Duquesne’s two-game swing through the Mountain West turned out to be a dud.
But the Dukes didn’t go down without a fight Saturday night at Nevada.
Jimmie Williams’ potential game-tying 3-point shot bounded off the back of the iron with time running out, and Nevada survived Duquesne’s furious second-half push to come away with a 78-75 victory at Lawlor Events Center in Reno.
It marked the third loss in four games for the Dukes (6-5).
Tayshawn Comer scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack for the Wolf Pack (8-3). Peyton White added 12 points and Elijah Price scored 10 for Nevada, which shot 45% and made 4 of 10 3-pointers.
Tarence Guinyard’s 21 points, including 5 of 8 3-pointers, led Duquesne. Williams added 14 points and Maximus Edwards chipped in 13 for the Dukes, who converted 11 of 33 3-pointers but shot just 39% overall.
It was an about-face performance from Duquesne’s previous showing, an uninspired 86-64 loss at Boise State on Wednesday, when the Dukes made just 5 of 25 from long range.
“It was a step forward, even in a loss,” Duquesne coach Dru Joyce III said. “We struggled at times, defensively, but we battled tonight. I respect how we fought. You can play some good basketball and it doesn’t always result in a win.”
Playing without 6-foot-10 John Hugley IV and for much of the game without 6-9 David Dixon, Duquesne trailed Nevada by as many as 14 points three times in the first half, the last with 1 minute, 59 seconds left before halftime on a dunk by Price.
Duquesne closed the half on a 7-0 run, including five points in the final four seconds — Guinyard buried a 3 and Edwards then stole the ball and was fouled at the buzzer.
He went on to make both free throws, and Nevada’s halftime lead was 42-35.
“We had a tough stretch in the first half, but we closed it with a big 3-pointer and then the steal from Max that gave us some momentum going into halftime,” Joyce said. “But there’s some phases where we’ve got to be able to stop the run a little bit and try to see if we can keep that game closer.”
Despite playing shorthanded, Duquesne led in rebounding, 38-35. Jakub Necas topped the Dukes with 10 boards.
Duquesne carried its momentum into the second half, outscoring Nevada 15-7, including nine points in a row to pull within 50-49 on two more free throws by Edwards.
Miles Walker’s 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer started a Nevada surge that carried the Wolf Pack to a 60-51 advantage with 9:31 left.
But Duquesne rallied and briefly regained the lead, 71-69, with 1:53 to go on a steal and dunk by Dixon, who got his first start of the season in place of Hugley but was saddled with foul trouble and played just 13 minutes before fouling out late.
Prior to that, two free throws by Necas pulled Duquesne within 69-66 before his off-balance 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer tied the score at 69-69.
“We talked to the guys about when you’re on the road, giving up 40 points in any half is too much,” Joyce said. “We refocused. Our agenda was to give up 35 or under and we fought for that. Our defense allowed us to get back in the game.”
Hugley, Duquesne’s co-leader in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg), was not in uniform and sat near the end of the Dukes bench in what an athletics department spokesman said was “a coach’s decision.”
Price converted 1 of 2 free throws and Comer’s turnaround jumper with 1:06 remaining gave Nevada back the lead for good, 72-71.
White made two free throws for the Wolf Pack before Edwards’ putback had Duquesne trailing again by a point.
Comer and Duquesne’s Alex Williams then traded a pair of free throws each, and Walker added two more, giving Nevada a three-point advantage before Williams’ last-second shot for Duquesne was off the mark.
“We had some chances at the end,” Joyce said, “but you’ve got to make a couple of plays here and there to pull that one out.”
Duquesne led 16-8 at the start, but Nevada held the Dukes scoreless for a period of 5:42 while taking a 23-16 lead.
Edwards’ 3-pointer for Duquesne stopped the Wolf Pack’s run.
Duquesne is idle for eight days before closing out its nonconference schedule with home games at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Dec. 22 against Canisius and Dec. 27 against NAIA Cleary.
“We’ve got a chance to go back home, reset, get a strong week of practice in and refresh our bodies, physically, and our minds, mentally,” Joyce said. “We’ve got a chance to finish this nonconference strong and then we’re right in the thick of A-10 play.”
The Dukes open their Atlantic 10 schedule Dec. 30 at Davidson.
Said Joyce: “It’s my job and our staff’s job to prepare our team in the best way possible to be ready for what’s ahead.”