Nov. 25, 2002

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WEST VIRGINIA (1-0) at DUQUESNE (0-1)
Monday, Nov. 25, 2002 - 7:30 p.m. (EST) - Pittsburgh, Pa.
A.J. Palumbo Center (6,00)

RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) - Ray Goss & George Von Benko
INTERNET BROADCAST - www.redzonemedia.com

DUKES TAKE ON SECOND STRAIGHT BIG EAST OPPONENT

Duquesne, coming off an 82-67 season-opening loss at #5 (AP) Pittsburgh, opens the home season against West Virginia on Monday, Nov. 25 (7:30 p.m. - KQV Radio (1410-AM), on the net at www.redzonemedia.com ). The Mountaineers, who opened their season with a 59-46 home win over Delaware State on Friday night, are the second consecutive Big East opponent for the Dukes.

This is the 87th season of basketball for Duquesne University (1,177-825, .588). The Dukes started play in 1913-14 (DU did not field a team in 1944-45-46 due to World War II). The Dukes are 80-6 all-time in the first home game of the season, including a 11-3 mark at the A.J. Palumbo Center.

THE SECOND OF FIVE IN TEN

The WVU game is the second of five games in 10 days for Duquesne. The Dukes, who opened the season with an 82-67 loss at #5 (AP) Pittsburgh on Saturday, stay home to face Cleveland State this Wed. Nov. 27 before heading to nationally ranked Maryland on the day after Thanksgiving. The Dukes play at Maryland's brand new Comcast Center on Sat. Nov. 30, before concluding the five-in-ten at George Mason on Mon. Dec. 1.

DUQUESNE LATELY

• Three Dukes made their first career starts vs. Pitt: JC transfers Elijah Palmer and Ron Dokes along with Gonzaga transfer Jimmy Tricco. Tricco tied his Gonzaga career high with 13 points vs. the Panthers. Palmer was the Dukes' top rebounder with eight.
• DU trailed by only seven (65-58) with 4:37 to go vs. Pitt.
• Senior Brad Midgley came off the bench to tie Tricco for DU scoring honors with 13 points in 18 minutes. Midgley was 5-of-6 from the field.
• Of the eight players who saw action last year at WVU, only three (Midgley, Kevin Forney & Tyler Bluemling) played in the season opener.

DUKES AND MOUNTAINEERS

The home opener will be the 78th meeting between Duquesne and West Virginia. It will also mark the 30th consecutive season (since 1973-74) the Dukes and Mountaineers have met at least once on the hardwood.

WVU leads the series, which dates back to 1915, 42-35. DU has won three of the last four meetings. In 1998-99, the Dukes defeated the Mountaineers 59-50 at the Palumbo Center and followed that with a 94-80 win at Wheeling, W.Va. in a game that was moved to the Wheeling Civic Center due to asbestos abatement at WVU Coliseum.

In 2000-01, Duquesne, who returned from a tournament at Hawaii the afternoon before the game, dropped an 81-73 decision to West Virginia at the Palumbo Center. DU returned the favor with a 68-61 win at WVU Colisuem last season. The Dukes hold a 21-13 edge in home games, although WVU leads 5-4 in games played at the Palumbo Center.

NOTES FROM LAST YEAR'S WIN

The 68-61 victory snapped a 22-game Dukes' road losing streak. DU's last previous road win was at George Washington on Jan. 8, 2000. The win also ended an 18-game Duquesne losing streak at WVU Colisium. DU's last Coliseum win prior to last year was on Feb. 6, 1980. The Dukes, who played without scholarship players 6-10 Simplice Njoya (withheld pending an NCAA investigation) and 6-10 Chris Clark (awaiting first term grades), had one player taller than 6-7 (6-9 Pawlak) and just eight scholarship players.

NEE VS. WVU

Duquesne head coach Danny Nee is 1-2 all time vs. West Virginia with the first meeting coming during the 1980-81 season - Nee's first as head coach at Ohio University, and the second coming two year's ago when Nee was at Robert Morris. The first encounter, which was Nee's third game as a head coach, the Mountaineers defeated the Bobcats 69-61 at Morgantown. Nee's '81 Ohio squad went on to finish 7-20, while the 1980-81 Mountaineers, under third-year head coach Gale Catlett, ended the year 23-10 and advanced to the NIT semifinals. In 2000-01, WVU defeated Nee's Robert Morris team by a 77-56 count at Morgantown on Dec. 16. Last year, Nee ended his personal two-game skid by guiding the Dukes to a 68-61 win at WVU Coliseum.

IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION

Duquesne is 146-159 (.479) in non-conference play since 1976-77 as members of the Eastern 8 / Atlantic 10 and Midwestern Collegiate Conference (1992-93 season only). The Dukes posted a winning record in non-conference play four times in the 1990s (6-4 in 1996, 8-4 in 1994, 7-5 in 1993 and 7-4 in 1992). The Dukes went 5-6 in non-conference play in 2001-02.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Dukes are 99-78 (.559) all time at the Palumbo Center, including a 45-16 mark (.738) in non-conference home games and a 49-58 (.458) record in regular-season Atlantic 10 games. The Dukes were 4-1 in non-conference home games last year with wins over Maryland-Eastern Shore, Vermont (OT), Liberty and George Mason and a 64-62 loss to Bowling Green.

LAST GAME: #5 (AP) PITTSBURGH 82, DUQUESNE 67 (Nov. 23 at Pitt's Petersen Center)

Duquesne hung with #5 (AP) Pittsburgh for 35 minutes before running out of gas late in an 82-67 loss in the inaugural game at Pitt's Petersen Events Center. Jimmy Tricco and Brad Midgley led a balanced attack with 13 points each for Duquesne, while Julius Page paced Pitt with a game-high 17.

The Dukes went toe-to-toe with the Panthers in a first half that saw four ties and nine lead changes. Duquesne took a 29-28 lead on a Tricco three-pointer with 1:36 to go before Pitt answered with a bucket and three free throws down the stretch to take a 33-29 lead at intermission. Pitt increased its lead to 54-39 at the 13:06 mark before Duquesne answered with a 10-0 run highlighted by three-pointers from freshman Bryant McAllister and Tricco to cut the lead to 54-49 with 11:12 to go. After the Panthers built the lead back to 10, Midgley hit a three with 4:37 left to cut the lead to 65-58. Duquesne would get no closer the rest of the way as the Panthers held the Dukes scoreless for the next 3:20 while upping their lead to 16.

Kevin Forney and Simplice Njoya added 12 and 10 points for the Dukes. Brandin Knight finished with 13 for Pittsburgh. NOTES: Pitt outrebounded Duquesne 51-35, including a 28-18 edge in the second half.

Pitt also outshot the Dukes 52.9% to 38.5% in the second 20 minutes. The loss dropped Duquesne's all time opening day record to 74-13.

NEE SUPERSIZING IT

Last year, Duquesne head coach Danny Nee entered the season with a roster that featured just three scholarship players over 210 pounds in centers Chris Clark (6-10, 230) & Simplice Njoya (6-10, 225) and departed senior forward Wayne Smith (6-7, 220). Throw in the fact that Clark wasn't eligible until mid-December (academics), and Njoya was sidelined by a 19-game NCAA-imposed suspension, and the Dukes often found themselves severely undersized.

Nee and his staff addressed the lack of bulk by adding newcomers Derek Ahern (C, 6-11, 260), Ron Dokes (F/ C, 6-9, 240) and Elijah Palmer (G/F, 6-7, 215) for 2002-03. When you throw in Gonzaga transfer Jimmy Tricco (G, 6-8, 200) and freshman point guard Bryant McAllister (G, 6-3, 185) - all of whom are expected to be immediate contributors - the average size of DU's five scholarship newcomers comes out to 6-7.5, 220-pounds.

DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY TENTATIVE STARTERS AT PITTSBURGH