Dec. 19, 2003
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Dukes (3-4, 0-0) vs. West Virginia (6-3, 0-0)
Dec. 20 - 6:35 pm
Pittsburgh, Pa. - A.J. Palumbo Center (6,200)
Game broadcast, www.redzonemedia.com
Duquesne Probable Starters West Virginia Probable Starters | No. | NAME | YR | POS | HT | PPG | RPG |
| 34 | Janell Dunlap | SR | F | 5-10 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| 5 | Michelle Carter | SR | F | 6-2 | 8.9 | 4.6 |
| 42 | Kate Bulger | SR | G | 5-11 | 16.7 | 4.9 |
| 14 | Sherell Sowho | SR | G | 5-8 | 16.0 | 3.7 |
| 12 | Yolanda Paige | JR | G | 5-6 | 10.1 | 5.2 |
About the Dukes
Duquesne enters the contest with a 3-4 overall record after a grueling travel schedule to open the season. The Red & Blue have not been home since the opener vs. Robert Morris on Nov. 23. DU is hoping for the home court advantage as they have lost four of their last five and have played six of their seven contests on the road. They are led by Candace Futrell with 20.3 ppg and Nicole Sinclair's 7.7 rpg.
About the Mountaineers
West Virginia is looking to snap a two-game losing skid after falls at Delaware State and Northwestern. Today marks the final contest of their three-game road series. WVU posted a 1-2 mark when on the road this season. The Mountaineers are led by local stand-out Kate Bulger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) with 16.7 ppg and Sherell Sowho with 16.0 ppg. Latitia Williams leads WVU with 7.3 rpg.
The Series
West Virginia holds a 27-7 lead in the all-time series with the Dukes. The Mountaineers have won the past three outings, but they squads are tied 5-5 over the past 10 meetings. Duquesne is 5-11 when hosting WVU with the last victory being an 89-69 win during the 1995 campaign.
The Coaches
Dan Durkin is in his 11th year at Duquesne and as a head coach. He is 3-4 this season and 133-153 overall over his tenure. Mike Carey is in his third season leading the Mountaineers and owns a 6-3 mark this season. He is 35-30 at WVU and is 323-132 in his 16-year career.
Next Game
The Red & Blue host Siena this Monday, Dec. 22, at 6:00 pm at the Palumbo Center.
The Last Time They Met
Duquesne saw an end to its six-game winning streak with a 79-53 loss at West Virginia (9-0) Dec. 21, 2002. The Dukes were led by Aiga Bautre with 12 points followed by 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 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 48-38 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.
Comparatively Speaking
Here is how Duquesne and West Virginia compare statistically
| 2004 | GP | FGM | FGA | PCT | RPG | APG | BPG | SPG | PPG |
| DU | 7 | 164 | 427 | .384 | 37.9 | 13.0 | 2.71 | 7.71 | 68.3 |
| WVU | 9 | 246 | 593 | .456 | 38.3 | 15.1 | 2.67 | 8.22 | 70.8 |
No Stop'n Futrell
All-America candidate Candace Futrell notched the third 30+ point game of her career pouring in a game-best 32 points in the Dukes' loss to Kentucky at the USF odwalla Classic. This past summer, she became the first Duquesne player to compete in the USA Basketball Team Trials when she was one of 60 Division I athletes invited to participate. The 5-10 guard did not make either of the 12-member rosters, but had the chance to compete with some of the top talent in the country. One of the top scoring threats in Duquesne history, she entered her senior campaign with 1,047 career points, even after missing eight games last year with injuries. Futrell averaged 19.5 ppg as a junior and stands 8th on the Duquesne career list with 1,189. ... All-America candidate Candace Futrell notched the third 30+ point game of her career pouring in a game-best 32 points in the Dukes' loss to Kentucky at the USF odwalla Classic. This past summer, she became the first Duquesne player to compete in the USA Basketball Team Trials when she was one of 60 Division I athletes invited to participate. The 5-10 guard did not make either of the 12-member rosters, but had the chance to compete with some of the top talent in the country. One of the top scoring threats in Duquesne history, she entered her senior campaign with 1,047 career points, even after missing eight games last year with injuries. Futrell averaged 19.5 ppg as a junior and stands 8th on the Duquesne career list with 1,189. The quick and agile guard could surpass Darcie Vincent as the #2 scorer with 1,538 points. Futrell would need to net 350 markers to do so. The all-time scoring title is held by 1998 graduate Korie Hlede, who scored 2,631 over her four-year career.
Duquesne Career Points Leaders
1 Korie Hlede 2,631 1995-98 2 Darcie Vincent 1,538 1989-92 3 Beth Friday 1,410 2000-03 4 Kris Sebastian 1,374 1991-94 5 Kathy Ridilla 1,312 1986-89 6 Amy Alger 1,306 1986-89 7 Becky Oglevee 1,292 1983-86 8 Candace Futrell 1,189 2001-present 9 Katie Collins 1,186 1987-9010 Chrissi Stough 1,152 1981-84
Sharon Becomes Fourth to Hit 500 Assists
Shiri Sharon posted a DU and Atlantic 10 best 6.6 apg average last year, which also stood 12th in the NCAA. She became the first player at Duquesne over the past nine-years to record 12 assists when she did so at Xavier marking a career high and a league single-game best mark. On the season she had four games with double-figure dishes. She moved into fourth all-time at Duquesne in just her third season with 505. She is on track to be the first Duquesne player to reach 600 career assists. Sharon is currently fifth among A-10 leaders with a 4.43 assist per game average and stands third alltime at Duquesne.
Duquesne Career Assists Leaders
1 Korie Hlede 570 1995-982 Darcie Vincent 555 1989-923 Shiri Sharon 536 2001-present4 Becky Oglevee 528 1983-865 Michelle Bouldin 446 1992-94
