As the clock hit triple zeroes in the first half at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Friday night, there was more nervous energy than anything for Duquesne fans. The Duquesne Dukes (2-0) had found themselves in a tight, physical battle in the trenches with the Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-1). However, the fans were quickly assured that this team would not fold, thanks to big performances from John Hugley IV and Tarence Guinyard that propelled them to a 92-80 win.
Hugley and Guinyard both scored 25 points in Friday’s contest, with Hugley snagging eight boards and Guinyard dishing seven assists as well to further contribute to the win.
Duquesne jumped out to a quick 11-4 advantage in the first half before the first four minutes had even elapsed. Dukes’ guards Guinyard and Jimmie Williams both picked up right where they left off on Monday, scoring or assisting on 9 of those points. A Williams pull-up jumper extended the lead to 10 a couple of minutes later, which was counteracted by a 6-0 Pioneers run to slash the lead to 16-12.
The Dukes would stretch the lead as far as 27-19, but the Pioneers roared back to the tune of a 13-4 run to take a 32-31 lead. Four ties and five lead changes later, the Dukes held a slim 45-42 halftime advantage. Guinyard and Pioneers guard Nyle Ralph-Beyer led each of their respective sides with 15 points at the break.
The score stayed close in the initial four minutes of the second half, but then Duquesne made its run. They went on a furious 10-2 run in the span of just 1 minute and 27 seconds. This started with a Hugley and-one, and then after an Anquan Hill layup, Cam Crawford connected from beyond the arc. After that, Hugley made another shot in the post, setting the stage for a Guinyard steal on the defensive end and a Crawford layup on the runout, forcing a timeout and sending UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse into an absolute frenzy.
The impact of the fans’ energy picking up and going to another level, it’s going to spark our guys,” Joyce said on moments like that run. “It gives them a push, it gives them the extra effort to go out and make another play. So, our fans are important. We want to play great basketball. I think it’s been an exciting two games.”
This was the push they needed to put themselves in the driver’s seat. They stretched out the lead to 78-64 after Maximus Edwards hit a three, scoring his 1,000th collegiate point in the process.
From there, Duquesne continued to extend its advantage, with its largest lead reaching 17. With a couple more loud moments that electrified the Duquesne faithful, including a Jimmie Williams breakaway slam, Duquesne secured an exciting 92-76 win.
Duquesne found a way to win despite an 8-35 three-point shooting night. Joyce explained that the defense’s relentlessness was key in the second half.
“There was a moment in the second half where we dug down defensively,” Joyce recalled. “And that gave us cushion. We were able to extend the lead, right, because half court is tough, it’s tough to play against half court defenses the whole game. But we set the tone and were able to get out in front because of our defense and that led to some easy baskets.
A notable contribution from this game came from Alex Williams, who had two big buckets, including a reverse lay-in, to the delight of the Duquesne players and staff. They all know how hard Williams has worked to recover from an injury-riddled 2024-25 season.
He’s a warrior, man,” Hugley said. “He fought his butt off this summer, and A-Will (and him) went through so much together, and just to see him out there and being able to change the temperature for us, you know, it’s amazing. The kid has been through a lot; that’s like a brother to me.”
Williams played a second under 10 minutes, and each minute mattered in a game that combined for 54 fouls overall and 85 free throws attempted. Duquesne shot 66.7% from the charity stripe, while Sacred Heart recorded a similar 67.4%.
It’s our agenda, we want to draw fouls on our opponents,” Joyce said. “I don’t want to be fouling like the way we did, the whistle is going to be the whistle. That’s how the crew decided to call the game, and we were both hacking. I think both coaches will go back and probably look at this and figure out some ways to be more taller and disciplined defensively.”
Queens is next on the schedule for the Dukes, as they continue to compete in the Villanova Challenge. The game is also at home, starting at 8 PM EST on Tuesday. Following that, they will head to the other corner of Pennsylvania for a matchup with the Villanova Wildcats. It’ll take place next Saturday, with tip-off at 8 PM EST.
