Jan. 9, 2003
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Dukes (7-5, 0-1) at Xavier (8-4, 0-1)
Jan. 10 - Cincinnati, OH - 7:00 pm
on the web @ http://athletics.xu.edu/Dukes at Dayton (8-4, 1-0)
Jan. 12 - Dayton, OH - 2:00 pm
on the web @ 1290whio.com or www.daytonflyers.com
Game Time
This weekend marks the first Atlantic 10 road series for the Dukes. The Red & Blue are looking for their first league win after a non-conference loss to nationally ranked Vanderbilt this past Monday in a Coaches vs. Cancer contest.
Xavier and Dayton faced each other in a mutual A-10 opener Tuesday evening with the Flyers grabbing an 82-65 win at UD Arena.
Duquesne senior Beth Friday eyes her 1,000th career rebound as she needs just nine to hit the mark and become the first Duquesne player to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
The Series
Xavier holds a 12-5 lead in the all-time series with the Dukes which began during the 1983 season. The Dukes are 2-6 vs. the Musketeers on the road with the last victory being a 76-71 decision on Jan. 10, 1998. The teams split last year as DU took a 77-56 home victory and fell 82-61 in Ohio.
Duquesne leads the series with Dayton 11-6 since their first meeting in the 1993 slate. The Dukes are 4-5 at UD Arena. They last won on the road Jan. 8, 1998 with an 85-71 victory. The teams also split last season as Duquesne won at home 78-64 and fell on the road in overtime, 71-69.
Duquesne Probable Starters| No. | NAME | YR | POS | HT | PPG | RPG | Notes |
| 10 | Shiri Sharon | JR | G | 5-7 | 9.4 | 5.9 apg | second with 16 three-point goals, shooting .320 from behind the arc |
| 5 | Aiga Bautre | FR | G | 6-0 | 10.5 | 2.6 | shooting .511 (48-94) from the field and .500 (26-52) from three-point range |
| 31 | Nikolina Pender | SR | G | 6-1 | 4.3 | 3.7 | saw limited play vs. Vanderbilt due to an injury |
| 40 | Beth Friday | SR | F/C | 6-1 | 14.0 | 10.4 | 40th double-double at Vanderbilt, needS seven boards for 1,000 for her career |
| 52 | Erin Wehrle | SO | C | 6-2 | 3.5 | 3.1 | second with 13 blocks, missed the Vandy game with an illness |
Off the Bench| 21 | Candace Futrell | JR | G | 5-10 | 20.5 | 4.0 | could return this week after resting an ankle injury |
| 00 | Khalihah Este-Shehu | + SR | G | 5-9 | 3.0 | 2.5 | returned to the starting lineup vs. Vandy for the injured Pender |
| 22 | Kristin Kalervo | FR | G | 5-8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | averaging 9.8 minutes in reserve; missed first four games due to injury |
| 30 | Jade Timol | ^ SR | F | 6-0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | seeing 4.6 minutes of action, two points in three minutes vs. Vanderbilt |
| 14 | Omega Harrington | FR | G | 5-7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | averages 7.5 minutes as the back-up point guard |
| 35 | Selma Delibasic | SR | C | 6-5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | four points in 10 minutes of action vs. Vanderbilt |
| 45 | Maria Stankevich | FR | C | 6-3 | 4.2 | 3.1 | first start vs Vanderbilt due to Wehrle's injury; had six points and three steals Monday |
| 34 | Nicole Sinclair | FR | F | 6-0 | 4.2 | 3.1 | shooting .538 (14-26) from the field, has committed just four fouls and nine turnovers in 114 minutes |
| 32 | Andrea Eaton | SR | G | 6-0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | averages 2.3 minutes a game as a back-up |
^ Redshirted 1999-2000 season
+ Redshirted 2001-2002 season
About the Dukes
Duquesne fell to 7-5 overall with a 78-56 loss to #14 Vanderbilt this past Monday. Beth Friday recorded her 40th career double-double in the game with a team-best 14 points and game-high 15 rebounds.
Friday leads the Dukes with 14.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Aiga Bautre adds 10.5 points and a team-best 26 three-point goals. Candace Futrell, who led the Dukes' scoring in her first four games with 20.5 ppg, is uncertain for this weekend.
