Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 3/14/09: Duquesne tops Dayton, reaches A-10 final
Duquesne stuns Dayton
By Aaron Bracy
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, March 14, 2009
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — If this is a dream, Duquesne surely hopes it doesn’t wake up.
The seventh-seeded Dukes continued their improbable and amazing run in the Atlantic 10 Tournament with a 77-66 victory over third-seeded Dayton on Friday night at Boardwalk Hall.
The Dukes (21-11) advance to tonight’s championship game at 6 against fourth-seeded Temple, a 55-53 winner over top-seeded Xavier in the first semifinal game.
“It all came so fast,” said Dukes senior guard Aaron Jackson, who had 24 points, five rebounds and five assists. “When you sit down at your locker, you realize you’re playing for a championship, something basketball players dream for their whole careers.”
Jackson won two titles in high school but wondered if those would be his last.
“I thought about it after my freshman year that I never would win a championship again,” he said. “And we’re playing for a championship in a good conference. I’m so excited, and I’m ready for (tonight).”
The defending champion Owls are making their 15th tournament final appearance and will be vying for their eighth championship. The game will be televised by ESPN2.
Duquesne, meanwhile, will be playing in just its third final in 31 appearances in the A-10 Tourney and will be looking for its second title. The Dukes also could garner the A-10′s automatic berth and earn their first NCAA Tournament trip in 32 years with a victory. Regardless, Duquesne is probably a lock to make an appearance in some type of postseason tournament, which would be its first since an NIT bid in 1994.
Temple coach Fran Dunphy knows another title for the Owls won’t be easy.
“I’m impressed with them and can’t think of anything but great, great things to say about them,” Dunphy said at the conclusion of the Dukes’ win. “I’m not all that thrilled for us.”
“They have an interesting style of play, and we’re really going to have to get ready for them,” the Owls coach said prior to the game.
Duquesne will be trying to buck some long odds by winning the title, as just 13 teams in NCAA history have won four games in four days in conference tournament play as the Dukes are attempting. Xavier twice accomplished the feat in A-10 play.
“Obviously, it’s a difficult thing,” Dukes coach Ron Everhart said, “but it’s happened twice in this league, so why not us? As kids, athletes and coaches (making the NCAA Tournament is) something you dream of.”
The credit for the opportunity to become the 14th team can’t go to one player, but no one came up bigger against the Flyers (26-7) than freshman guard Melquan Bolding. After scoring two points in the Dukes’ quarterfinal win over Rhode Island, Bolding erupted for a career-high seven 3-pointers and finished with 24 points – two shy of his career high.
“It feels so good to get to the final, I’m so excited right now,” Bolding said. “I just felt like I couldn’t miss. My teammates did a great job of passing me the ball and I just knocked down the shots.”
Eric Evans had 12 points, and Damian Saunders also reached double figures with 10. Saunders had three steals, giving him a school-record 71 on the season.
Duquesne, which led 35-29 at the half, missed its first four shots of the second half before beginning to warm up. The Dukes made four of their next five shots, capped by Bolding’s consecutive 3-pointers, to take a 49-37 lead with 13:02 remaining.
The Dukes pushed the lead to 13, 56-43, with 8:16 left when Jackson nailed a 3 from the right wing as the shot clock expired. Bolding, then, scored the next five points, on a steal and layup and another 3-pointer, to put the Dukes up 18, 61-43, with 6:44 remaining.
Dayton ran off nine straight to close the margin to nine, 61-52, with 4:47 left, but Duquesne scored six of the next eight, and the Flyers never threatened after that.
Now, the Dukes turn their attention to the Owls.
Duquesne lost to Temple, 78-73, on Feb. 15 in Pittsburgh in a game Evans and Bill Clark combined to shoot 2 for 12 from the arc. Temple’s Juan Fernandez scored a career-high 19 points in the contest, shooting 7 for 9 from the floor.
“They have an unbelievably good basketball team,” Everhart said. “It’s going to be a tremendous challenge.”
