Hugley IV, Williams, Guinyard have impressive debuts as Dukes Win Twice to Start off 2-0 to Open the Season.

The Cooper Fieldhouse was roaring with celebration and good vibes as the Duquesne Men’s Basketball team won their season home opener against Niagara.

The Dukes controlled the game from the opening tip-off, having the lead for the entirety of the contest against the Purple Eagles to secure their 1,500th win for the program since its inception in 1914.

The physical play affected Niagara throughout the entirety of the contest, with the Purple Eagles shooting 14.3% at the three-point line.

The Dukes jumped out early with a 9-0 run courtesy of fast, gritty play by Senior Guard Tarence Guinyard and Junior Guard Jimmie Williams, who scored all nine of the points.

The two of them felt connected on the court all night long, and this connection also extended off the court.

“I actually met TJ before the season even started. I just randomly saw him at a park up in Tampa. And ever since then, you know, I found out he committed here. And we just had a great relationship on and off the court,” Williams said.

The new transfers made an immediate impact on the opening night, accounting for 51 of the 83 points that the Dukes scored. Guinyard and Williams were the primary stars of the show, scoring 34 of those 51 points.

It wasn’t just the players dominating the opener as the fans showed up in droves. The atmosphere for the home opener was loud with the crowd roaring in both contests, but Head Coach Dru Joyce III appreciated it a lot after the dominant win to open the year.

“I think we're excited about the students coming up. You know, our season ticket holders they've been supporting us for a long time,” Joyce III said. “Our alumni. They show up and show out. But it was important for us to see our students there, our fellow athletes.”

They followed up the strong opening performance with a scrappy fight against Sacred Heart, taking them down 92-80 in an intense contest.

The game had it all: free throws, thrown chairs by Sacred Heart due to two technical fouls in a five-minute span, and tension all around, but the Dukes remained level-headed and persevered through the Pioneers' physical style of play.

“When somebody comes in here and tries to be more physical than us, it doesn’t really bother us,” Crawford said.

That physicality led to a lot of fouls throughout the contest as the Dukes ended up shooting 39 free throws, which led to 26 of them being made.

Guinyard and Hugley IV led the way with both of them scoring 25 points apiece as the Dukes dominated around the perimeter and down in the paint.

The Dukes look to keep up the strong start to the season as they continue their season at home, taking on Queens, who is their toughest opponent yet on KenPom rankings, coming in at 226. Tip-off begins at 8:00 p.m. tonight at the Cooper Fieldhouse.

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