PITTSBURGH, PA – Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]) posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds and Corey McKeithan (Windsor, CT/Windsor) added 13 points, bu the Rider University men's basketball team fell at Duquesne, 77-58, Friday night as part of the Cornhusker Classic. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 1-3, while the Dukes are now 4-1.

The two teams played to a 10-10 tie in the early going, before Duquesne scored 25 of the next 32 points to take their largest lead of the half, 35-17, at the 3:52 mark. The Dukes' lead remained 15, 37-22, at the half. James scored a team-high nine points in the half, but the Broncs were plagued by 25.0 percent (8-32) shooting, influenced greatly by nine Duquesne blocked shots.    

The Duquesne lead would increase to its largest point, 61-35, with 11:04 left, before the Broncs began to whittle away. Rider responded with an 18-4 run over the next six-plus minutes, holding Duquesne without a field goal in the span to cut the deficit to 12, 65-53 at the 4:57 mark. But the Dukes scored the next nine points and iced the game.

Quotes & Notes
"I think our defense is affecting our offense. We're not focusing enough on that end and understanding what it is we're trying to get done. We've got to get back to practicing. We've got to make some substitutions and put some guys in the lineup who are committed to playing defense."

(On the bench contributions late) "I'm encouraged by them. We've got to start playing those guys a little bit more. I've been trying to find some guys off the bench to help spell some of the other starters. We might have to make some lineup changes for some of those guys on the bench as well. Some guys should be playing less minutes. We learned some things today, which was good. You can always take some positives out of it and figure out some things. We've got a long way to go. It's early. It's a tough schedule. We're not going to make any excuses. We're going to get back to work and get ready to play Stony Brook Monday night." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- The Broncs and Dukes were meeting for just the second time in the two programs' histories. Duquesne took the first meeting in the 2021-22 season opener, Nov. 9, 2021, in Pittsburgh.
- 11 of 12 Broncs to enter the game scored at least two points.

Broncs by the Numbers
- James compiled his first double-double of the year and the 15^th of his career. He scored 15 points on 7-of-18 shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots.
- McKeithan made 4-of-11 shots, including 2-of-6 from long range for 13 points. He made a team-high three steals.  
- Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College HS) added seven points, including 2-of-4 shooting from long range.
- JT Langston Jr. (Fort Wayne, IN/San Gabriel Academy [East Los Angeles College]) added six points and made both of his field-goal attempts before fouling out in 13 minutes off the bench.
- Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, PA/Academy of the New Church) gave Rider a lift off the bench late, contributing four points and six rebounds in his 13 minutes.
- Duquesne blocked 14 Rider shots for the game, while the Broncs finished with three blocks.
- The Dukes outshot the Broncs, 45.6 percent (26-57) to 31.8 percent (21-66) from the floor, including a margin of 38.7 percent (12-31) to 26.7 percent (4-15) from long range.
- Duquesne also outshot the Broncs, 61.9 percent (13-21) to 54.5 percent (12-22) from the free-throw line.
- The Broncs took a 43-42 edge on the glass.
- Rider took a 14-5 edge on second-chance points.
- Duquesne took the same 14-5 advantage on fast breaks.

Up Next
The Broncs return to action Monday, when they wrap up play in the Cornhusker Classic at Stony Brook. Tip-off from Island Federal Arena is scheduled for 6:31 p.m.