Dec. 2, 2002
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DUQUESNE (1-3) at GEORGE MASON (0-3)
Monday, Dec. 2, 2002 - 7:00 p.m. (EST) - Fairfax, Va.
Patriot Center (10,000)
RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) - Ray Goss & George Von Benko
INTERNET BROADCAST: www.redzonemedia.com
DUKES CONCLUDE SEASON-OPENING 5-IN-10
Duquesne completes a season-opening stretch of five games in ten days to open the 2002-03 season at George Mason on Monday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. (KQV-AM 1410, on the internet at www.redzonemedia.com).
DU opened the season with an 82-67 loss at then-No. 5 (AP) Pittsburgh on Nov. 23, before returning home to defeat West Virginia 86-82 on Nov. 25. Tow day later and in their third game in five days, the Dukes dropped a 74-67 decision to Cleveland State at the Palumbo Center before breaking for Thanksgiving. Then, in the first game of the current two-game road trip, Duquesne lost 89-39 at #11 (AP) Maryland this past Saturday.
The Dukes will have a chance to re-group following the road trip as there are six days between tonight's match and their next game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at home vs. Mount St. Mary's.
DUQUESNE LATELY
- DU is led by a trio of first-year transfers: junior guard Jimmy Tricco (Gonzaga), junior forward Elijah Palmer (Kennedy-King JC) and junior center Ron Dokes (Lincoln Trial JC). Tricco (11.8, 4.3), Palmer (6.0, 5.3) and Dokes (13.0, 5.3) have accounted for just under 50 percent of Duquesne's points and rebounds.
- DU is coming off its worst loss (89-39 at #11 Maryland) since a 52 point defeat at George Washington (109-57) on Jan. 28, 1999.
- DU committed 35 turnovers at Maryland. The Dukes are averaging 22.8 turnovers per game.
- Six different DU players have scored in double figures in the first four games
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY TENTATIVE STARTERS AT PITTSBURGH
| # | P | Name | Ht | Yr | Pts | Reb | Hometown | Quick Facts |
| 4 | F | Elijah Palmer | 6-7 | Jr. | 6.0 | 5.3 | Marshall, Mo. | JC transfer has led DU in rebounding twice in four games |
| 14 | F | Simplice Njoya | 6-10 | So. | 8.5 | 4.0 | Yaound?, Cameroon | Has scored in double digits in 7 of his 13 games played at Duquesne |
| 41 | C | Ron Dokes | 6-9 | Jr. | 13.0 | 5.3 | South Bend, Ind. | JC transfer scored 29 (8-11 from field) vs. West Virginia on Nov. 25 |
| 44 | G | Jimmy Tricco | 6-8 | Jr. | 11.8 | 4.3 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Gonzaga transfer hit five three's (career-high 17 pts.) vs. Cleveland State |
| 20 | G | Kevin Forney | 6-4 | Sr. | 9.5 | 1.5 | Philadelphia, Pa. | Team-high 48 career starts; shooting 55.6% (5-of-9) from behind the arc |
Off the bench| # | P | Name | Ht | Yr | Pts | Reb | Hometown | Quick Facts |
| 21 | F | Brad Midgley | 6-5 | Sr. | 8.0 | 4.0 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Team-high 90 games played; 13 points off bench at Pitt & vs. Cleve. St.; tied Dokes for team high vs Maryland with six rebounds |
| 22 | G | Bryant McAllister | 6-3 | Fr. | 4.3 | 1.8 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Saw season high 27 minutes in Saturday's game at Maryland |
| 42 | F/C | Chris Clark | 6-10 | Sr. | 1.0 | 2.5 | Toronto, Ontario | Second on team to Forney with 24 career starts; had season high 4 rebounds in nine minutes vs. Cleve. St. |
| 32 | G | Tyler Bluemling | 6-2 | So. | 2.3 | 1.7 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Played in all 28 games last season; season high 7 points at Maryland |
| 1 | G | Aly Samabaly | 6-3 | So. | 1.0 | 0.0 | Bamako, Mali | Saw action in 23 games as a freshman; saw firstaction of season vs. CSU |
| 00 | C | Ahern, Derek | 6-10 | Jr. | Andrews AFB, Md. | 2.0 | 2.0 | Saw first action of the season against Maryland scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds in four minutes |
DUKES VS GEORGE MASON
This will be the second meeting between Duquesne and George Mason University. Last year the Dukes defeated the Patriots 64-48 at the Palumbo Center. GMU, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, is located in Fairfax, Va. The Patriots return four starters and eight lettermen from last year's 19-10 NIT squad.
