Nov. 26, 2002

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CLEVELAND STATE (1-2) at DUQUESNE (1-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2002 - approx. **8:00 p.m. (EST) - Pittsburgh, Pa.
A.J. Palumbo Center (6,200)

** The Cleveland State game is the nightcap of a women's/men's doubleheader. The Duquesne women face James Madison at 5:45 p.m. The men's game will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game.

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

DUKES HOST CLEVELAND STATE

Duquesne, coming off an 86-82 home-opening win over West Virginia on Monday, welcomes the Horizon League's Cleveland State Vikings to the Palumbo Center on Wednesday, Nov. 27 (approx. 8:00 p.m. - KQV Radio (1410-AM), on the net at www.redzonemedia.com).

The CSU game is the second half of a women's/men's doubleheader following the DU women vs. James Madison game at 5:45 p.m. The men's game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game.

The Dukes evened their record at 1-1 with the WVU win. JC transfer Ron Dokes paced the Dukes with 29 points and seven rebounds vs. the Mountaineers.

Cleveland State has been idle since opening the season at the BCA Invitational at Fort Collins, Colo. on Nov. 16-19. The Vikings went 1-2 on the trip with a win over Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne sandwiched by losses to Florida Atlantic and Colorado State. Duquesne opened its season with an 82-67 loss at #5 (AP) Pitt on Nov. 23.

DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY TENTATIVE STARTERS AT PITTSBURGH

DUQUESNE LATELY:

• Six-nine Junior College transfer Ron Dokes (South Bend, Ind. / Riley / Lincoln Trail (Ill.) College) exploded for 29 points in Monday night's win over West Virginia. The point total was the highest by a DU big man since Derrick Alston scored 30 vs. Detroit Mercy in the 1993 MCC Tournament opening round. Dokes was 8-of-11 from the field (with four dunks) and 13-of-18 from the free throw line vs. the Mountaineers.
• Gonzaga transfer Jimmy Tricco (Phoenix, Ariz. / Brophy Jesuit Prep / Gonzaga) scored a career high 14 points vs. West Virginia.
• Senior Brad Midgley (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Canevin) came off the bench to hand out a career high six assists (with zero turnovers) in 27 minutes vs. WVU.
• JC transfer Elijah Palmer (Marshall, Mo. / Marshall / Kennedy-King (Ill.) College) has pulled down eight rebounds in each of DU's first two games.
• Six different Dukes have scored in double digits through two games this season.

THE THIRD OF FIVE IN TEN

The Cleveland State game is the third 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, defeated West Virginia, 86-82 in the home opener on Monday. Following the Cleveland State game, the Dukes head to #11 AP & USA Today/ESPN Maryland to face the defending national champions at the Terps' brand new Comcast Center on Saturday, Nov. 30. DU concludes its five-in-ten at George Mason on Monday, Dec. 1.

DUKES AND VIKINGS

This is just the third meeting between Duquesne and Cleveland State, with the first match-up coming on Jan. 21, 1971, when the Dukes defeated CSU 106-60 at the then-Civic Arena. Last year, in the first game of a home-and-home series, the Vikings defeated the Dukes 82-64 at Cleveland.

MORE ON CLEVELAND STATE

CSU, a member of the Horizon League, was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team league in a preseason poll of league coaches, SIDs and media. The Vikings return three starters and 10 lettermen from last year's 12-16 squad. Six-eight forward Tahric Gosley currently ranks second on Cleveland State's all-time blocked shot list with 138. He has rejected five shots in CSU's first three games. Gosley has led the Horizon League in blocks in each of the last two seasons.

