Duquesne's first crack at win No. 20 didn't start out well, and the poor start wound up dooming the Dukes.
Davidson used a big run late in the first half to build a 14-point halftime lead, and Duquesne battled but couldn't catch all the way up in a 71-67 loss Sunday afternoon at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
The Dukes (19-10, 9-7 Atlantic 10) were trying to reach 20 wins for the first time since the 2019-20 season. They came up empty this time, and will get another shot at home Wednesday against UMass.
Sunday's game was tied at 13-13 with nine minutes left in the first half, before Davidson ran off a 9-1 run that wound up extending to a 19-5 spurt. When it was over, Davidson had a 32-18 lead with less than three minutes to go in the half, and they led 36-22 at the break.
The Dukes kept battling back in the second half and pulled within 64-63 with 1:35 left on a 3-pointer by Dae Dae Grant.
Davidson answered with a 3-pointer of its own by Foster Loyer, then Jimmy Clark III hit a pair of free throws to bring Duquesne within 67-65 with 1:04 to go.
Davidson called timeout, and Loyer followed with another huger 3-pointer to stretch the Wildcats' lead to 70-65 with 37 seconds remaining.
Clark hit a layup with 27 seconds to go, then the Dukes forced a turnover. They had a chance to tie in the closing seconds as Clark tried a 3-pointer, but it missed and Davidson held on.
Grant led Duquesne with 20 points, and Clark was the only other Dukes player in double figures as he had 15. No other played more than eight points for the home team.
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