Dukes race to easy win
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Showtime came to A.J. Palumbo Center on Saturday as the Duquesne basketball team put on a high-paced, high-flying act with a ridiculously easy 118-72 victory against visiting Houston Baptist.
Duquesne's third consecutive victory featured rim-rattling dunks, crisp passing and pickpocket hands on defense. The Huskies couldn't match the Dukes in any facet of the game.
B.J. Monteiro, a 6-foot-5 senior, led the march with 24 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. He became the 36th player in school history to score 1,000 points and moved into 33rd place on the all-time list with 1,021.
"I really, really wasn't concerned with it [getting 1,000]," Monteiro said. "It's good to get it over with."
Asked about his 14 rebounds, Monteiro said, "In order for us to win games, I have to rebound."
Duquesne coach Ron Everhart praised Monteiro for playing a "complete" game.
"He's one of those guys who started here at point A and now he's moving deep into the alphabet. He didn't force anything. He's integrated himself into a team concept. He's doing all the things we're asking him to do."
The Dukes (9-5), who open Atlantic 10 Conference play Wednesday at home against Saint Joseph's, did pretty much anything they wanted against the Huskies, who provided little resistance.
Duquesne scored its most points in a game since getting 129 against Howard in 2007.
"We haven't seen many teams willing to run with us," Everhart said.
"It was nice for us to have a game like this and we had a lot of fun doing it."
Sean Johnson contributed 24 points and Jerry Jones, a 6-6 sophomore, had a career-high 19 points in his return after missing the previous game because he was late coming back from Christmas break.
T.J. McConnell, who attempted only two shots from the field, had 4 points, 9 assists and 2 steals in just 24 minutes. He committed only one turnover as the Dukes had 27 assists on 44 field goals.
"I think we've been sharing the ball well and we're making plays," Monteiro said. "That's the big thing."
Added Johnson: "I like the way we force turnovers and get out into the open court. We know we have to bring it every night. We know what it takes to win games and we're in the right direction now."
Duquesne freshman center Momadou Datt left the game with a knee injury at 18:03 of the second half and didn't return. Everhart said the knee popped out, which it often does, and he most likely will be available for practice Monday.
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NOTES -- All 13 Duquesne scholarship players scored. ... Duquesne shot 57.9 percent from the field (44 of 76) and 47.1 percent from 3-point territory (8 of 17). ... Andre Marhold had four of Duquesne's nine blocks. ... Duquesne had 12 turnovers, just three after the first seven minutes of the game. ... Houston Baptists's leading scorer was Terry Bembry with 16 points.
First Published January 1, 2012 12:00 am
