Duquesne rallies from 16-point 1st half deficit to top Indiana State, 92-86

For the second time this month, Duquesne had to demonstrate resiliency and focus to pull off a win at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

On Dec. 3, the Dukes faced an early 14-point hole against Ball State and trailed for the entirety of the first half before battling back and winning by a point on an improbable buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Jimmy Clark III.

Saturday afternoon, Duquesne hosted Indiana State, currently the top team in the Missouri Valley Conference, and quickly, things degenerated for the Dukes, who trailed by 14 seven minutes into the game.

The Sycamores’ lead would reach as high as 16 early into the first half, but the Dukes (9-3) fought back to trail by just a point at halftime and rallied from seven deficits of at least six points in the second half to come away with the 92-86 win.

Five Dukes scored in the double-digits: Tre Williams (19), Jimmy Clark III (17), Joe Reece (16), Dae Dae Grant (15) and Kareem Rozier (10).

A key 15-4 run kicked off by a Grant 3-pointer with 6 minutes, 55 seconds to play, allowed Duquesne to seize control of the game. The Dukes took a 75-73 lead with just over five minutes left and never trailed again.

“In the last five, six minutes, we made every play, offensively especially,” Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot said. “More defensively than they did. That was the difference in the game.”

Williams proved to be the star of the afternoon, lighting up his former team for a new season-best in points on 8-of-9 shooting. He also led the Dukes with eight rebounds. The 6-foot-7 junior forward played his first two seasons with the Sycamores before transferring to Duquesne ahead of last season.

“It feels really good,” Williams said. “I know a couple of those guys over there, and they’re really competitive, so I wanted to come out here today, make a statement and get the win. … I wanted the bragging rights for this game this year.”

The Dukes were without graduate transfer point guard Tevin Brewer for the second straight game because of injury. In his place, freshman Kareem Rozier stepped into a primary role. In 16:53 off the bench, he hit some key baskets, including both of his attempted 3-pointers in the second half.

Reece’s presence in the low post, if not evidenced by his 16 points alone, was critical for Duquesne, especially in the first half as the Dukes chipped away at their deficit.

He attempted just six shots from the floor (making four) but went 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. As a team, Duquesne made 23 of 26 (88.5%) of its free throws.

“Joe Reece has been in a million ball games, and he’s a talented guy,” Dambrot said. “… He’s got a good skill set, and he’s got good touch.”

With Saturday’s win, just one nonconference game — Wednesday against Winthrop — remains for the Dukes before Atlantic 10 play gets underway.