Duquesne held off late Fordham rally for 75-72 victory (Dec 30, 2016)

By AP
Published

NEW YORK (AP) Mike Lewis II scored five of his 15 points and forced a key turnover in the final minutes as Duquesne held off a late Fordham rally for a 75-72 victory on Friday night in an Atlantic 10 opener.

The Dukes had a 12-point halftime lead and led 53-43 midway through the second half. Fordham used a 23-11 run and led 66-64 with about three minutes left. Lewis hit a 3-pointer, Emile Blackman made a layup and Duquesne regained the lead, 69-66 with 1:15 remaining. Lewis had a steal then made a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left, and Blackman made four free throws to seal it.

Blackman scored 17 points to lead Duquesne (8-6). Kale Abrahamson had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

Javontae Hawkins, who hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, had 18 points for the Rams (6-8).