Duquesne (2-2) held Albany without a field goal in the last 5:28 of the game to garner a 70-59 victory. The win came after a 96-83 shootout road loss to West Virginia November 17th in Morgantown. The win was Duquesne’s second home victory of the season and revenge for last year’s defeat in Albany.
The Dukes led by 14 at the half, yet fell behind by a 57-56 margin with 5:28 left to play. But Ferry’s team was able to lock down defensively like they managed to do in the first half, where they held their opponents to just 16 points.
The Great Danes (2-2) came storming out of the locker room, however. “When you hold a team to 16 total points in the first half, and then they come out and score 18 points in the first four minutes to the media timeout it’s a little concerning,” Ferry told the media after the game.
Albany hit 17 of their 21 shots between the start of the second half and the 5:28 mark. Luckily, several Duquesne players were able to step up and hit big shots down the stretch.
Ovie Soko, who finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds, scored 5 straight points on a dribble-drive penetration and a 3-pointer to put the Dukes ahead by five with about three and a half minutes to play. Derrick Colter and Tra’vaughn White were able to hit key free throws, while Albany went stone cold from the field.
Duquesne shot a respectable .455 from the field, while five different players hit 3-pointers. Soko went 3 for 3 from behind the arc. Albany shot 4 of 14 from long range, Peter Hooley led the Great Danes with 21 points.
Duquesne has a lengthy idle period until they face off against Pitt at the Consol Energy Center for the City Game. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 PM on Saturday, November 30th. Pittsburgh should prove to be the toughest non-conference test of the year for Duquesne. The Dukes are also scheduled to face UMBC, Penn State, and Robert Morris in December.
Photo Credit: Duquesne Athletics
