Robert Morris men edge Youngstown State in OT in championship game rematch
Youngstown State had payback on its mind. Robert Morris had another idea. In a rematch of the Horizon League Tournament championship game victory that vaulted Robert Morris into the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the Colonials came from behind Wednesday night to again beat the Penguins, this time in overtime....
Pitt men slip to 5-6 on season after loss at Villanova
Pitt took on an old basketball acquaintance Saturday on the road, looking to end a two-game losing streak. In their first meeting with Villanova in 12 years, the Panthers couldn’t keep up. “We haven’t been able to sustain how we have to play in order to be good on either...
Duquesne men down Stony Brook behind John Hugley IV’s 25 points
At 6-foot-10 and 265 pounds, Duquesne’s John Hugley IV was making his presence felt, first outside the arc and then down low. Simply put, “Big John” was having another big game. “Just grateful that I can put this uniform on and share it with my teammates,” Hugley said Saturday after...
Duquesne storms back from behind to take lead but ultimately loses to William & Mary
The hole was too deep. The road was too long. Duquesne’s furious comeback wasn’t enough. But almost. “I’ll commend my guys on their fight. I do believe we showed some of that,” Dukes coach Dru Joyce III said. “We weren’t able to pull it out. We had an opportunity to...
Robert Morris men run home winning streak to 13
Nine games after a season for the ages and with the Horizon League opener looming, Robert Morris coach Andy Toole isn’t sure his current roster, which includes just one player from an NCAA Tournament team, has the makeup of a consistent winner. Ready or not, here comes the first conference...
Pitt hits late 3 to defeat Ohio State as time expires
“Polo! Polo!” The chants were loud, the cheers were real for Pitt’s Damarco Minor, the proud-talking fifth-year point guard they call “Polo,” who’s in his first season with the Panthers. Well, “Polo” just made a shot heard ’round Oakland. In just Minor’s eighth game at Pitt after spending a year...
Duquesne hits triple digits in win over Central State
Duquesne can be happy with the win. The Dukes’ defense? That’s another matter. Through seven games, it’s no secret coach Dru Joyce III’s focus has centered around the pace of his team’s play. “We’re not playing in the 60s now,” he said. “We’re playing in the 90s, almost.” With it,...
Duquesne has return to coach Joyce’s hometown spoiled by Northeastern’s 93-86 victory
AKRON, Ohio — Maybe it was too much for this particular group. Maybe the hype and festivities surrounding a game at their coach’s high school had consumed them. With all the planned activities during a small window of time, when it came game time, maybe they just forgot how to...
Duquesne coach Dru Joyce III gets back to Akron roots for game vs. Northeastern
By now, you’ve probably heard the story of Dru Joyce III. A fascinating tale about his winding journey from boyhood phenom on the high school hardwood while playing alongside lifelong friend LeBron James at Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary to his college playing days as a slick point guard at...
Duquesne gets back on track with win over Loyola (Md.)
Following its first hiccup of the season, Duquesne found its stride again. John Hugley IV scored 20 points, Tarence Guinyard and Cam Crawford added 19 apiece and the Dukes rebounded from their first loss of the season to beat Loyola (Md.), 92-78, Wednesday night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. All 11...
Robert Morris men dispatch Division III Pitt-Greensburg, but coach Toole unhappy with Colonials’ effort
Robert Morris made it two one-sided victories in three days against visiting Division III opponents, thumping Pitt-Greensburg, 81-57, on Thursday night at UPMC Events Center. The win — however uninspired it seemed to RMU coach Andy Toole — comes on the heels of a 93-47 rout of Geneva on Monday...
As quality of competition ramps up, Duquesne sneaks past Queens in OT
It took overtime for Duquesne to pass its first serious test against an unlikely opponent. Queens, a fourth-year Division I program, gave the Dukes a spirited challenge Tuesday night. In the end, Duquesne won out. John Hugley IV scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and the Dukes overcame a...
Robert Morris works on chemistry in win over Division III Geneva in home opener
Andy Toole was watching. Apparently, his players sensed it, too. All Robert Morris’ veteran basketball coach wanted to see Monday night was a hint of maturity from his reconstructed team. “It’s all part of the process of becoming a good team,” Toole said following the new-look Colonials’ 93-47 dismantling of...
