By Joseph Sykes | Sports Editor
The Duquesne men’s basketball team secured their second-straight win over an Atlantic 10 opponent Saturday night after defeating the St. Bonaventure Bonnies 95-88. The Dukes snapped the upstate New York school’s five-game winning streak and handed them their first conference loss this season.
The Dukes’ victory was highlighted by their ability to find the scoring column. Five members of the Red & Blue scored in double digits with seniors Micah Mason and Derrick Colter leading the way with 27 and 23 points respectively.
While the upperclassmen were key to the team’s success, sophomore TySean Powell shined during the first half of play. Powell had two back-to-back hammer dunks that got both his teammates and the crowd off their seats. He would finish the game with 10 total points.
Throughout the game, the Dukes were able to balance their shots well with 46 of them coming from the paint. However, it seemed as if the Bonnies were able to answer every score. Over the course of the matchup, the lead changed 12 different times, proving that this one was a thriller to be remembered.
Head coach Jim Ferry was impressed with a number of players after his team’s big win over one of the better teams in the A-10. He was particularly satisfied with how both Powell and Nakye Sanders played after coming off the bench in the first half.
“It was a great effort from everybody tonight,” Ferry said. “TySean and Nakye really stepped up with Darius [Lewis] and L.G. [Gill] in foul trouble in the first half.”
As mentioned above, Powell scored 10 points over 22 minutes of play while Sanders was able snag three rebounds.
Duquesne was solid on defense and turned the ball over only six times in the second half. The Dukes nailed 24-31 from the foul line as well as 11 straight down the stretch, in turn, making Ferry a happy man.
“We really stepped up and made our free throws,” he said. “That’s huge. That’s a sign of a team that is getting mature and is able to win games late.”
The Dukes look to extend their winning streak to three games this Wednesday when they travel to Richmond, Va. to take on VCU. The Rams currently hold a 5-0 record in the A-10 and an overall record of 13-5 making this an even tougher test than the Bonnies were. Following their bout with the Rams, Duquesne will head to Fairfax, Va. to face George Mason Saturday night.
