Duquesne bounced back in a big way from its first loss of the season at No. 4 Kentucky on Friday, trouncing South Carolina State on Monday night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
The Dukes were never threatened, got a balanced offensive attack and rolled to a 96-71 win.
Dae Dae Grant led Duquesne with 14 points, while Jimmy Clark III had 13 while shooting 6-of-6 from the field. Thirteen different players scored for the Dukes, including R.J. Gunn and Kevin Easley Jr. chipping in nine apiece off the bench. Austin Rotroff had seven points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
Duquesne stormed out to a 50-29 halftime lead and continued to cruise in the second half. The Dukes led by as many as 33 points at one point.
Duquesne made 11 3-pointers and shot 47 percent from the field overall, while holding South Carolina State to 39 percent.
What a way to finish the half, @DuqMBB π€© pic.twitter.com/qWN9Z56J06
β CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) November 15, 2022
The Dukes' 96 points were the third most during coach Keith Dambrot's tenure. They scored 101 in a triple-overtime victory against La Salle in 2018 and 97 in a blowout against Delaware State in 2017.
The game was part of the Tribute Classic, with the Dukes' first game in that event resulting in a 77-52 loss to No. 4 Kentucky on Friday at Rupp Arena.
Duquesne improved to 2-1, while South Carolina State dropped to 0-3.
The Dukes' next game will be Friday at 6 p.m. against Colgate. It will be played at LeBron James Arena at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, where Duquesne's Dambrot once coached James during his high school career.
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