PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Kerem Konan had 16 points and nine rebounds as Duquesne held off Purdue Fort Wayne for a 78-71 victory Tuesday in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game at A.J. Palumbo Center. The Dukes improved to 1-0, while the Mastodons fell to 0-1. An announced attendance of 2,758 saw Duquesne win its opener despite a late push from the visitors. Duquesne played 72 possessions and finished with an offensive rating of 107.6, while Purdue Fort Wayne had 71 possessions and an offensive rating of 100.4. The Dukes shot 29 of 55 from the floor and 5 of 16 from three-point range, while the Mastodons were 24 of 61 overall and 13 of 26 from beyond the arc. Duquesne made 15 of 20 free throws, and Purdue Fort Wayne made 10 of 12.

Duquesne opened with the first 14 points, a run that began with Konan’s dunk 56 seconds into the game and included two more baskets by Konan plus a 3-pointer from Jake DiMichele. The early burst also featured a jumper from Izaiah Pasha, a free throw and a dunk from Arness Lawson, and another dunk by Konan. Purdue Fort Wayne did not score until Edir Ortiz made a 3-pointer with 14:09 left in the first half. The Mastodons gradually climbed back behind DeAndre Craig, who made a layup and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions, and Anthony Isaac, whose pair of layups helped cut into the deficit. Deandre Lewis, Mason Shrout and Chris Morgan also made 3-pointers during the comeback, and Ashton Williamson added a free throw and a 3-pointer. Purdue Fort Wayne later used consecutive 3-pointers from Tamaje Izuagbe to take its first lead late in the first half, and Craig’s fast-break jumper just before halftime put the Mastodons in front at the break.

The lead changed hands repeatedly after halftime. Berman opened the second half with a three-point play, and after Ej Mosley and Craig answered for Purdue Fort Wayne, Izuagbe hit another 3-pointer to put the Mastodons ahead 44-40. Berman and Chris Morgan traded 3-pointers, and Josh Smith’s 3-pointer trimmed Duquesne’s deficit to 47-46. Craig and Carl Thompson then helped Purdue Fort Wayne build a 51-46 advantage before DiMichele made two free throws and Berman converted a layup to keep the Dukes close. Purdue Fort Wayne moved ahead 56-50 when Ashton Williamson made a 3-pointer with 11:29 remaining, but Duquesne answered with an Ege Demir dunk and a Josh Smith driving layup before DiMichele tied the game at 56 with a layup. The teams traded baskets until Konan’s dunk tied it at 62. Anthony Isaac made two free throws to give Purdue Fort Wayne a 64-62 edge, but Konan hit a 3-pointer with 6:08 left to put the Dukes ahead 65-64. Yoav Berman’s floater, Izaiah Pasha’s driving layup, Smith’s layup and Berman’s jumper highlighted a Duquesne run that made it 74-65 with 1:24 remaining. Purdue Fort Wayne responded as Isaac scored on a tip-in and a layup and Craig added a layup to make it 74-71 with 16.5 seconds left. Smith then made four free throws in the closing moments to seal the win.

Konan’s 32-minute effort headlined Duquesne’s balanced attack. Craig led Purdue Fort Wayne and all scorers with 17 points in 29 minutes to go with five rebounds and five assists. The 6-foot, 180-pound guard from Chicago who previously played at Mount Carmel was the Mastodons’ top threat. Josh Smith added 16 points, three rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes, and Demir had six points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 22 minutes. Anthony Isaac finished with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes for Purdue Fort Wayne; the 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward previously played at World Academy for Total Community Health. Berman scored 14 points with three rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes, while DiMichele had 11 points, one rebound and four assists in 17 minutes; the 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard previously played at First Love Christian Academy. Izuagbe added 12 points and three rebounds in 13 minutes for Purdue Fort Wayne; the 6-foot guard previously played at Burleson High School. Ortiz contributed four points, five rebounds and two blocks in 27 minutes; the 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward previously played at NBA Academy Latin America. Pasha finished with five points, six rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes.

Duquesne finished with eight assists to Purdue Fort Wayne’s six and four blocks to the Mastodons’ two. Purdue Fort Wayne held a 9-7 edge on the offensive glass. The Mastodons committed 13 turnovers to the Dukes’ 15, and Purdue Fort Wayne was whistled for 18 fouls to Duquesne’s 15. Duquesne shot 29 of 55 from the floor and 15 of 20 from the free-throw line. Purdue Fort Wayne shot 24 of 61 overall, 13 of 26 from three-point range and 10 of 12 at the line. Konan finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes for the Dukes, while Craig’s 17-point effort led the Mastodons.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Duquesne 83, Purdue Fort Wayne 78, and Interstat’s ELO system had projected Duquesne with an 86 percent probability to win. Duquesne had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -10. The total score of 149 went over the over/under line of 153.5.