Jan. 23, 2003

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DUKES HOST ST. BONAVENTURE

Duquesne (7-11, 1-4), coming off a 93-58 loss at Xavier on Tuesday, returns home looking to put an end to a three-game losing streak vs. St. Bonaventure (8-9, 3-2) at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 (KQV-AM 1410 radio & internet broadcast at www.redzonemedia.com ).

The Bonnies, on the other hand, will be attempting to extend their winning streak to three. After a 1-2 league start, SBU has rallied to win at Fordham (76-70) and defeated La Salle at home (87-77). St. Bonaventure has been idle since the La Salle win last Saturday.

Duquesne has been up-and-down in conference play. The Dukes battled back from significant second half double-digit deficits in their two games prior to the setback at Xavier, only to come up empty. DU rallied from 20 points down to take a one-point lead with just over a minute left at Dayton on Jan. 11 (a 77-72 loss) and erased a 16-point second half Richmond advantage to take a three-point lead with 6:33 left in what turned out to be a 75-69 loss. Duquesne is 4-3 at home this season with noteworthy wins over West Virginia and Temple.

St. Bonaventure is 2-6 on the road with the victories coming at Canisius (69-57 on Dec. 19) and at Fordham (76-70 on Jan. 16).

DUKES vs. BONNIES

Duquesne leads the overall series 46-44. In Atlantic 10 regular season play, St. Bonaventure holds a 19-18 edge while in games played at Pittsburgh, Duquesne leads 31-12. DU has won two of the last thee meetings at the Palumbo Center (72-60 in 2001 and 96-85 in OT in 1997). Last year, the Bonnies defeated the Dukes 96-89 in overtime at Olean. The two interdivisional rivals also met in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament where the Bonnies prevailed 81-66. Three of the last 14 games between the two schools have been decided in overtime.

DUQUESNE LATELY

• Duquesne features completely revamped starting lineup from a year ago with PG Bryant McAllister (Fr.), JC transfers F Elijah Palmer (Jr.) & C Ron Dokes (Jr.), Gonzaga transfer G Jimmy Tricco (Jr.) and F Simplice Njoya (So.).
• Njoya, the lone returnee, is a relative "newcomer" after having to sit out 19 games as a freshman last season due to an NCAA suspension.
• Overall, newcomers are accounting for over 58% of the team's scoring.
• Senior G Kevin Forney has been outstanding in Atlantic 10 play with a 16.2 ppg. scoring average. He is shooting 70.0% from the field, 58.3% from the 3-point arc and 90.0% from the foul line in five league games.
• Despite a season low-tying 2-of-13 effort from behind the 3-point arc at Xavier, the Dukes are still converting at a 38.7% clip from long distance. That percentage is on pace to be the best in school history (the current mark of 37.5% was set in 1989-90).

DANNY NEE BOBBLE-HEAD NIGHT

The Bonnies game is the first of two "Danny Nee Bobble Head Nights." The first 1,000 fans through the turnstiles will receive a five-and-one-half inch replica of the Dukes' head coach. A second bobble head giveaway is scheduled for Feb. 8 vs. La Salle.

DUKES & BONNIES

Stats in bold indicate school leads A-10 in that category

MORE ON BONA

St. Bonaventure is on a two-game winning streak. In Saturday's 87-77 win over visiting La Salle, 5-7 junior point guard Marques Green set a school record with 14 assists while he led all scorers with 27 points. Freshman Ahmad Smith, a 6-4 guard from the DC-area, had a career-high 18 points to go along with 6-4 sophomore swingman Mike Gansey's 14 points and 6-5 senior Patricio Prato's 11.

Green paces the Bonnies with 21.2 points and 8.12 assists per game, both of which lead the Atlantic 10 so far this season. Gansey pitches in with 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while Prato's 13.8 points provides SBU with its third double digit scorer. Junior Jamill Terrill, a 6-8, 230 pound JC transfer from Coastal Georgia Community College, leads Bona with 5.4 boards per contest.

"BUZZ"WORTHY

Since moving from point guard to the shooting guard spot prior to the San Juan Shootout, senior guard Kevin "Buzzy" Forney has been a much more effective player at the offensive end. As a two-guard, Forney is averaging 5.2 more points per game and has seen his shooting percentage increase dramatically:

COUNTDOWN TO 1,000

Kevin Forney enters the Bonnies game with 928 career points. He needs 72 to become Duquesne's 29th 1,000-point scorer.

PALMER ON A ROLL

Dukes forward A HREF="http://www.fansonly.com/schools/duqu/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/palmer_elijah00.html">Elijah Palmer has scored in double digits in six of DU's last eight games (18 vs. St. Francis, N.Y., 17 at FIU,16 vs. Md.-Eastern Shore, 20 vs. Temple, 12 vs. Richmond & 10 at Xavier). Here is a comparison of Palmer's numbers for the first nine games compared to the last eight (he missed the Mount St. Mary's game with tendinitis in his knee):

DUQUESNE QUICK NOTES

• Senior guard Kevin Forney leads the team with a 12.9 ppg. scoring average. Saw a streak of 11 games in double digits snapped at Xavier. Forney, who leads the team with 56 career starts, has come off the bench in six of DU's last eight games. Started at Saint Joseph's and responded by tying his career high with 22 points vs. the Hawks (7-of-11 from the field) in his hometown, also started at Xavier. Scored 13 of his career high-tying 22 in the second half at Dayton (9-of-12 from the field).

