Duquesne men cool off, lose to VCU at home

The league’s top team was facing the defending Atlantic 10 champs.

Virginia Commonwealth had revenge on its mind.

But for a time Tuesday night, it was Duquesne that was looking like the better team, the fresher team, the hungrier team.

“Early in the game, we were very disruptive,” Duquesne coach Dru Joyce III said.

In the end, VCU got what it wanted.

Max Shulga scored 22 points, Zeb Jackson added 16 and the streaking Rams, in a rematch of Duquesne’s six-point victory in last season’s A-10 Tournament championship game, beat the Dukes, 71-62, at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for their ninth consecutive victory.

VCU (25-5, 15-2) clinched at least a share of the A-10 regular-season championship and will try to nail down the title outright Friday night at Dayton.

“They just had a great night. At the end of the day, they just played a better game,” Duquesne’s Tre Dinkins III said. “We kept saying in the huddle to keep fighting, keep fighting. As long as we bring the fight, we can live with the results.”

VCU, which entered the USA Today Coaches Poll this week at No. 25, shut down Duquesne’s backcourt tandem of Dinkins and Cam Crawford, who combined for just nine points.

In Duquesne’s previous game Saturday, an 85-68 victory over second-place George Mason, the two scored a total of 36 points — 20 by Dinkins and 16 by Crawford. Against the Patriots, they combined for 11 of Duquesne’s season-high 15 3-point shots.

This time, Duquesne (13-17, 8-9) made just 4 of 16 from behind the arc, with Dinkins converting 1 of 4 and Crawford missing his only attempt.

“I expected it,” Dinkins said of the attention he and Crawford attracted from the Rams. “I wouldn’t say it was frustration. It was more so just trying to figure out different ways to move without the ball, get my teammates shots, make the game easier so I could feed off them. It was just a matter of me getting out there and playing hard and playing with my teammates. It was a tough night.”

Joe Bamisile added 12 points, and Jack Clark grabbed 14 rebounds for VCU, which held a 38-33 edge on the glass.

But it was Shulga, the fifth-year senior, who kept the Rams’ running. The 6-foot-5 native of Kyiv, Ukraine, who played three seasons at Utah State — two under current VCU coach Ryan Odom — made 5 of 9 shots (3 of 5 from 3-point range) and converted 9 of 11 free throws.

“He played well. He did a lot of damage tonight,” Joyce said. “He steadied them. He was the one key piece that kept them settled.”

Maximus Edwards led Duquesne with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Eli Wilborn added 14 and Dinkins finished with 10 on 2-of-12 shooting for the Dukes, who close out the regular season Saturday night at Saint Louis.

“Just have to stay poised and keep our heads up,” Dinkins said. “It’s not the end of the world. It’s not the end of the season.”

Duquesne shot 41.2% (21 for 51) overall; VCU was just slightly better at 41.8% (23 for 55) and made 8 of 22 from behind the arc.

VCU led Duquesne at halftime 37-29. By 3 minutes into the second half, the Rams had pushed the margin to 45-31.

“We weren’t engaged to start the second half. Just affected by every play,” Joyce said. “I told the guys to stop dropping your head. It’s not saving you. It’s not doing us any good for a guy to make a mistake and the first thing he wants to do is drop your head. If you want to drop your head, do me a favor and keep your head dropped and walk back to the locker room because it’s doing us no good on the floor.”

Duquesne answered with a 13-4 run, sparked by Edwards’ 11 consecutive points, to close within 49-44 with 11:19 remaining on a layup by Wilborn.

But VCU never lost the lead.

The Rams on three occasions led by 12, the last time at 63-51 on a Clark basket with 2:51 to go.

“You’ve got to commend them,” Joyce said. “They made some big shots. They handled the pressure. They handled the run. That’s what winning teams do.”

Both teams have one regular-season game remaining to brush up for the A-10 Tournament, which runs from March 12-15 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

“We’ve got more left. We’ve got to go to Saint Louis and be ready to play,” Joyce said. “At this stage, we can’t waver. We can’t take any steps backwards because we’re inching towards tournament time.”