, the Dukes’ season-opening losing streak in men’s basketball reached six games Monday at the Cayman Islands Classic, the worst start in the 110-year history of the program.
Hampton’s Noah Farrakhan scored 24 points, including a go-ahead basket with 44 seconds left, to lead the Pirates to a 64-59 victory over Duquesne in the second round of the three-day tournament in George Town, Grand Cayman.
Duquesne (0-6) will try again Tuesday to get Dru Joyce III his first college coaching victory as the Dukes will face Old Dominion at 11 a.m. The Monarchs were beaten by High Point, 73-67.
Farrakhan shot 9 for 18 and added five rebounds and three assists for Hampton (3-4), a Coastal Athletic Association member predicted to finish 13th out of 14 teams in a preseason poll.
The Pirates erased Duquesne’s biggest lead of 55-47 by outscoring the Dukes, 17-4, over the final 5:28. The Dukes squandered two opportunities in the final 20 seconds to tie or take the lead but lost possession and finished with a season-high 18 turnovers.
Jake DiMichele’s 13 points led Duquesne, which lost starting forward David Dixon in the first half. The 6-foot-9 junior was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul along with Hampton’s Xzavier Long.
In Dixon’s place, 6-9 Chabi Barre, in just his second game after missing Duquesne’s first four contests with a hamstring injury, finished with a career-high 11 rebounds while matching career highs with eight points and four blocks.