Jan. 23, 2004
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Dukes (9-8, 4-2) at Fordham (9-7, 2-3)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2004 - 3:00 pm
Bronx, N.Y. - Rose Hill Gym (3,470) Audio: WFUV 90.7 FM (Bronx, NY)
Duquesne Probable Starters Fordham Probable Starters | No. | NAME | YR | POS | HT | PPG | RPG |
| 23 | Joy Johnson | JR | F | 6-1 | 3.7 | 1.7 |
| 13 | Kyshawn Ruff | JR | C | 6-6 | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| 22 | Beth Ann Dickinson | SR | G | 5-8 | 14.3 | 3.2 |
| 20 | Kiely Donnelly | JR | G | 5-10 | 4.6 | 1.2 |
| 10 | Monica Mack | JR | G | 5-5 | 12.7 | 3.06 apg |
About the Dukes
Duquesne bounced back from it loss at Richmond to take a 77-62 margin over Cornell this past Tuesday to close the non-conference section of the schedule. The Dukes have won five of their seven games this month with the only losses coming to Saint Joseph's and Richmond on the road. Candace Futrell leads the squad with a Conference-best 22.1 ppg and adds 7.1 rpg. Shiri Sharon is second with 9.3 ppg and a team-high 4.94 apg. Nicole Sinclair controls the rebounding with a 7.8 per game average. Duquesne is 3-5 to date on the road, which includes a 1-2 league showing. DU stands third in the West Division of the A-10 with its 4-2 record. .
The Series
Duquesne holds an 8-2 lead in the all-time series with Fordham. Duquesne has won the last five meetings, including two last year. DU defeated the Rams 66-57 at the Palumbo Center and 60-52 in opening round of the Atlantic 10 championship. The Dukes are 4-0 at home, 3-2 on the road and 1-0 in the A-10 tournament. The teams first met in 1996 wit the Dukes winning 74-63 in the Bronx.
About the Rams
Fordham improved to 9-7 overall taking Manhattan College 58-55 in a non-league contests this past Tuesday. The Rams also rebounded from a loss after falling 69-81 at Xavier the game prior. Four Rams hit double-figure scoring paced by Beth Ann Dickinson and Stacey Price with 11 each. Dickinson led the squad with seven rebounds and she owns a team-high 14.3 ppg average. Monica Mack in second for Fordham with 12.7 ppg. Stacey Price leads the rebounding with 6.3 rpg. The Rams are 5-1 at home and 2-0 when facing league competition. Their only home fall this year was a 55-72 decision to Dartmouth Nov. 26. Fordham stands tied for third in the A-10 East with its 2-3 Conference mark.
The Coaches
Dan Durkinis in his 11th year at Duquesne and as a head coach. He is 9-8 this season and 139-157 overall over his tenure. Jim Lewis is in his fourth year guiding the Rams; he previously was the head coach at George Mason from 1983-97.
Futrell Grabs Second Weekly Honor
Senior Candace Futrell has been named the Jan. 18 Co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Week. It is Futrell's second weekly citation this season. The 5-10 guard led the Dukes to two conference wins (Xavier and Dayton) moving Duquesne into a tie for first in the A-10 West Division with a 4-1 league mark. She averaged 31.0 points, 6-0 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the week and leads the A-10 with a 21.6 ppg average. Futrell shot an impressive .525 (24-40) from the field and notched a career-best 36 points in DU's win over Xavier. The point total is tied for first among A-10 players this year while her 14 made field goals in that game are the most in the league this season. She recorded a double-double vs. St. Bonaventure with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Next Game
The Dukes face the second of three road opponents as they travel to George Washington Thursday, Jan. 29.
Futrell Nears Top Five
Senior Candace Futrell moved from 10th to sixth among NCAA Division I scoring leaders this week with her 21.6 ppg average. Idaho's Emily Faurhold holds the top spot with 25.0 ppg. Futrell also ranks 32nd in three-point field goals made per game with her 2.6 average. She leads DU with 48 extra-point goals, which is tied for seventh on the DU single-season list.
Sharon Tops Hlede's Assist Record
With her five assists vs. Dayton Jan. 9, senior point guard Shiri Sharon surpassed Duquesne legend Korie Hlede (1995-98) on the all-time assists list. Sharon entered the game with 567 assists and Hlede's record was 570 in 109 game. Sharon has 584 assists in 102 career contests. She is on track to become Duquesne's first 600-assist performer averaging 4.94 apg. She also adds 892 career points, 324 rebounds and 192 steals. Sharon did not play in the Cornell contest as she was resting an injury.
