AKRON, Ohio — Duquesne’s success in Akron continues.
Cam Crawford scored 13 points, Tre Dinkins III added 12 and Jakub Necas finished with 10 to lead the Dukes to a 65-47 victory over Towson in the Morgan & Morgan Classic on Saturday at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s LeBron James Arena.
It was Duquesne’s sixth consecutive victory in a series of annual games in Dukes coach Dru Joyce III’s hometown.
After Towson trimmed a 15-point lead to 47-41 at the 8-minute, 24-second mark, Duquesne rallied. Sparked by back-to-back baskets — the latter a long 3-pointer — Duquesne (3-8) regained control and pulled away.
Nendah Tarke led Towson (4-7) with 10 points.
Duquesne led Towson at halftime 34-19 after the Dukes’ Matus Hronsky sank a 35-foot desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Dukes shot 42.3% (11 for 26) from behind the arc, led by Dinkins (4 for 7) and Crawford and Hronsky (both 3 for 5).
Kareem Rozier logged six assists, and Jahsean Corbett grabbed six rebounds for Duquesne, which is idle until Dec. 21, when it entertains UC Irvine at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
The victory came on Coach Dru Joyce Court, named after Joyce’s father, St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Dru Joyce II. It’s the floor where Joyce III once played, first under former Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot (also an Akron native) and later under Joyce’s father.
By now, the story of Dru Joyce III is a familiar one.
It is a story about the son of a coach, a diminutive point guard, one-fifth of the famed “Fab Five” national championship team at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School, which also included Joyce’s best friend, the inimitable LeBron James.
Dru Joyce III, a.k.a. “Little Dru,” played two seasons at St. Vincent-St. Mary, under his father, “Coach Dru,” before attending the University of Akron, where he played four seasons from 2003-07.
There, he reunited with Dambrot, the Zips’ longtime coach and the predecessor to “Coach Dru” at St. Vincent-St. Mary as well as a mentor to “Little Dru.”
Following a 12-year professional playing career in Europe, “Little Dru” returned to the United States as an assistant coach at Cleveland State.
He spent three seasons with the Vikings before again reuniting with Dambrot, this time as an assistant at Duquesne, where Dambrot had migrated and eventually led the Dukes to an NCAA Tournament appearance last season before his retirement.
By then, “Little Dru” had become Dambrot’s associate head coach, presumably to be groomed as Dambrot’s replacement.
It has been a rocky start to his first season as a college head coach, but Joyce III has maintained his poise.
Through Duquesne’s first 10 games, he has remained patient, rarely showing emotion. He has said repeatedly he’s not about to lose his cool.
Following a 61-56 home loss to Maine on Wednesday, Joyce calmly explained the reason for his tranquil mindset.
“I’m not going to get frustrated. I’m going to get to work,” he said. “I’m going to figure out what we can do better as a staff, as a program and get to work. I don’t have time to sit here and be frustrated and pout and be sad and disappointed.
“Frustration isn’t going to get me ready (for the next game). Putting a plan to action, figuring out a solution, that’s going to have us ready. So, I’m going to be focused on that.”
Where Dambrot possessed a fiery side on the sideline, Joyce III has shown restraint in his first year.
But on Saturday, Joyce III appeared animated throughout the contest. It was in contrast to Duquesne’s first 10 games.
Joyce II — “Coach Dru” — was unable to attend Saturday’s game, played on the court of his namesake, while St. Vincent-St. Mary was in Las Vegas to face Bishop Gorman (Nev.).
But his son returned home to represent the family and hopefully make his father, “Coach Dru,” proud.