NCAA D1 Dukes Muscle Past Men's Basketball

(Pittsburgh, PA)-- The Cleary Cougar men's basketball team made the trek to the Steel City Friday evening, to take on the NCAA D1 Duquesne University Dukes in a non-conference matchup, in a game aired on ESPN+.

Duquesne started the game on a 6-0 run before AJ Hess knocked down a three to get the Cougars on the scoreboard.  It was another 7-0 run for the Dukes before a Chris Williams jumper ended that run.  The Dukes would use their length advantage to stifle the Cougars to extend the lead.  Cleary would use some timely three point shooting to stay within range, as Chris Williams, Bennie Crenshaw Jr., and Austin Santure each hit a three in the first half, but the Cougars would find themselves trailing 49-22 at the break.

An AJ Hess three pointer would start the second half for Cleary, cutting the deficit to twenty-four points.  Much like the first half, however, the Dukes' defense would make things difficult for the Cougar offense, and Cleary would be forced to commit turnovers leading to easy buckets the other way, as the Dukes extended their lead and went on to win by a 93-45 scoreline.

AJ Hess and Chris Williams would each score 8 points apiece for Cleary to lead the Cougar offense.  Tim Kewley would add 7 points and 4 rebounds.  Ten different Cougars would score in the game.

Cleary will play one final non-conference game on Monday, December 30, when they travel to Mt. Pleasant to take on the NCAA D1 Central Michigan Chippewas.  The game will air on ESPN+, and is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM.