AKRON, Ohio — There are no stars, though these guys are proving to be really good. They play alongside each other and for each other, this collection of no-names, and it’s paying off in the early going.

The Duquesne Dukes still are undefeated.

Marcus Weathers scored 19 points with 13 rebounds, both career highs, and Duquesne’s impressive start continued Saturday as the Dukes rolled to a 71-49 victory over Radford to remain among a small group of unbeaten basketball teams in Division I.

“We just keep moving forward, keep a business mentality and keep it locked in,” said Weathers, a 6-foot-5 junior from Overland Park, Kan., who played a year at Miami (Ohio) before transferring to Duquesne and sitting out a year when coach Keith Dambrot took the job before the start of the 2017-18 season.

Duquesne, riding its longest winning streak since the 2010-11 team won 11 in a row, is off to its first 9-0 start in 51 seasons.

Only four other Division I teams entered Saturday with unblemished marks. Liberty (12-0) upended Vanderbilt on the road 61-56, and No. 8 Auburn (9-0) beat Saint Louis, 67-61.

The others were No. 25 San Diego State (10-0) and No. 3 Ohio State (9-0).

Duquesne’s fast start garnered it a rare mention in the AP Top 25, where the Dukes received a vote. Saturday’s resounding victory likely will gain it more attention when the next poll is released Monday.

“It’s crazy,” Weathers said, “but our team didn’t really react to that because we didn’t pay attention to it. We always try to come here with a business mentality and get these wins.”

Tavian Dunn-Martin added 12 points, and Michael Hughes scored 11 for Duquesne, which next heads to St. Petersburg, Fla., to play in the St. Pete Shootout at Eckerd College against Austin Peay on Dec. 21 and UAB on Dec. 22.

“I’m not sure we have more talent this season, but we have more of a winning personality,” Dambrot said. “There will be a time when we’ll lose. It’s inevitable. And when you lose, most people kind of splinter. You’ve got to watch out for that. There’s still a lot we have to learn.”

For now, though, they’re batting 1.000. The last time the Dukes were 9-0 was during the 1968-69 season.

There has been plenty of offense at times for Duquesne, but it has been the defense that is getting noticed. The Dukes entered the day outscoring opponents 74.1 points per game to 56.9.

Only Indiana State (71) and Air Force (63) have scored more than 58 points against the Dukes, who narrowly outscored teams last season, 73.5-72.3.

“Last year, it was more one-on-one,” Carry said. “We weren’t playing for each other, and we didn’t understand it all the way. This year, we’re helping each other. It’s more of teamwork this year. We’re taking it more as a pride thing this year.”

Weathers took it a step further, saying last season’s Dukes for the most part were self-centered.

“The difference this year is mainly our team,” he said. “We had a lot of guys who weren’t necessarily bought-in to the defensive end. We had a lot of egos and lot of guys weren’t willing to accept roles on the team. This year, what makes us really different is everybody is set into their role. Our roles have been established, and everybody is just looking to thrive out of their roles and keep this winning streak going.

“It’s definitely fun to see the ball move around the court and see guys happy with each other. That’s the biggest thing.”

Sincere Carry had six assists, and Maceo Austin added five for Duquesne. Weathers and Hughes each blocked three shots for the Dukes, who held Radford guard Carlik Jones, the Big South Conference Preseason Player of the Year, to a season-low nine points on 2-of-10 shooting.

“We’ll get better,” Dambrot said. “When you look at Sincere’s and Maceo’s lines, it tells you why we win. Because those guys can shoot it any time they want to shoot it, but they did exactly what they had to do for us to win the game. If Carlik Jones does what he normally does (21.5 ppg), it’s a close game. Sincere took him out of it. Our team did a good job of closing gaps down. When your small forward (Austin) is getting five assists and rebounding the ball (five) and not caring about anything but winning, that tells you something.”

Duquesne, which shot 51 percent (27 for 53), took control early, riding a 9-0 run to a commanding double-digit advantage that blossomed into a 40-23 halftime lead.

Four Dukes combined for 31 of Duquesne’s first-half points, led by Weathers’ nine.

It turned into another beatdown in the second half — Duquesne was coming off a 36-point rout of Columbia on Dec. 9 — as the Dukes poured it on.

When Weathers passed up a 3-point attempt and slammed home a baseline jam after spotting a wide-open lane to the basket, the Duquesne bench erupted and the Dukes held a 47-27 lead.

After Leroy Butts IV scored for Radford, Duquesne held the Highlanders (3-6) scoreless for 5 minutes, 6 seconds in extending its margin to 55-29 with 11:43 left.

Butts IV led Radford with 12 points.

The game was played at Akron’s Ellet High School after it had been scheduled for nearby Firestone High School, Dambrot’s alma mater. The school built a new gym, whose floor didn’t measure up to regulation size, forcing the move to Ellet.

“This is a good place to play, but where I’d really liked to have played was St. V,” Dambrot said, referring to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, where he compiled a three-year coaching record of 69-10, including the last two seasons with Lebron James as the team’s star.

Duquesne is playing its games this season away from campus during construction of UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on the site of the Dukes’ former home, Palumbo Center.

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