Niagara's Dukes & Quinnipiac's Kelly Claim Men's Basketball Weekly Awards
Player of the Week
Kahlil Dukes, Niagara
R-Sr., G, Hartford, CT / University of Southern California
Kahlil Dukes averaged team-highs in scoring with 28 points per game and in assists with 6.0 per game in two games. For the week, Dukes shot 50 percent from the field, 58.8 percent from the 3-point line and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line. In Niagara’s win at New Hampshire, Dukes notched his first career 30-point with a game-high 31 points, including 22 points in the second half. Dukes, who is fifth in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game, went 8 for 11 from beyond the 3-point line. The eight 3-pointers are tied for the second most in program history, are the most in the MAAC and are tied for sixth most in the NCAA this season. Dukes followed his career-high 31 points performance with a team-high 25 points and while dishing out a career-high 11 assists for his first career double-double against St. Francis. Dukes made a game-high nine free throws, which are a season-high.
Rookie of the Week
Rich Kelly, Quinnipiac
Fr., G, Shelton, CT/Fairfield Prep/Cheshire Academy
Kelly scored the final eight Bobcat points, including the winning driving lay-up with 4.8 seconds left, as Quinnipiac picked up an 89-87 road win over Columbia on Monday night. He finished the game with 22 points and 10 assists, becoming the first Quinnipiac player to have 20 points and 10 assists in the same game since Rob Monroe in 2004-05. His game-ending run started with a three-pointer to trim Columbia's lead to 85-84, then the tying three with 1:27 left to make the score 87-87, setting up his winning layup. He was 6-10 from the three-point line for the game, the first Bobcat since Daniel Harris in 2015-16 to make six threes in a game.