Duquesne returns ‘home,’ falls flat against Davidson
Share this post:
If he was prone to making excuses and covering up for his team’s problems, Keith Dambrot could have blamed fatigue and a crowded schedule for Duquesne’s 61-48 loss to Davidson on Tuesday night.
After shedding the cloak of covid-19 that canceled or postponed multiple practices and games last month, the Dukes (2-3, 1-2 Atlantic 10) played their third game in four days. They looked like a tired team playing in an empty gym at LaRoche University’s Kerr Fitness Center.
As Dambrot described it, “We just died on the vine, really.”
The Dukes are playing their second season without a home to call their own while construction continues on the renovated UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. After practices, they have to go elsewhere to shower. They travel 20 minutes off campus to play so-called home games.
But Dambrot was emphatic in his postgame declaration when he said none of that matters, “Because nobody cares.”
“The reality is we’re just not a very good team right now. That’s the facts. But the bigger issue is do we have the fight to fix it. I know I do.”
He’s encouraged because he’s recruited and worked with these players for a long time. He’s seen them bounce back from adversity in previous seasons
“We’ve always shown a lot of fight,” he said, “but this is strange times. It’s a strange, strange year. The problem is I don’t want to beat a dead horse. You can beat them up, but (recovery) is on them.
“We’re going to have to win ugly for another week and half or so until we play ourselves into shape. Obviously, we’re not in game shape and we paid the price.”
After taking a 24-12 lead with seven minutes left in the first half, Duquesne looked disjointed on offense and was outscored by Davidson (6-4, 2-1), 49-24, the rest of the night.
They shot 28.8 percent from the field (15 of 52), second-worst in four years under Dambrot.
“You can’t shoot 15 for 52,” he said. “You can’t win a CYO game doing that.”
Marcus Weathers led the Dukes with 12 points. Center Michael Hughes added nine while guards Sincere Carry and Tavian Dunn-Martin had seven each.
After starting guard Lamar Norman Jr. announced his plans to leave the program, Dambrot turned to Pitt transfer Ryan Murphy, who contributed five points.
Duquesne led at halftime, 26-25, but Davidson grabbed its first lead in the first 30 seconds of the second half and was never threatened.
Duquesne’s only basket in the first 12 minutes, 54 seconds after intermission was a 3-pointer by Hughes.
“Our fluidity on offense was really bad,” Dambrot said. “We just stood around. We just had some bad habits, a little reliant on sets rather than just playing basketball.
“We have to coach them better and we have to play better. Simple as that.
“The only thing I know to do is to go back to basics, keep challenging them, keep supporting them, keep holding everybody accountable, including our coaching staff. Just do the best we can under the circumstances.”