DePaul (3-0) confident, not taking Duquesne lightly

Field Level Media|published: Thu 14th November, 16:07 2024

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann speaks during a press conference following the first-round NCAA basketball tournament matchup against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho on March 15, 2018. Ohio State won 81-73 to advance the second round against Gonzaga. [Adam Cairns / Dispatch]

DePaul secured its two latest victories with relative ease, collecting consecutive wins by at least 30 points for the first time since 1999-2000.

With 2024 NCAA Tournament team Duquesne up next for the host Blue Demons on Friday, players realize they can't get too rowdy about these runaways.

"Man, you know the city hasn't seen that in a long time, so just for us, we're going to keep taking it day by day, you know, as if it was the first game of the season," junior guard and Indiana transfer CJ Gunn said. "We're going to stay level and go into every game well-prepared."

DePaul is 3-0 under first-year coach Chris Holtmann and is coming off Monday's 95-64 home rout of Mercer. NJ Benson scored 15 points to pace five Blue Demons in double figures as the program matched its victory total from last season.

JJ Traynor posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

"Every practice, every game," he said, "I just feel like we're getting better and better and just getting more comfortable with each other."

Duquesne (0-2) has been idle since Nov. 8. The Dukes led Princeton by three points with 4:34 to play but couldn't hold on, falling 75-68 to the Tigers in a neutral-court game in Trenton, N.J.

Kareem Rozier led the Dukes with 14 points while Jahsean Corbett flirted with a double-double, contributing 13 points and nine rebounds. Duquesne coach

Dru Joyce III, who succeeded Keith Dambrot following the latter's retirement after last season's March run, felt the game "slipped away from us."

The Dukes experienced similar results in their season opener against visiting Lipscomb on Nov. 4, drawing within three points late in the second half but coming no closer in a 77-72 defeat.

"We've been challenged by two really good teams that are picked to win their league," Joyce III said. "Within that, you gain some scars, you gain some resilience. You can build, too. At the end of the day, everyone feels a lot better about a win than a loss, but there is an opportunity to learn and grow from it."

--Field Level Media

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