Dec. 28, 2002
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Dukes (6-2) at Virginia Tech Lady Luck Classic
Dec. 28-29 - Blacksburg, Va. - Cassell Coliseum
Dec. 28 - Dukes vs. Loyola [MD] (5-4)- 1:00 pm
Dec. 29 - Dukes vs. Virginia Tech (6-2) or
Tennessee-Martin (3-6) - 1:00 pm or 3:00 pmThe Series
Duquesne holds a 4-0 lead in the series with Loyola which first began in the 1982 season. They last met Dec. 12, 1992 at the George Washington Classic with DU taking an 86-76 victory.
The Dukes and Virginia Tech have met 10 times with the host Hokies holding a 7-3 edge. They last met during the 2000 season when Virginia Tech was a member of the Atlantic 10. The Dukes fell 56-68 at home and 42-78 on the road that year. The last DU victory was a 99-86 decision in 1998.
This weekend will mark the first possible match-up between Duquesne and Tennessee-Martin.
Game Time
All four teams are looking to bounce back from losses last week as the Dukes fell at West Virginia, Loyola fell to Georgetown, UT-Martin lost to Vanderbilt and host Virginia Tech suffered a fall to Old Dominion.
About the Dukes
Duquesne saw an end to its six-game winning streak with a 79-53 loss at undefeated West Virginia on Dec. 21. DU now stands 6-2 overall and have a 2-1 showing on the road. Duquesne returned four starters from last season's 14-15 squad.
Duquesne Probable Starters| No. | NAME | YR | POS | HT | PPG | RPG | Notes |
| 10 | Shiri Sharon | JR | G | 5-7 | 8.9 | 5.6 apg | shooting .833 (15-18) from the free throw line |
| 5 | Aiga Bautre | FR | G | 6-0 | 9.4 | 2.0 | team-best 12 points vs. WVU, shooting .508 (30-59) from the field |
| 31 | Nikolina Pender | SR | G | 6-1 | 5.5 | 5.3 apg | second on the team in assists (42) and rebounds (36) |
| 40 | Beth Friday | SR | F/C | 6-1 | 12.9 | 10.6 | posts a .489 (43-88) accuracy from the field, 37 career double-doubles |
| 52 | Erin Wehrle | SO | C | 6-2 | 4.3 | 3.3 | second with 13 blocks, .452 (14-31) from the field |
Off the Bench| 30 | Jade Timol | ^ SR | F | 6-0 | 0.9 | 1.3 | shot 2-3 from the field at WVU, averages 4.0 minutes in relief |
| 14 | Omega Harrington | FR | G | 5-7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | hit her first three point goal at WVU |
| 45 | Maria Stankevich | FR | C | 6-3 | 4.3 | 2.5 | shooting .577 (15-26) from the field |
| 34 | Nicole Sinclair | FR | F | 6-0 | 2.6 | 2.5 | eight points and seven rebounds in 10 minutes of action at WVU |
| 32 | Andrea Eaton | SR | G | 6-0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | averages 2.3 minutes a game as a back-up |
| 35 | Selma Delibasic | SR | C | 6-5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | averaging 2.2 minutes as a back-up post |
| 22 | Kristin Kalervo | FR | G | 5-8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | averages 8.8 minutes in relief; missed early action due to injury |
| 21 | Candace Futrell | JR | G | 5-10 | 20.5 | 4.0 | currently sidelined with an injury; missed last four games |
| 00 | Khalihah Este-Shehu | + SR | G | 5-9 | --- | --- | redshirt senior recovering from an injury |
^ Redshirted 1999-2000 season
+ Redshirted 2001-2002 season
About the Greyhounds
Loyola dropped it's record to 5-4 on the season after a 74-57 to visiting Georgetown Dec. 21. They had won four straight prior to the matchup with the Hoyas.
The Greyhounds return four starters from last year's 12-17 squad. Jennifer Mitchell and Shontrese Smith lead the team with 11.8 points and 12.4 points per game respectively. Smith is 22-27 from the free throw line. Katie Netherton and Amy Dessart Mager lead the team with 6.3 rpg. They are 1-0 at neutral sites.
About the Hokies
Virginia Tech fell to 6-2 overall after a 63-49 loss at Old Dominion Dec. 21. The Hokies entered the contest with a five-game winning streak.
The Hokies are led by Ieva Kublina with 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Chrystal Starling and Erin Gibson also average double figure scoring with 10.6 and 10.4 points respectively. Virginia Tech went 21-11 overall last year and advanced to the Women's NIT. Virginia Tech as been receiving Top 25 votes in both polls this season.
About the Skyhawks
Tennessee Martin stands 3-6 on the season after a triple OT win over UNC-Ashville (85-78) and a 101-77 loss to nationally ranked Vanderbilt last weekend.
The Skyhawks return just one starter, Amy Watson, from last season's 8-20 team. Watson leads the team with 15.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. They have won three of their last five outings are 1-3 on neutral grounds.
Duquesne's Last Game
Duquesne saw an end to its six-game winning streak with a 79-53 loss at West Virginia (9-0) Saturday night at the WVU Coliseum.
The Dukes were led by freshman Aiga Bautre with 12 points followed by senior Beth Friday with 10 markers. Friday and freshman Nicole Sinclair led the squad with seven rebounds. Sherell Sowho led West Virginia with 21 points while Liz Holbrook grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds. The Dukes were able to shut down the Mountaineer's leading scorer Kate Bulger, who scored just five points after averaging 18+ entering the contest.
Duquesne opened the game strong taking a 12-3 edge at 14:30 on a 8-0 run sparked by Nikolina Pender's three-point goal, but West Virginia sprang to a 12-0 scoring drive of its own to take a 15-12 lead, their first of the game, with 9:35 on the clock. WVU extended that drive to a 20-4 spree giving the host a 25-16 favor with 6:51 to go. The Dukes closed the gap to a 21-25 reach on Erin Wehrle's lay-up, but the Mountaineer's out-scored the Dukes 9-5 in the final minutes for a 34-25 lead the half.
The Dukes' Wehrle scored first in the second frame for a 27-34 deficit before West Virginia out-scored the Red & Blue 10-0 for a 46-27 margin at 16:25 that they would not relinquish. Turnovers cursed the Dukes who committed 12 alone in the second half. The Dukes could not get closer than 17 points thereafter with the last being a 50-57 deficit with 4:28 to go.
West Virginia out-rebounded the Dukes 48 to 38 for the game and committed just four turnovers. The Mountaineers were denied all efforts from the three going 0-6 while Duquesne was 4-16 from behind the arc. Duquesne shot just .382 (21-55) for the game.
Next Up
Duquesne begins Conference play as the travel to La Salle Jan. 3 for a 7:00 pm match-up.