Duquesne pulls out win over Sacred Heart on 25-point performances from Hugley, Guinyard
Back in Pittsburgh again, John Hugley IV was having a ball Friday night at Duquesne’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. “Big John” was putting on a show. “We want to excite the crowd and feed off their energy. It rolls both ways,” Duquesne coach Dru Joyce III said after the Dukes beat...
Robert Morris takes lumps in opener at Iowa
The sequel to an unbelievable men’s basketball season at Robert Morris finally got underway Tuesday night for the Colonials with a tough Midwest assignment. As expected, the new-look Colonials, a year removed from their first Horizon League championship, failed Iowa’s challenging test, falling behind quickly and losing 101-69 at Carver-Hawkeye...
Duquesne routs Niagara to open season with positive vibes
As college basketball mismatches go, this one was typical: A heavily favored team bullies its outmanned visitors and the home faithful leave giddy. But unlike a year ago, when the Duquesne Dukes opened with a new lineup and failed to live up to their reasonably high expectations, this revamped group...
Duquesne men’s basketball seeks strong start in Joyce’s 2nd year at helm
Dru Joyce III is well aware of the struggles Duquesne faced in his first season as a Division I head basketball coach after the Dukes’ miraculous run to a long-awaited return to the NCAA Tournament a year earlier. For example, that ugly 0-6 start stands out. A new team dominated...
New-look Robert Morris begins quest to defend Horizon League championship
Can he do it again? Will ultra-persistent coach Andy Toole succeed in inducing another fresh roster of basketball players to bond at Robert Morris and make a run at back-to-back Horizon League championships? “We’ll see how it all plays out,” Toole said last week while putting the finishing touches on...
Freeport tops Beaver in back-and-forth contest
John Gaillot searched for the words. In the moment Friday night, all the Freeport football coach could think of was the sweet playoff victory his team just finished off at home against Beaver. Never mind that the eighth-seeded Yellowjackets earned a date with unbeaten and top-seeded Avonworth in the WPIAL...
Duquesne picks up exhibition win over ACC foe at Virginia Tech
Even without one of the Atlantic 10’s biggest big men for much of Saturday’s exhibition men’s basketball game, Duquesne impressed. Tarence Guinyard and Jimmie Williams, a pair of first-year Dukes, scored 21 points apiece and Duquesne survived the loss of John Hugley IV to a first-half ejection to come away...
Duquesne sneaks past Virginia Tech in exhibition hoops game
Even without its biggest big man for much of Saturday’s exhibition men’s basketball game, Duquesne impressed. Tarence Guinyard and Jimmie Williams, a pair of first-year Dukes, scored 21 points apiece and the Dukes survived the loss of John Hugley IV to a first-half ejection to come away with an 83-81...
University Prep dominates Westinghouse to win 1st City League title in 7 years
Lou Berry was in demand, but what he really wanted at the time was his phone. “I need to find it,” the University Prep football coach said in a frantic moment during the midst of a chaotic celebration at Cupples Stadium on Saturday, where the Wildcats dethroned three-time City League...
Yacamelli leads Penn-Trafford as Warriors celebrate senior night with win over Latrobe
For John Ruane, all that remained was taking care of his seniors on Penn-Trafford’s senior night. Make no mistake, the Warriors’ longtime football coach adores every one of them. “It’s a big goal, obviously, to get them into the lineup. We have some great kids,” Ruane said. “And they’re absolutely...
After spurning transfer portal, David Dixon ready to chase another A-10 title at Duquesne
Transfer portal? What transfer portal? Since the advent seven years ago of the application, database and compliance tool that regulates player movement from one school to the next, seemingly everyone is on the move in the revised NCAA. Not David Dixon. Although five of the Duquesne senior forward’s teammates landed...
Shaler upends Franklin Regional in PK shootout to earn long-awaited playoff win
Bill Ament stood facing his players on the sideline and flashed a wide grin. “We’re practicing tomorrow, you know?” the Shaler girls soccer coach said firmly. With that, he offered a nod and a wink while hoping for a favorable response. Indeed, his Titans players made no effort to hide...