  Is averaging 16.2 ppg. and shooting 70.0% from the field (7-of-12 from the arc) and 90.0% (18-of-20) from the foul line in league play. Leads the team with 22 steals.

• 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. Detroit 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. Alston 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. Dokes added 21 more vs. Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 7. He also hit 7-of-10 from the field in scoring 16 at Xavier. The South Bend, Ind. native earned a spot on the FIU New Year's Classic All-Tournament team with 26 points and 13 rebounds (including 11 boards vs. St. Francis, N.Y.) in the two games. Dokes is shooting 50.7% from the field and 73.1% (49-of-67) from the free throw line.
• Entering the season, Duquesne had just one player on its roster with a 20-point game in Division I play (Forney)
• 6-8 guard Jimmy Tricco, a first-year transfer from Gonzaga, has also reached the 20-point mark twice with 20 at George Mason and 20 (all in the second half) at Dayton. His career scoring high entering the season was 13 set at Boise State during his sophomore season at Gonzaga. The Phoenix native has hit five three-pointers in a game three times this season (5-of-10 vs. Cleveland State, 6-of-8 at George Mason and 6-of-8 at Dayton).

  Tricco's six three-pointers at GMU were the most by a DU player since Courtney Wallace hit 6-of-11 from long range vs. La Salle on Feb. 20, 1999. Matched that with six more threes (all in the second half) at Dayton. His 20 second-half points vs. the Flyers keyed a 20-point DU comeback; scored 15 of those points in a 5:34 span as the Dukes rallied from a 52-32 deficit to take a 72-71 lead with a minute left. Shot 34.8% (8-of-23) from the experimental 20'6" 3-point arc at San Juan. 106 of his 154 field goal attempts (68.8%) have come from beyond the 3-point arc.

  His put-back of his own miss with 2.5 seconds left in regulation forced overtime in DU's 71-68 win over Florida International in the championship game of the FIU New Year's Classic. Tricco, who is averaging a team-high 29.3 minutes per game, leads the team with 43 assists.

• JC transfer Elijah Palmer leads the team with a 5.4 rebound per game average. is 35 offensive boards are also a team best. Exploded for 35 points and 18 rebounds in earning MVP at the FIU New Year's Classic. Posted a double-double (18-10) vs. St. Francis, N.Y. and followed that with 17 points and 8 boards vs. Florida International. Added 16 more vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore and a career-high 20 (8-of-13 including four dunks) vs. Temple.

  Was 1-of-11 from the arc before hitting 3-of-3 three-pointers vs. FIU. Has made eight of his last 15 three-point attempts. His lone double-digit scoring game prior to the FIU Classic was 13 vs. West Virginia. Palmer's scoring average stood at 5.2 ppg. on Dec. 22; he is averaging 11.4 ppg. in league play. Shot 38.5 percent (10-26) from the foul line in non-conference play; has rallied to convert 72.0 percent (18-25) of free throws in A-10 action.

• Sophomore power forward Simplice Njoya posted his second career double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds vs. Sacred Heart in the first game of the San Juan Shootout, and followed that with back-to-back scoreless outings vs. Troy State and Denver (0-of-9 in the two games). Bounced back with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting at Florida International and a career high-tying 17 points (5-of-9) vs. UMES. Also added a career high four steals vs. the Fighting Hawks.

  The 6-10 Cameroon native has only been slowed by foul trouble. Although he has fouled out just once, Njoya has finished 10 other games with four fouls. He is shooting 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from the 3-point arc but has struggled early in conference play averaging 4.4 ppg. on 23.5% (8-of-34) shooting.

• Freshman point guard Bryant McAllister moved into the starting lineup prior to the San Juan Shootout (Dec. 20-22) and scored in double digits in his first four games as a starter. Cooled off with just nine points in three games before bouncing back to score 11 and add a team-high 5 assists vs. Temple. Handed out a season high seven assists (with two turnovers) at Dayton and scored 10 of his 12 vs. Richmond in the second half. Did not commit a turnover in 28 minutes at Xavier.

  Is shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 70.3 percent from the free throw line overall. Saw a streak of five consecutive double-digit scoring games snapped at FIU. Was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the week of Dec. 14-21 after averaging 15.3 ppg. in three games. Scored a season-high 19 points vs. Troy State and has led the team in assists a team-high seven times.

• Senior swingman Brad Midgley has come off the bench to be a major contributor for the Dukes. The 6-5 Pittsburgh native is tied for fourth on the team in assists (25) and is third on the team with 19 steals in just over 20 minutes per game. He made his first start of the season (Palmer out with tendinitis in knee) vs. Mount St. Mary's. Midgley missed the FIU game with the flu, and played 15 minutes vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore while recovering.
• Duquesne is 2-0 in overtime this season. The Dukes are also 4-3 in games decided by five or fewer points, 3-1 when holding opponents under 60 points, 3-2 when forcing 20 or more turnovers and 3-1 when outrebounding opponents.

AT RICHMOND NEXT

The Dukes fly out of Pittsburgh on Monday afternoon for Tuesday night's rematch with Richmond (10-6, 4-1) set for 7:30 p.m. at Richmond Coliseum. Duquesne will be looking to avenge a 75-69 loss handed to them by the Spiders on Jan. 18 at the Palumbo Center. The team will return to Pittsburgh early Wednesday morning.