David Dixon’s buzzer-beating tip-in of a missed shot lifted Duquesne to a 79-77 victory over Richmond on Saturday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, capping an astounding comeback and providing the Dukes with some momentum heading into the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Duquesne overcame a 30-point, first-half deficit to become just the fourth team in Division I history to come back from at least 30 points down to win a game.
The final score represented Duquesne’s only lead.
Playing his final home game at Duquesne, Dixon’s 17 points and 11 rebounds sparked the Dukes on Senior Day. He is one of just four players in the A-10 this season to have spent an entire college career with one program.
Richmond’s Mike Walz is among the others.
Dixon’s winning shot, which was reviewed and confirmed, followed Tarence Guinyard’s missed 3-point shot and set off a wild celebration after Duquesne rallied from an 11-point deficit with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left.
His teammate hoisted Dixon, who pumped his fist and acknowledged a cheering crowd. He then went to the scorer’s table and stood on a ledge, continuing to salute the fans.
Alex Williams led Duquesne with 22 points off the bench, converting 6 of 10 shots, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
Guinyard added 16 points and Jimmie Williams chipped in 12 for the Dukes, who will enter the A-10 Tournament at PPG Paints Arena as the No. 7 seed.
Duquesne (17-14, 9-9), which fell behind, 40-10, in the first half and trailed by 21 at halftime, earned a first-round bye and will face No. 10 Rhode Island in a second-round game at 5 p.m. Thursday.
A.J. Lopez led Richmond (15-16, 5-13) with 15 points. Mikkel Tyne and Will Johnston added 14 each, and Aiden Argabright finished with 10.
The Division I record for the largest comeback is 34 by Drexel in a victory over Delaware in 2018.
This story will be updated.