Pittsburgh, Pa. – With temperatures outside the A.J. Palumbo Center dipping into the 20s Wednesday night, the Stetson Hatters were as cold from the field as the weather outside in a 73-59 loss to Duquesne.
 
Stetson (6-5) was unable to find the basket for almost five minutes to start the game and managed just nine baskets in the first half against the home standing Dukes (4-3). Duquesne didn't get off to a much better start, but the Dukes were able to crash the offensive glass, scoring 17 second chance points in the opening half.
 
Duquesne used that dominance on the offensive glass, combined with Stetson's cold shooting, to build a 39-24 advantage in the first half.
 
Senior Divine Myles sparked the Hatters to a quick start in the second half, closing the gap to 49-40, but Duquesne regrouped to connect on a pair of three-pointers, pushing the advantage back to 16 points. The Hatters were never able to get the deficit back to single digits.
 
The Dukes had their way with the Hatters in the paint down the stretch while also heating up from three-point range. Duquesne finished the night with just one more total made basket than Stetson, but hit 11-of-24 from three-point range to just 8-of-23 for the Hatters. Duquesne also outscored the Hatters at the free throw line 12 to three.
 
Despite being listed at just 6-foot, 5-inches in height, Duquesne freshman Eric Williams, Jr., was the key performer in the game for the Dukes. While his 11 points helped, it was his career-high 16 rebounds that proved decisive. It was Williams' fourth double-double in just seven games.
 
Three Duquesne players finished in double figures, with junior Tarin Smith leading the way, scoring 20 points off the bench for the Dukes. Mike Lewis II added 17 with Williams' 11.
 
Myles finished with a game-high 22 points to lead the Hatters. He was 10-of-17 from the field while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists. With those points, Myles has now moved into eighth place on the Stetson career scoring list, surpassing Frank Burnell (1979-83). With 1,495 career points, Myles needs to score 332 points the rest of the way this year to surpass Kerry Blackshear for the school record, an average of 15.8 per game.
 
The Hatters will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they take on Marist in Poughkeepsie, NY. That game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.