George Mason is coached by Jim Larranaga who is in his 6th season at GMU and 19th season overall He has guided the Patriots to 19, 19, 18 and 19 wins in the last four seasons. Danny Nee and Larranaga coached a total of 488 games in 17 combined seasons in the Mid-American Conference - Nee in six seasons at Ohio and Larranaga in 11 campaigns at Bowling Green. Despite coaching in the same league in the 1980s, Nee and Larranaga missed each other by one season. Nee coached at OU from 1980-81 through 1985-86, while Larranaga served as head coach at BGSU from 1986-87 through 1996-97. This is the second meeting between Nee and Larranaga who both won Coach of the Year honors while in the MAC.
MORE ON MASON:
George Mason opened the season opened the season with road losses at Central Michigan (61-58) and at Southern Illinois (83-74) prior a 56-49 home defeat at the hands of Mississippi on Saturday. The Patriots, who return four starters from last year's 19-10 NIT team, were picked to finish second in the 10-team Colonial Athletic Association in a preseason poll of league media. Six-ten senior forward Jesse Young was a preseason all-conference pick. Young, who averaged 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season, scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Mason's first two games. He posted a double-double (11-13) at Duquesne last year. Six-five Mark Davis, who played at Palm Beach CC last season (the same school as Duquesne's Derek Ahern), has gotten off to a hot start with a team-high 46 points, 11 rebounds and nine steals in his first two games as a Patriot.
IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
Duquesne is 147-161 (.477) 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 are 1-3 this season.
QUICK NOTES
JC transfer Ron Dokes' 29 points vs. West Virginia on Nov. 25 were the most by a Duquesne big man since Derrick Alston scored 30 vs. Detriot Mercy in the first round of the 1993 MCC Tournament. The 6-10 Alston was taken in the second round (33rd overall) of the 1994 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and played three seasons for the Sixers and Atlanta Hawks. Since then the New Jersey natice has been playing professionally in Spain though he did compete with the Boston Celtice in this year's summer league. Dokes, 6-9, hit 8-of-11 shots from the field (including four dunks) and 13-of-18 from the line vs. the Mountaineers but has been kept away from the charity stripe in the two games since then.
Entering the season, Duquesne had just one player on its roster with a 20-point game in Division I play (Kevin Forney). 6-8 guard Jimmy Tricco, a first-year transfer from Gonzaga, has been the Dukes' most consistent scorer with 13, 14, and 17 points in DU's first three games, but was held to three points on Saturday. Tricco's career scoring high entering the season was 13 set at Boise State during his sophomore season at Gonzaga.
Sophomore Tyler Bluemling, who has seen action in all DU's games this season, scored his first points this season against Maryland. His seven points tied for high scorer with junior Kevin Forney and fellow sophomore Simplice Njoya.
Junior College transfer Derek Ahern saw his first action of the season. The DeMatha Catholic graduate from nearby Andrews Air Force Base, scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in just four minutes of play.
Senior Jeremy Conley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Allderdice), who joined the basketball team as a walk-on last season, will not be able to do the same this season. The MAAC Football League Offensive Player of the Year and All-American candidate will use his time instead to prepare for this season's NFL draft. A secondary education major with a 3.20 GPA, Conley was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District 2 Football Team for the second season.
NEXT UP
The Dukes return to Pittsburgh following Monday night's game at George Mason. DU's next game is on Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Mount St. Mary's at the Palumbo Center. Tip time for the MSM game is 4:00 p.m.
