MEDIA, Pa. – Sophomore Josh Dukes (Booneville, Miss.) came off of the bench to score 10 of his team-high 14 points in the second half to lead the Mississippi University for Women men's basketball team to a 68-60 non-conference road win at Penn State University-Brandywine. The victory by the Owls (4-6) over the Lions (3-6) ended a grueling seven-consecutive games on the road for MUW and snapped a five-game skid, as well.
 
Trailing by five points (56-51) with just 3:41 left in regulation, back-to-back buckets from Dukes – a three-ball and a layup with 2:47 left – got the Owls even. That would ignite a 17-4 run by the visiting MUW squad to close out the game and return to the "W" column in the finale of calendar year 2023.
 
It was the first-ever contest between the two schools in men's basketball, despite the fact that both were USCAA members prior to this season, as The W became a full NCAA Division III member in 2023-24.
 
For the Owls, the win also saw the team return to its old form by out-rebounding the Lions by a solid 50-to-35 margin. 13 of The W's caroms came on the offensive glass, which was parlayed into 13 second-chance points. The MUW bench, led by Dukes, out-dueled PSUB to the tune of 27-7 in points scored.
 
Dukes, who also pulled in five rebounds and a block, led a quartet of Owls in double-figure scoring for the night. Senior Dariun Doss (Reform, Ala.) had his second double-double of the season by tallying 13 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the waning seconds.
 
Senior Brye Hopkins (Valencia, Spain) added 12 points and six boards to the Owls' totals, shooting an efficient 5-of-5 from the field. Sophomore Tarik Islamovic (Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina) had 10 points - along with eight rebounds - including making all six of his free throws in the final 34 seconds, when the Lions had to foul.
 
Senior Chris Evans (Sicklerville, N.J.) had an MUW career-high 11 rebounds. Evans also booked eight points and had a game-best six assists.
 
The W will take a respite for the Holidays, returning to action at home on January 4, 2024, in a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference bout versus Blackburn College. Tip-off at Pohl Gym will be at 7:30 p.m.