Nov. 24, 2002
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Dukes (0-1) vs. Lehigh (0-1)
November 24 - 2:00 pm
Pittsburgh, PA - A.J. Palumbo Center
On the Web @ www.RedZoneMedia.com
The Game
Duquesne and Lehigh are both looking to bounce back from season-opening losses this past Friday. The Dukes dropped an 88-48 decision to visiting Ohio State while Lehigh fell 64-63 to visiting Santa Clara.
The Series
This is the first meeting between Duquesne and Lehigh.
About the Dukes
The Dukes return four starters from last year's 14-15 squad and welcome back a fifth as senior Khalihah Este-Shehu returns after a redshirt season in 2002. Duquesne will face three home opponents over a six day span to open this year's season.
Leading the Red & Blue are pre-season All-Conference picks senior Beth Friday and junior Candace Futrell. Futrell led the team last year averaging 17.9 ppg and added 4.9 rpg. Friday led DU and was second in the league with 9.3 rebounds per game while adding 13.5 points per game as well.
At the point is junior Shiri Sharon. Sharon was ranked 10th in the nation last year with 6.6 assists per game.
About the Mountain Hawks
Lehigh welcomes back all five starters from last season's 12-16 slate. In all, 12 letterwinners are back as eighth-year head coach Sue Troyan has not lost a single player from last season. Anne Tierney is back as the team's top returnee with 14.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Tierney led Lehigh and the game Friday with 20 points and 13 rebounds. She was 10-12 from the free throw line and tied the game lead with three steals. Mary Hynoski was second for the Mountain Hawks with 13 points.
Duquesne's Last Game
Candace Futrell led the Dukes and the game with a career-best 29 points while Beth Friday added 13 points, but it wasn't enough as Duquesne fell 88-48 to visiting Ohio State in a mutual season-opener. Futrell also led the game with eight rebounds and snagged a team-best three steals in the loss. Ashley Allen led the Buckeyes with 20 points and dished off a game-best eight assists.
Duquesne held an early 11-3 lead before the Buckeyes scored six straight to get within an 11-9 reach at the 13:56 mark before Nikolina Pender hit a jumper for a 13-9 cushion. The Dukes held a 15-11 edge before Ohio State knotted the game 15- 15 with 9:00 on the clock.
The Buckeyes took advantage of their speed to extend their scoring drive to 21-0 for a 32-15 advantage. The Dukes were held scoreless for 8:44 before Futrell landed a three-point goal for an 18-32 deficit with 2:42 to go. Ohio State would hold a 34-19 lead at the break. Duquesne committed 16 turnovers in the first half which resulted in 16 OSU points.
The Buckeyes opened the second frame on a three-point goal from Caity Matter for a 37-19 edge and would not let the Dukes closer than 24-42 early in the contest. Midway through the second half, Ohio State began a 17-7 scoring drive for a 69-38 edge and they never looked back.
Duquesne shot 80.0 percent from the free throw line (12-15) to the Buckeyes' 73.3 percent (11-15), but OSU outshot DU 57.1 percent (36-63) to 32.0 percent (16-50) from the field for the game. OSU held a slim 32-31 rebounding advantage.
Duquesne Probable Starters| No. | NAME | YR | POS | HT | PPG | RPG | Notes |
| 10 | Shiri Sharon | JR | G | 5-7 | 9.8 | 6.6 apg | team-best five assists vs. Ohio State |
| 21 | Candace Futrell | JR | G | 5-10 | 17.9 | 4.9 | career-best 29 points vs. OSU, game-best eight rebounds |
| 31 | Nikolina Pender | SR | G | 6-1 | 7.3 | 4.6 | three assists, four rebounds vs. OSU |
| 40 | Beth Friday | SR | F/C | 6-1 | 13.5 | 9.3 | second for the Dukes with 13 points and seven rebounds |
| 52 | Erin Wehrle | SO | C | 6-2 | 2.2 | 1.4 | four points and the team's only block vs. the Buckeyes |
Off the Bench| 30 | Jade Timol | ^ SR | F | 6-0 | 1.7 | 2.7 | consistent shooter from the field, aggressive player |
| 32 | Andrea Eaton | SR | G | 6-0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | saw action in 20 contests as a back-up, provides depth at guard |
| 35 | Selma Delibasic | SR | C | 6-5 | 0.8 | 1.1 | brings size to the post play, provides spark in reserve |
| 00 | Khalihah Este-Shehu | + SR | G | 5-9 | 16.0 | 4.6 | expected to be out several weeks resting an ankle injury |
| 5 | Aiga Bautre | FR | G | 6-0 | --- | --- | strong three-point shooter |
| 22 | Kristin Kalervo | FR | G | 5-8 | --- | --- | good court awareness, currently resting an injury |
| 14 | Omega Harrington | FR | G | 5-7 | --- | --- | good defender, has great speed and court awareness |
| 34 | Nicole Sinclair | FR | F | 6-0 | --- | --- | great inside players, expected to have an immediate impact |
| 45 | Maria Stankevich | FR | C | 6-3 | --- | --- | member of the Russian National Team, adds depth to the post |
^ Redshirted 1999-2000 season
+ Redshirted 2001-02 season/stats
