The Atlantic-10's Duquesne Dukes will travel to Lexington, KY to take on the 4th ranked Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena on Friday night. Duquesne is 1-0 on the season after finishing last season 6-24 and with just one win in the Atlantic-10. Kentucky is also 1-0 on the season as they begin another quest for a National Title in 2022-23. The opening tap is scheduled for 7:00pm EST.
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Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot endured his first losing season since 1993 last season as the injury-riddled Dukes squad struggled to just six wins, including only one in-conference win. To return to his winning ways, Dambrot will have to do so with a team that has 10 new players to the program. One player anxious to get back on the court will be 6-7 forward R.J. Gunn will return this season after missing much of last season with an ankle injury. He will lead the slew of newcomers in trying to get the program back on track. Another 6-7 forward returning is Kevin Easley. The former transfer from TCU averaged nearly 11 points and 7 rebounds per game for the Dukes last season. One last player at 6-7 forward looking to come back from injury is Tre Williams. Williams led the team in blocks and also averaged nearly 11 points per game last season for Duquesne before missing the end of the season with a knee injury.
& #x201C;If we get what we anticipate out of the backcourt and our young frontcourt can play right away, there’s a lot of depth there,” Dambrot told . “If those two things happen, we’ll be able to play with anyone in the league.”
?? Rupp Arena#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/r1ZYuucpYz
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) November 10, 2022
Despite the presence of the Duke's three returning forwards, the star of the team's opening night win, 91-63 over Montana, was a newcomer, Dae Dae Grant. Grant, a transfer from Miami of Ohio, scored a game-high 25 points and didn't miss a shot, going 8-of-8 from the field and 6-of-6 from 3pt range. The win ended the 17-game losing streak that the team endured to close the 2021-22 season. Three more first-year players also scored in double figures for the Dukes. Matus Hronsky had 13 points, Joe Reece added 12 points and Quincy McGriff chipped in with 10 points. The Dukes shot 64% from the field while holding Montana to just 39% shooting. The Dukes also won the rebounding battle, 36-23.