Williams, Cooke lead Dayton over Duquesne

Xeyrius Williams came off the bench to score 18 points in the Atlantic 10 Conference victory for the Flyers.    

“We are happy to get the win especially on the road, after coming off a loss” Flyers coach Archie Miller said. 

From start to finish the Flyers had complete control over the Dukes, keeping the lead the entire game. Dayton’s transition defense held the stingy Duquesne offense to only 11 points after the first ten minutes of the first half.

Fouls and turnovers were the problem for the Dukes in the first half, recording 13 personal fouls and one technical foul, along with 14 turnovers. The Flyers were also able to capitalize at the free throw line, scoring 11 points on 18 attempts in the first half alone.

Williams led the first half scoring for the Flyers with 11 points, 3 rebounds and an assist as Dayton entered the locker room with a 39-26 lead after 20 minutes of play. True freshman Mike Lewis II, who has been the leading scorer for the Dukes with 12.8 per game, again led the way with 9 points in the first half. Lewis finished with 17. Emile Blackman finished with 14 points for Duquesne.

The second half saw light for the Dukes as Emile Blackman hit a deep 3-pointer early in the second to cut the lead down to six with 16 minutes left to play. The next possession the Dukes were able to stop the Flyers, but were unable to continue their offensive scoring run. Cooke and Williams hit back-to-back 3's of their own to answer.

The Dukes, who entered the game averaging 72 points per game, committed 22 turnovers and shot just 14.3 percent from beyond the arc. 

Duquesne (9-9, 2-3 A-10) travel to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 18 to face George Washington.