Duquesne (5-7, 0-1) fell to Dayton (11-2, 1-0) 81-55 in their Atlantic 10 opener Saturday at the UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Dayton’s sophomore guard Kyle Davis scored a game-high 17 points in leading the Flyers to a victory over the Dukes, who scored their second fewest points in a game this season next to a 52-point performance against Saint Francis on Dec. 17.
Duquesne’s junior forward Jeremiah Jones led his team with 10 points. Freshman Eric James put up nine points for the Dukes, making 3-of-5 attempts from the 3-point arc.
The Dukes shot just 34.4 percent from the field. Junior guards Micah Mason and Jordan Stevens shot a combined 0-of-13 from the field and 0-of-7 from the 3-point arc.
Duquesne made their first three shots of the game but made only seven of its next 30, finishing the half 39-22 with a Dayton lead.
“We did some things very well early, but then we had some major breakdowns,” Duquesne head coach Jim Ferry said. “More of it was our offense, which led to transition offense for them and it really hurt us. When you shoot 30 percent, you are playing so much in transition—in transition defense—that’s where we really broke down.”
Dayton’s redshirt senior guard Jordan Sibert hit five 3-pointers for the Flyers. Junior forward Dyshawn Pierre, sophomore guard Scoochie Smith, and Sibert each finished with 16 points. The team shot 56.6 percent from the field, hitting five 3-pointers in the final 6:03 of the game.
Saturday’s game was the Atlantic 10 opener for both schools.
“Dayton did a great job offensively,” Ferry said. “Those are experienced, physical guys who know how to play.”
Duquesne plays Saint Joseph’s (6-6, 0-1) Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 7:00 pm ET at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
Photo Credit: Duquesne University
