On Monday afternoon, Duquesne men’s basketball fell to 0-6 on the year with a loss to Hampton.

The Pirates entered this season 2-4 with a 28-point loss to Atlantic 10 foe George Washington already on their resume.

Duquesne led at halftime after a back-and-forth affair early on. With 4:32 left in the first half, Duquesne’s David Dixon and Hampton’s Zzavier Long were both ejected from the game after getting caught up in the scramble for a rebound along the way. The shot attempt went into the Dukes’ basket, but as the ball went in, Dixon and Long fell to the ground together. See the replay below.

Duquesne’s David Dixon and Hampton’s Xzaivier Long were both ejected for the play.

Ref’s explanation was apparently that when Dixon was “pulled down”, he “pulled Long down” with him. pic.twitter.com/mShIfWVf4M

— A10 Talk (@A10Talk) November 25, 2024

At the time of his ejection, Dixon had three steals and two points for the Dukes. Maximus Edwards, Kareem Rozier, Tre Dinkins, Jakub Necas and Jahsean Corbett all made field goals in the first half, joining Dixon. However, Dru Joyce III’s squad struggled at the free throw line all game and it kept the team from expanding its lead over Hampton.

Despite going 9-14 from the free throw stripe in the first half, the Dukes still held the lead, 32-28, over Hampton at the break.

In the second half, the Dukes didn’t score through the first 2:50 of the frame. Despite the slow start, a Jake DiMichele layup with 15:04 remaining in the game extended the Dukes’ lead to five points over the Pirates. Duquesne maintained its lead for much of the second half after that bucket, earning offensive production from Matus Hronsky, Chabi Barre and others. Once again, DiMichele scored a big shot for the Dukes down the stretch, hitting a three-pointer to extend the lead to eight points with 5:28 to play.

Several buckets from Tre Dinkins helped Duquesne stay afloat, but Hampton stormed back behind Kyrese Mullen, Daniel Johnson, Noah Farrakhan and others. Johnson made two consecutive jumpers late in the game, with the second tying the game at 57 with just over three minutes to play.

In the last three minutes, both teams struggled to score. Dinkins and Farrakhan traded buckets, and with 44 seconds to play the Pirates led by one. Dinkins and Necas missed shots on the next possession for the Dukes, and DiMichele turned the ball over. Hampton’s Wayne Bristol added two free throws to make it a three-point game, and on Duquesne’s final possession, Dinkins turned the ball over with three seconds left after Joyce called a timeout.

The Pirates closed out the win 64-59. Duquesne shot 42% from the field and 33% from three-point range, but struggled mightily from the charity stripe, shooting just 15 for 29 (52%) on free throws.

DiMichele came off the bench to score in double figures for the fourth straight game with 13. Barre added 11 rebounds and eight points for the Dukes, while Necas also added nine points.

For Hampton, Farrakhan went 9 for 18 from the field and scored 24 points. The Pirates forced 18 turnovers from Duquene.

Joyce and his team will look for their first win of the season against the loser of High Point Vs. Old rule. The Dukes’ final game in the Cayman Islands Classic will be played on Tuesday, November 26 at 11am.