It was clear that things were starting to wobble for the Duquesne Dukes in their second-round Atlantic 10 Tournament game Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
And it was clear why.
A second-half lead over Rhode Island that was once 12 points had been cut in half with just over six minutes to go.
Jakub Necas, the team’s 6-foot-10 forward, had just fouled out. David Dixon, the team’s other primary big man, was already on the bench with four fouls.
Coach Dru Joyce III had a choice to make with the lead — and his season — on the line. Put in a depth center, such as John Hughley (who hadn’t played in the second half), risk Dixon’s fifth foul, or go with a small lineup. Joyce went with the third option.
It paid off.
Playing with no one taller than 6-5 on the court, Duquesne guard Jimmie Williams forced a steal on the first possession after Necas fouled out. He got an assist from Brandon Hall and scored on a layup.
The Dukes then proceeded to get points on their next three possessions as well.
“Offensively, I think we shared the ball a ton tonight,” forward Alex Williams said. “That’s been something that we’ve been working on — something that we’ve been trying to implement all year. Just sharing the ball, and guys have a next man up mentality.”
Initially, on defense, it appeared to be more of a struggle. After the Jimmie Williams steal and layup immediately following Necas’ disqualification, URI had an extended offensive possession. It featured three offensive rebounds, a forced foul against Jimmie Williams and, eventually, a made basket by Jahmere Tripp to close the gap within six again.
From there, though, the Dukes were able to steady the ship on defense. The Rams never got the lead below five points, and the Dukes were able to hold on to win 67-61.
“We communicated pretty well down the stretch,” Jimmie Williams said. “Communicated and talked. And we were physical with the bigger guys on the court.”
In all, playing almost three minutes with both Dixon and Necas on the bench, not only did the Dukes maintain their lead, they cushioned it to seven.
“They handled it tremendously,” Joyce said. “During that stretch, just imploring them, ‘This possession, we’ve got to be even tougher than the last one — and then the next one.’ We battled with some smaller lineups. Guys stepped up and played big. I thought they had to play smaller, too, which helped us in ways. It was guards on guards out there at a certain point. There were some key stops and key rebounds in there when they did miss. I thought we finished possessions pretty well.”
Upon re-entry, Dixon picked up a block, two steals and drew a foul. He played the remaining 3 minutes, 54 seconds without picking up his fifth foul.
Alex Williams led the team with 22 points. Jimmie Williams had 17. Tarence Guinyard added 15. Dixon posted nine rebounds, four points, a block and two steals in 18:16 of game action.
Dukes stamping a spot in the Quarterfinals! ???? @DuqMBB #A10MBB #A10FIFTY pic.twitter.com/XVOOOlrWs3
— Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball (@A10MBB) March 12, 2026
Now the Dukes have to face second-seeded VCU in Friday’s quarterfinal at 5 p.m. They lost to the Rams, 93-80, at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Jan. 3.
“That game was a long time ago,” Joyce said. “Elements of that game, we didn’t play very well. Early in the game, the tempo was more to their pace, and they played really well. They came onto our home court. I thought they challenged us defensively and offensively. But the run coming back to stay in the game, it’s just who we have to be. We play until they tell you we can’t play anymore.”
The next time the Dukes are told such a thing, it’ll be the end of their season. That’s something they don’t want to endure with three more rounds to go in this conference tournament in their home city.
