| 4 | F | Elijah Palmer
or| 6-7 | Jr. | 6.0 | 5.0 | Marshall, Mo. | JC transfer is questionable with tendinitis in his left knee | | 21 | F | Brad Midgley | 6-5 | Sr. | 8.4 | 3.8 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Team-best 91 games played; averaging 22.4 minutes per game this season; team high eight steals | | 14 | F | Simplice Njoya | 6-10 | So. | 8.6 | 3.8 | Yaound?, Cameroon | Has scored in double digits in half of his games played (14) at Duquesne | | 41 | C | Ron Dokes | 6-9 | Jr. | 12.4 | 4.0 | South Bend, Ind. | JC transfer second on team in scoring and rebounding | | 44 | G | Jimmy Tricco | 6-8 | Jr. | 13.4 | 4.0 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Gonzaga transfer twice has hit five three's in a game this year | | 20 | G | Kevin Forney | 6-4 | Sr. | 9.6 | 1.8 | Philadelphia, Pa. | Team-high 49 career starts; shooting 50.0% (7-of-14) from behind the arc |
Off the bench
| # | P | Name | Ht | Yr | Pts | Reb | Hometown | Quick Facts | | 22 | G | Bryant McAllister | 6-3 | Fr. | 4.8 | 1.8 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | True freshman point guard averaging 18 minutes per game | | 42 | F/C | Chris Clark | 6-10 | Sr. | 0.8 | 2.0 | 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. | Broke nose at practice on Dec. 4; played in all 28 games last season | | 1 | G | Aly Samabaly | 6-3 | So. | 1.0 | 0.0 | Bamako, Mali | Saw action in 23 games as a freshman; has played in two games this season | | 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 AND MOUNTAINEERS This is the third meeting between Duquesne and Mount St. Mary's. The two first met in Maryland on Jan. 8, 1923 (a 41-30 Dukes win). The last meeting was on Jan. 9, 1989 (an 86-65 DU win at the Palumbo Center). Mount St. Mary's is a member of the Northeast Conference. The Mount is 0-3 on the road. ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREATS Mount St. Mary's is coached by one of the game of basketball's all-time greats in Jim Phelan. Phelan began his NCAA record 49th year at MSM with 819 career wins - most among active coaches and fourth on the career list behind Dean Smith (879), Adolph Rupp (876) and Clarence "Big House" Gaines (828). Since arriving at The Mount, the 73-year-old Phelan has taken the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament 16 times, including five trips to the Division II Final Four. He led The Mount to the 1962 College Division title and guided the team into the Division I tournament in 1995 and 1999. FREE THROW WOES Duquesne who opened the season 45-66 (68.2%) from the free throw line - including a 26-of-37 effort vs. West Virginia - has converted just 9-23 (39.1%) charity tosses in its last two games. IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION Duquesne is 147-162 (.476) 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 1-4 this season. NEW FACES MAKING AN IMPACT The transfer trio of Jimmy Tricco (Gonzaga), Ron Dokes (Lincoln Trail JC) and Elijah Palmer (Kennedy-King JC) has made an immediate impact on the 2002-03 Dukes. The threesome, which has started every game this season, is averaging a combined 31.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game (48 percent of the team scoring and rebounding). Tricco, a 6-8 shooting guard, tied for the team lead in scoring in the season-opener with 13 vs. Pitt and led the team with 17 vs. Cleveland State and 20 at George Mason. Tricco also leads the team with 15 assists. Dokes, a 6-9, 240-pound forward/center posted a game-high 29 vs. West Virginia. The 6-7 Palmer led the Dukes in rebounding with eight in each vs. Big East foes Pitt and West Virginia. AT HOME The Dukes are 100-79 (.558) all time at the Palumbo Center, including a 46- 17 mark (.730) 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 1-1 at home in non-league games. 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. He is currently playing professionally in Spain.
- Dokes, 6-9, hit 8-of-11 shots from the field (including four dunks) and 13-of-18 from the line vs. the Mountaineers. He has not been to the foul line since the WVU game (a span of three games)
- 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, also reached the 20-point mark with 20 at George Mason. Tricco has been the Dukes' most consistent scorer with 13, 14, 17, 3 and 20 points in DU's first five games. Tricco's career scoring high entering the season was 13 set at Boise State during his sophomore season at Gonzaga. He has hit five three-pointers in two of Duquesne's last three games (5-of-10 vs. Cleveland State and 6-of-8 at George Mason).
- Senior swingman Brad Midgley has come off the bench to be a major contibutor for the Dukes. The 6-5 Pittsburgh native is averaging 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in just over 22 minutes per game. Midgley leads the team with eight steals and is second on the squad with 13 assists. In addition, he is shooting 50 percent from the field, 75 percent from the foul line and has made 4-of-6 three-point attempts
- Sophomore power forward Simplice Njoya is shooting a team-best 54.8 percent from the field. The 6-10 Cameroon native has only been slowed by foul trouble. Although he has yet to foul out, Njoya has committed four fouls in each of DU's first five games.
NEXT UP The Dukes break for finals before taking on Youngstown State on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. It will be just the second meeting in the last 52 years between the two schools. The Red and Blue then heads to warmer climes for the San Juan Shootout (Dec. 20-22) in Puerto Rico and the Florida International University New Year's Classic (Dec. 27-28) in Florida.
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