Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball team concluded its 2025 non-conference schedule Saturday, surging to a 99-49 victory over Cleary at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes improved to 8-5 (.615) overall during the 2025-26 campaign thanks to the win.
 
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Duquesne never trailed in the contest, opening up a 21-11 lead at the 12:38 mark of the first half after a dunk from junior guard Jimmie Williams. In the opening eight minutes of the contest, Williams reached double figures for the eighth consecutive game, finishing with a game-high 16 points in just under 22 minutes of action. He converted seven of his 11 shots from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, and also grabbed six rebounds while handing out three assists. Williams was one of nine players for Duquesne to distribute at least two assists in the victory as the Dukes registered 22 dimes on their 38 field goals. Redshirt senior forward Alex Williams finished with a game-high four assists to go along with five points and a pair of rebounds.
 
QUOTABLE
"What we wanted to focus on tonight is implementing our habits," head coach Dru Joyce III said. "Can we do the things that we work on every day in practice? Outcome, score has nothing to do with it. Can we make sure that we establish who we are defensively? How we want to play offensively? That's not only the attack in a game like tonight, but every day. We know it's a buildup until we get to that (A-10 Championship). There's no forgiveness when you get into the conference. We want to be ready for any challenges that come our way, because there is going to be quite a few."
 
DOUBLE VISION
Junior forward Jakub Necas, who has been close to his first career double-double multiple times over the last month, broke through Saturday in the win over the Cougars. He matched a career high with 10 rebounds, six of which were offensive, and also scored 11 points to register his first double-double at the NCAA Division I level. Necas enters Atlantic 10 play having scored in double figures in five of his last six games as well as six of his last eight contests, a stretch in which he has averaged 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 63 percent (29-for-46) from the floor. Over that same span, Jimmie Williams leads the Dukes with a 16.9 points per game average while shooting 59.8 percent (52-for-87) from the floor and 88.2 percent (15-for-17) at the free-throw line.
 
DEPTH CHARGE
Redshirt sophomore forward Stef van Bussel reached double figures for the first time in a Duquesne uniform in the win over Cleary with 11 points. He hit all five of his shots from the field and was 1-for-2 at the free-throw line while grabbing six rebounds. Redshirt sophomore guard Jake DiMichele also scored 11 points off the bench for the Dukes and registered three steals, while senior forward David Dixon chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and a block. DiMichele matched a season high in scoring in the win over the Cougars after missing the first six games of the year with an injury. In all, a total of 14 of the 15 players to see action Saturday finished with at least one field goal, including a three-pointer from junior guard Lucas Prolla as well as a driving layup from redshirt sophomore guard Ethan Anish.
 
QUOTABLE
"The whole process was more of a mental battle than anything," DiMichele said. "Especially last year, once I realized I wasn't going to come back and play, just trying to be the best teammate I can be and show up every day. Coming back in the summer and realizing I had to have surgery, it was a lot on my mind. Physically I feel great and mentally I've been good since I've had the surgery. This is probably the best I've felt since my freshman year."
 
NOTES
Duquesne finished 8-1 (.889) at home during its non-conference schedule, averaging 91.1 points per game and shooting 52.6 percent (292-for-555) from the field … The Dukes shot 52.8 percent (38-for-72) from the floor in the victory and held Cleary to just 28.8 percent (19-for-66) … Duquesne dominated the glass, 57-29, including a 19-11 edge in offensive rebounds … The Dukes outscored the Cougars, 56-24, in points in the paint, and held a 20-7 cushion in points on the break … Duquesne is 4-1 (.800) this season when scoring at least 40 points in the paint … Redshirt junior guard Brandon Hall tied for game-high honors in steals (3) and also scored three points, including his first career dunk.
 
UP NEXT
The Dukes will conclude the 2025 calendar year with their Atlantic 10 opener, traveling to Davidson Tuesday, Dec. 30, for a 7:00 p.m. tip at John M. Belk Arena in a game that is sold out.
 
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