The Dukes' Last Game
Duquesne (9-8) finished its non-conference schedule with a 77-62 victory over visiting Cornell (6-8) Tuesday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center. The Dukes were led by Candace Futrell (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) with 30 points and added 10 rebounds while Nicole Sinclair (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) tied the team lead with 10 boards and added 10 points as well. Loui Hall (Masontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) added 17 points and rejected a game-best two shots. Katie Romey paced Cornell with 17 points while Dani Aretino grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. It was a homecoming for second-year Cornell Head Coach Dayna Smith, a 1992 graduate of Penn Hills High School. Duquesne used hot shooting in the second frame, including making the final seven three-point attempts of the game, to pull away with the win. Futrell led the way matching her careerbest with six extra-point goals. The Dukes out-scored Cornell 45-33 in the second half. The Dukes were without point guard Shiri Sharon who was resting an injury. The game opened slowly with seven ties and 10 lead changes, but the Dukes closed out the stretch on a 14-4 run at the tail end to snag a 32-26 lead - the largest of the period - with 1:33 to go. Cornell hit a three-pointer with :21 on the clock to get within a 29-32 reach to end the half. Duquesne went up 34-29 on a Sinclair basket to open the second period before Cornell hit back-to-back three-point goals to cut the lead to a 36-35 Duquesne edge. The Dukes held at least a three-point advantage afterward and went up 47-40 on a Futrell three at 13:34, which started of their 7-7 effort from behind the arc to end the frame. The Red & Blue outscored the Big Red 27-14 over the next eight minutes and grabbed thelargest lead of the game - 15 points - after Futrell's sixth three-pointer for a 69-54 advantage. Cornell scored just eight points in the final five minutes of play. DU held a 37-34 rebounding edge and shot .509 (29-57) from the field to Cornell's .275 (21-56). Duquesne was 9-19 from three-point range (.474) and played an excellent inside game recording 36 of the team's 77 points in the paint.
The Last Time They Met the Rams
Duquesne took a 60-52 victory over Fordham in the opening round of the 2003 Atlantic 10 championship March 6, 2003. Candace Futrell led all scorers with 18 points while Beth Friday and Nicole Sinclair added 10 markers. Friday and Sinclair led the Dukes with eight rebounds each. Kyshawn Ruff led the Rams with 14 points and a game-best 16 rebounds. Fordham opened the game taking a 9- 5 lead with 15:09 before the Dukes got within an 8-9 reach at 14:39. A 7- 1 Rams drive gave Fordham an 18-9 edge midway through, but DU answered with a 9-2 drive capped by Aiga Bautre's three-point goal at 5:57 gave the Dukes a 21-20 edge. The Rams' held a 26-22 edge in the final two minutes before Friday hit a jumper at 2:21 to end the half's scoring as Fordham held a 26-24 edge at the break. The second frame saw Futrell score eight of the Dukes' 12 points in the opening minutes to give the Red & Blue a 36-29 lead at 13:59 - the largest of the game. The Rams pulled within a 33-36 reach at 12:43 before baskets by Friday and Nicole Sinclair put the Dukes ahead 40-33 at 11:42. Fordham brought the game to a 39-42 reach at 7:16, but Sinclair was sent to the line hitting both free throws for a 44-39 advantage. Beth Ann Dickinson hit an open three for a 42-44 grasp followed by Ruff's lay-up at 5:51 to knot the game 44-44. Sinclair sparked a 7- 0 run on a put-back to give the Dukes a 51-44 margin with 3:36 ticking. The Rams responded with four unanswered points to get the game to a 51-48 Duquesne edge with 3:09 remaining. Fordham snagged the in-bounds pass at 3:06 and scored the goal for a 50-51 reach before the teams traded goals over the next few minutes with Friday's goal giving DU a 55-52 lead at :35. Duquesne would connect on five of six free throws to end the game to take the 60-52 victory.
Common Opponents
Team DU FordhamPitt W, 92-80 L, 48-62La Salle W, 78-67 W, 73-63Dayton W, 75-59 L, 67-70 OTXavier W, 83-69 L, 69-81
No Stop'n Futrell
All-America candidate Candace Futrell produced her fourth career game scoring 30 or more points with a 30-point effort vs. Siena Dec. 22. She notched her third the earlier this season pouring in a game-best 32 points in the Dukes' loss to Kentucky at the USF odwalla Classic over Thanksgiving. This past summer, she became the first Duquesne player to compete in the USA Basketball Team Trials when she was one of 60 D-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 and the Atlantic 10, 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 owns a team- and A-10 best 22.1 ppg average this year. Futrell moved into fifth on the Duquesne career list with 1,345 after the Xavier game, took over the #4 spot with a team-high 21 points at Richmond and moved into third with 30 points vs. Cornell. The quick and agile guard could surpass Darcie Vincent as the #2 scorer with 1,538 points. She now needs 116 markers.
Duquesne Career Points Leaders
1 Korie Hlede 2,631 1995-98 2 Darcie Vincent 1,538 1989-92 3 Candace Futrell 1,422 2001-present 4 Beth Friday 1,410 2000-03 5 Kris Sebastian 1,374 1991-94 6 Kathy Ridilla 1,312 1986-89 7 Amy Alger 1,306 1986-89 8 Becky Oglevee 1,292 1983-86 9 Katie Collins 1,186 1987-9010 Chrissi Stough 1,152 1981-84
Sharon Becomes Fourth to Hit 500 Assists, is First All-Time
Senior 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 in a game 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 and took over the top spot Jan. 9 with five assists vs. Dayton. Sharon is currently fourth among A-10 leaders with a 4.94 assist per game average.
Duquesne Career Assists Leaders
1 Shiri Sharon 584 2001-present2 Korie Hlede 570 1995-983 Darcie Vincent 555 1989-924 Becky Oglevee 528 1983-865 Michelle Bouldin 446 1992-94
Sharon's Season High Assists - 2003-04
8 ........ vs West Virginia 12/207 ........ at Pitt 12/37 ........ at La Salle 1/66 ........ vs Siena 12/226 ........ at Saint Joseph's 1/46 ........ vs St. Bonaventure 1/165 ........ vs Robert Morris 11/235 ........ at Toledo 11/255 ........ vs Dayton 1/9
