Dayton (10-6, 2-1) plays Duquesne (6-8, 1-1) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Pittsburgh at the old Palumbo Center, now called the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Duquesne debuted the renovated Fieldhouse in a 69-64 victory against Dayton a season ago, ending a six-game losing streak in the series.
Dayton took momentum into that game, having played well in victories against Saint Louis and Rhode Island after a 66-43 loss to Virginia Commonwealth, and it’s a similar story this season. Dayton lost 53-52 to VCU at home and then beat George Washington and Saint Louis. The Flyers would like to keep the momentum going this time.
“I think the preparation going into our last game at GW was good, and we got good results,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said Thursday, “and I thought our preparation for Saint Louis was good, and we got good results.”
Duquesne did not get a good result in its last game. It lost 72-71 at Fordham on Wednesday four days after winning 78-74 at Massachusetts. The Dukes had nine turnovers against UMass and 15 against Fordham. Jackie Johnson Jr. scored 13 against Fordham after scoring 27 against UMass.
Fordham (9-5, 2-0), a perennial A-10 cellar-dweller that has already matched its A-10 win totals of the last two seasons, beat Duquesne on a jump shot by Antonio Daye Jr. with four seconds left.
“They had a tough loss last night on the road,” Grant said, “so we’ve got to be ready for the road environment and everything that comes with it.”
Earlier in the season, Duquesne had its ups and downs before being shut down by a COVID-19 outbreak after a 76-54 victory against UC Irvine on Dec. 19. Dambrot told TribLive.com the entire coaching staff and all but three players tested positive, and he got so sick he said it was one of the toughest things he’s experienced in the last 20 years.
The team had its last non-conference game cancelled and its first three A-10 games postponed. The Dukes finished 21-9 two years ago in Dambrot’s third season. That marked the third straight season they had improved their record under Dambrot. Last season, they slipped to 9-9.
“I rebooted the group with the idea that we could get back to championship quality within a couple years,” Dambrot said. “I feel like we’ve made progress in that direction. We’re not that far away from being a good team. We played our best game of the year and then we got shut down.”
Duquesne has averaged 1,984 fans at six home games. This will be its first A-10 home game.
Dayton’s 83-58 victory at George Washington on Saturday was its first true road victory of the season. That game was played in front of close to 50 spectators because of George Washington’s decision to not allow ticketed fans into games.
“I think it was really important from a confidence standpoint to be able to come back and get the first road kill,” Dayton forward Toumani Camara said. “Like Coach says, the best way to learn is from victory.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Dayton at Duquense, 12:30 p.m., USA Network, 1290, 95.7
About the Author