About the Musketeers
Xavier, which has been receiving votes in the USA Today / ESPN / WBCA Coaches Poll, fell in its A-10 opener at Dayton this past Tuesday, 82-65. It was their third loss in the past four games after experiencing a five-game winning streak.
Three Musketeers average double figure scoring in Amy Waugh (16.5), Tara Booth (16.3) and Reetta Piipari (14.4). Waugh and Piipari were named to the 2002 All-Atlantic 10 team.
About the Flyers
Dayton's Atlantic 10 opening win over state-rival Xavier snapped a two-game losing skid. Prior to that, Dayton had a six-game winning streak which proceeded their losses to Minnesota and San Diego.
Four Flyers average double figure scoring led by Cyndi Stull with 12.3 ppg. Stefanie Miller adds 11.3 followed by Sarah Allen (11.0) and Chrissy Donovan (10.2).
Dukes vs. Vanderbilt
Duquesne suffered a 78-56 loss to #14 Vanderbilt in a non-conference bout Monday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Beth Friday led the Dukes with 14 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds for her 40th career double-double. Aiga Bautre added 11 points in the loss. Jenni Benningfield led the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds while All-American Chantelle Anderson netted 20 points on 11-12 shooting.
Duquesne was a winner though, as 1,606 fans were on hand for the Coaches vs. Cancer game; one dollar from each paid admission has been donated for cancer research.
Duquesne held a 5-2 edge early on before Vanderbilt tied the contest at 6-6 and took its first lead, 9-6, on a three-point goal at 16:23. A 6-0 Commodores run gave them a 15-8 lead at 13:23. The Dukes chipped away at the lead and got within a 16-18 reach on a Selma Delibasic lay-up with 9:06 ticking. Duquesne saw a 21-23 reach on a Shiri Sharon three pointer, but a 9-0 Vanderbilt drive gave the visitor a 32- 21 edge as 3:03 remained. Sharon broke a 3:06 scoring drought for the Dukes for a 23-32 deficit, but Vandy took a 38-25 lead into the break.
Friday scored the team's first eight points in the second half, but the Dukes would get no closer than a 31-44 reach. Up 51-36 with just under 12 minute to go, Vanderbilt sprang to an 11-2 scoring drive for a 62-38 lead with 7:28 remaining. The Commodores grabbed their largest lead of the game, 72-47, with 2:48 ticking. Duquesne would not get closer than a 20-point reach afterward.
Looking to be A-10's No. 4
With nine rebounds, senior Beth Friday will become just the fourth Atlantic 10 player to reach 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 points on their career - she will be the first at Duquesne to do so. Friday enters the weekend series with 991 rebounds and 1,178 points.
When Friday reaches this mark, she will join George Washington's Darlene Saar (1,809 pts, 1,139 rbs) who competed in 126 games from 1992 to 1995 and Rutgers' Sue Wicks (2,655 pts, 1,135 rbs) who played from 1985 to 1988 in 125 games. Jen Butler of UMass hit the mark this year and has 1,228 points and 1,107 rebounds. Friday has logged in time in 95 contests.
The Pittsburgh native is just nine points away from moving into 7th place overall among Duquesne's all-time scorers. That slot is currently held by Katie Collins with 1,186 points (1987-90).
Este-Shehu Makes Return
Senior guard Khalihah Este-Shehu made her collegiate return in the Atlantic 10 opener Jan. 3. She saw 14 minutes of action and recorded three rebounds, two points and a steal. She netted four points and returned to the starting lineup for the injured Nikolina Pender vs. Vanderbilt.
Este-Shehu was redshirted last season after a pre-season ACL injury. She had been sidelined this year due to ankle problems. The Toronto native averaged 16.0 points and 4.6 rebounds to lead the Dukes in scoring in 2001.
Next Up
Duquesne will host La Salle (currently 9-3, 1-0 A-10) on Thursday, Jan. 16 in DU's A-10 home opener at 7:05 pm at the Palumbo Center. The Dukes will also host Fordham (currently 9-5, 0-2 A-10) on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2:00 pm. Both games can be heard over the internet at RedZoneMedia.com with Alex Panormios and Tad Maurey providing the eyes and ears for DU fans. (Note: Previously broadcast home games are available in RedZoneMedia's archive library at this same link.)