The Vikings opened the season at the BCA Invitational at Fort Collins, Colo. on Nov. 16-19. CSU opened with a 71-66 loss to Florida Atlantic and followed that with a 78-71 win over Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. Homestanding Colorado State defeated the Vikings 77-63 in the final game. Junior guard Jermaine Robinson leads three CSU players in double figures with a 14.0 ppg. scoring average. Six-two sophomore guard Percell Coles, who came off the bench to score 17 points (5-of-6 three-pointers) vs. the Dukes last season, is second on the team at 13.3 ppg. Modibo Niakate, a 6-1 junior guard from Paris, France, is the third double-digit scorer at 10.3 ppg.

Cleveland State is coached by Rollie Massimino (left). Massimino is in his seventh season at CSU and 30th campaign as a head coach overall. He enters the Duquesne game with a 508-377 career record.

NEE AND MASSIMINO

Danny Nee (right) and Rollie Massimino, who have combined to coach a total of 1,562 college basketball games, have met just twice. Nee, who is in his 23rd season as a head coach, is 0-2 all-time vs. Massimino-coached teams. In the 1987-88 season opener, Massimino's Villanova Wildcats defeated Nee's Nebraska Cornhuskers 70-53 in the opening round of the Maui Classic. Villanova went on to finish 24-13 and advance to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, while the '88 Huskers went on to finish 13-18. The two met for just the second time last season (an 82-64 CSU win at Cleveland).

Nee, the 14th coach at Duquesne in the 85- year history of DU, has averaged 17.1 wins per season in his 22 years as a head coach. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native, whose previous coaching stops include Ohio (1981-86), Nebraska (1987-00) and Robert Morris (2000-01), has guided his teams to eleven 20-win seasons and 14 post-season tournament appearances.

DANNY NEE VS. CLEVELAND STATE

Duquesne head coach Danny Nee is 0-2 all-time vs. Cleveland State with the first match-up coming in Nee's second game ever as a head coach. CSU defeated Nee's Ohio Bobcats 83-57 at Cleveland on Dec. 6, 1980. The second meeting came at CSU last year.

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Duquesne is 147-159 (.480) 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 and is 1-1 this season.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Dukes are 100-78 (.559) all time at the Palumbo Center, including a 46-16 mark (.742) 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. So far this season, the Dukes are 1-0 at home with an 86-82 win over West Virginia.

2003-04 SIGNEES

The Dukes signed two players to National Letters of Intent during the fall early-signing period: forward Sean McKeon (Phoenixville, Pa./ Phoenixville), forward/center Kieron Achara (Stirling, Scotland/Stirling HS/Maine Central Institute).

"We've signed two quality big men we think can play for us," said DU head coach Danny Nee. "Size is difficult to recruit. To get two quality big men on one year is a real bonus. They represent what we want. They are good students and good players."

The 6-9, 230-pound Achara, who played for the Scottish National Team at the European Promotion Cup in Malta last June 11-16, is currently enrolled at Maine Central Institute. He is a past member of both the Scottish junior and senior national teams. In 1999 - at age 16 - he was the youngest member of the senior national team. He was the Scottish junior player of the year in 2000 and 2001. Achara, who has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, attended Stirling High School in Stirling, Scotland before attending MCI. "Kieron is good defender and excellent rebounder," said Nee. "He is improving every day."

McKeon a 6-9, 230-pound forward, was a reserve last year at Philadelphia Archbishop Carroll before enrolling at Phoenixville High School this fall. He attended Phoenixville Area Middle School before transferring to Devon Prep and then Archbishop Carroll. He excelled this summer as a member of the Mustang Basketball AAU team where he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game. "Sean can really shoot the ball," said Nee. "He also handles the ball well and is a very good passer. He can play both inside and outside."

The two signees leave Duquesne with one remaining scholarship to offer for 2003-04.

NEXT UP

The Dukes will be off for Thanksgiving before heading to the greater Washington D.C. area for games at #11 (AP & USA Today/ESPN) Maryland (Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8:00 p.m.) and George Mason (7:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1). The team will return to Pittsburgh following the George Mason game. Duquesne's next home game is on Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Mount St. Mary's. Tip time for the MSM game is 4:00 p.m..