Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 3/12/09: Duquesne beats UMass in A-10 tourney
By Aaron Bracy
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, March 12, 2009
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — It’s a whole new era.
Those were the words of senior guard Aaron Jackson after seventh-seeded Duquesne overcame years of misery in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 tournament with a 91-81 victory over No. 10 Massachusetts on Wednesday night at Boardwalk Hall.
It was just the second win in the past 13 trips to the A-10 tourney for the Dukes (19-11, 10-7), who play second-seeded Rhode Island (22-9) in a quarterfinal game at 6:30 tonight.
Jackson was a big reason for yesterday’s win, providing 18 points, seven assists and court leadership.
“It’s a whole new era, and I’m happy to be part of it,” said Jackson, who moved within three assists of Norm Nixon’s single-season school record of 178 set in 1977. “I’ve been through a lot of downs. This year has been a whole lot of ups, and I’m enjoying it as much as I can.
“It’s not, ‘Duquesne is an easy game to get in the second round.’ I’m very proud to be part of this team.”
It took a team effort to defeat the Minutemen (12-18, 7-10), who lost their eighth straight A-10 tourney game but played with a desperation not befitting their record.
Freshman Melquan Bolding was sensational, leading five Dukes in double figures with 23 points while setting a career-high with 13 rebounds — one shy of the tournament record.
“He stepped up and put us on his back, especially on the defensive glass late in the game,” Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said of Bolding, who had 10 defensive boards. “He played with a lot of toughness and heart.”
The Dukes also got a strong performance from another freshman, Eric Evans, who scored all 14 of his points after halftime and converted a momentum-changing four-point play late in the second half.
The Dukes, who led by as many as 19 in the first half, trailed 64-62 with 11:01 left. But they scored 11 of the next 13, capped when Evans hit a 3-pointer from the left wing and converted the free throw after getting fouled.
“It was a good momentum buster,” Jackson said of the play that gave the Dukes a 73-66 lead with 5:22 left.
Duquesne opened the game by hitting eight of their first 15 shots, including 4 for 7 on 3-pointers, to take a 22-7 lead. UMass, meantime, missed 14 of its first 16 from the field, including all eight of its 3-point attempts.
Jackson extended the Dukes’ advantage to 19 when he drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 31-12 with 8:00 left in the half. The Minutemen, who missed 11 of their first 12 3-pointers and 18 of 22 overall, nailed consecutive treys to begin a 15-2 run over the next 3:12 that trimmed the Dukes’ lead to 33-27 with 4:48 left.
The Dukes’ advantage was just one at the half, when Ricky Harris hit a 10-foot baseline jumper with two seconds left to make it 42-41.
The teams traded baskets for the opening nine minutes of the second half, with eight ties and six lead changes and neither team up by more than four. The tide turned for good on Evans’ basket.
Duquesne will be looking to advance to its first semifinal since 1994 with a victory over the Rams, who beat the Dukes, 73-71, on March 1 in Pittsburgh.
“We feel like we let one slip away,” Jackson said of the regular-season loss. “We know we’re going to get their best shot, and we’re hungry and going to give them our best shot.”
