Jim Ferry couldn’t have dreamed of a better first half for his basketball team on senior day. Duquesne (11-15, 3-10) led the entire first half, opening with an 11-2 run spurred by strong 3-point shooting and stingy defense. The Dukes shot 8 of 12 from beyond the arc in the first half, and 52 percent from the field. Soko, Gill, Jerry Jones and Ridenour all had triples, Soko also adding 19 points.
The star senior had one of his best outside shooting performances all season, hitting three deep balls in the game. This shooting performance served to highlight a monster 26 point night. His senior counterpart Jerry Jones, who also got his jersey framed today with Soko, scored six points.
At the end of the first half, there couldn’t have been anyone in the audience at Consol Energy Center stupid enough to bet that Duquesne wouldn’t break 60 by the end – but that is exactly what happened, as the Dukes scored just 15 points in the entire second half. After falling behind on a Jordan Sibert dunk with 3:09 left, Duquesne never regained the lead.
“It was a tale of two halves, I don’t really have an answer,” a frustrated coach Ferry admitted afterwards. “I can’t remember the last time a team of mine scored 15 points in the second half.”
The Dukes were visibly in complete control of the game through the entirety of the first half, even getting many of the calls to go their way. The officials let the two teams play for the most part, as each team barely hit seven fouls. The Dukes, however, were able to force the Flyers into two offensive fouls that frustrated their opponents early on.
The Duquesne defense was able to stop 6-10 center Matt Kavanaugh from racking up big numbers, and the guards did not shoot particularly well to pick up the slack early on. The Flyers shot just 32 percent in the first half, but improved that number in the second to close at 39 percent for the game. Duquesne, meanwhile, hit just 4 of its 27 second half shots, finishing the second half at a dismal 14.8 percent from the floor.
Dayton’s good second half fortunes were largely thanks to improved perimeter defense. The Flyers blanketed the Dukes’ shooters in the second half, allowing them to make just two threes. Mason was thrown completely off his game, shooting 2 of 7 from behind the arc.
“I just don’t think the looks I had in the first half were there in the second half,” said Soko, who hit three 3-pointers in the first half.
Once Sibert tied it up with his three, the overwhelming number of Dayton fans on hand were on their feet, letting themselves be heard. Their noise level seemed to double when Sibert slammed it home on their team’s next possession. In the last three minutes, Soko got to the line four times, but made just 3 of 8 free throws.
“These guys made plays and I know I didn’t,” Soko said dejectedly after the game.
Dayton was able to work Duquesne’s large lead down to around seven, and the game hovered there for what seemed like an eternity in the middle of the half. With under five minutes to play and his team down seven, Devin Oliver of Dayton went on a four point tear, including a layup and two free throws to set up the Sibert 3-pointer.
The Flyers’ momentum was unstoppable at the end, a complete turnaround from the entire first half. Still, with seconds left Duquesne had a decent chance to pull it out after Dayton was called for a five-second violation on an inbound pass. Soko got to the line and hit his first shot to make it a one-point game, but when he missed the second, Duquesne failed to foul on the rebound. This resulted in an easy basket at the other end. Two desperation 3-pointers from Mason and Jones were completely off the mark, completing the comeback win for Dayton (19-8, 7-5).
“We’ve just got to keep getting better. The tournament’s right around the corner, obviously we’ve got to win some games,” coach Ferry said.
Photo Credit: Duquesne Athletics
