Pittsburgh Team On Fire.

written by Robert Dummer

The Duquesne Dukes are off to one of the best starts in school history, and no one has noticed. The Dukes have won nine consecutive contests including the first six Atlantic Ten conference games. Duquesne also has the A10 Freshman of the year in T.J. McConnell from Chartiers Valley who has won the weekly award four times already this year.  The current streak is one of the best kept secrets in the whole country. I can’t blame anyone for not noticing this march to the head of the conference.

With the success of Pittsburgh’s favorite teams the Dukes have been overlooked. This Duquesne team however is adopting the City of Pittsburgh’s first love, defense. In the first 18 games Duquesne recorded 182 steals lead by McConnell who averages three per game. As a team they have recorded an average of twenty one take ways per game.
Offensively four player average in double figures, lead by Senior Bill Clark’s seventeen points per game.  Along with Clark and McConnell, Forward Damian Saunders combined to make over fifty percent of their shots from the floor.  Outside of the “big three” the Dukes also get major contributions from B.J. Monteiro who had 20 points in a blow out of the Charlotte 49ers over the weekend. After the big win Duquesne received a vote in the AP top 25, a major step for this small A10 program.
Duquesne has not won a regular season conference title since 1981 and has not been invited to the big dance in thirty three years. Last year Robert Morris had a magical run, could it be Duquesne this year?  Only time will tell, so sit back and enjoy the show.

written by Robert Dummer