Jan. 9, 2004

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DUKES HOST UNDEFEATED No. 9 SAINT JOSEPH'S

Duquesne (5-7, 0-1), which concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 96-91 home win over Ohio on Wednesday, returns to Atlantic 10 play against No. 9 (AP & ESPN/USA Today) Saint Joseph's (12-0, 2-0) on Saturday, Jan. 10 at the Palumbo Center (7:05 tip). The Dukes shot 66.7% from the field to counteract 20 Ohio 3-pointers in the win. DU led by 17 with 1:46 left before Ohio hit five '3's' in the last 1:26 for the final margin. Saint Joe's, the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic 10 East, is 2-0 in league play including a 71-60 win at Richmond on Tuesday. Consensus preseason All-America Jameer Nelson led SJU with 32 points at UR. Duquesne, which is 0-1 in Atlantic 10 play this season, has won its last three in a row at home (5-3 overall at the Palumbo Center). The Saint Joe's game is the second of four in a row at home for DU. The Dukes host A10 West division favorite Xavier on Jan. 14 and conclude the homestand vs. UMass on Jan. 18.

DUKES VS. HAWKS

This is the 39th meeting in a series that dates back to Feb. 25, 1938 ... Saint Joseph's holds a 29-9 series edge, including a 11-6 mark vs. the Dukes at Pittsburgh ... the Hawks have won the last six meetings and 12 of the last 13 ... DU's last win came at the Palumbo Center on Jan. 17, 1998 (88-77) ... No. 9 SJU is led by national player of the year candidate senior guard Jameer Nelson (20.8 ppg.) ... the only time the Dukes have faced a ranked Saint Joseph's team was on Feb. 25, 2001, when the #23 (AP) Hawks defeated the Dukes 90-70 at the Palumbo Center ... DU is 2-11 vs. ranked teams at the Palumbo Center with five of the losses coming by eight or fewer points ... Duquesne's last win over a ranked team was on Jan. 25, 1997 at #16 (AP) Xavier (88-72) ' a span of 13 games vs. ranked opponents.

MORE ON SAINT JOSEPH'S

Saint Joseph's began the week as one of 10 undefeated teams in Division I-A ... the Hawks, who are ranked No. 9 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, also began the week No. 1 in the Ratings Percentage Index which has been used by the NCAA since 1981 to supplement the selection of at-large teams and the seeding of all teams for the NCAA Tournament ... SJU's 12-0 start is the best in school history ... the Hawks are led by a national player of the year candidate in 5-11 senior guard Jameer Nelson (20.8 ppg., 5.3 apg.) ... Nelson, who has been named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week four times in the first seven weeks of the season, was a consensus preseason All-America pick ... he has scored 61 points in SJU's first two conference games ... Nelson and his backcourt mate, junior Delonte West (17.6 ppg.), form what many consider the top backcourt in college basketball ... Saint Joe's is coming off a 71-60 win at Richmond on Tuesday ... the Hawks led by as many as 22 in the second half ... SJU opponents are shooting 40.3% from the field ... only one team, Drexel (in a 92-70 loss), has shot better than 43 percent against the Hawks this season ... Saint Joseph's is forcing an average of 18.2 turnovers per game.

VS. THE TOP 10

DU's last win over a Top 10 team was on Dec. 15, 1992 against Florida State 91-84 at the Palumbo Center (a span of 11 g. vs. Top 10 teams). Duquesne has dropped its last 13 in a row against teams ranked in the AP poll.

DUQUESNE LATELY

• Junior PG Martin Osimani, who suffered a lacerated eyelid seven minutes into the Richmond game on Jan. 3, made a surprise return against Ohio ... Osimani, who received two stitches on the inside of his left eyelid following the UR game, was cleared on Wednesday afternoon and, wearing protective goggles, tied the DU school record with 12 assists in 25 minutes off the bench vs. OU ... Osimani's 6.25 apg. currently ranks as the best in school history ... five Dukes scored in double figures vs. Ohio
• DU's 66.7% performance from the floor marked the team's first 60+% effort since Dec. 8, 1993 (vs. St. Francis, Pa.)
• DU's 96 points were its most since a 96-85 win over St. Bonaventure on Mar. 1, 1997
• Despite its 5-7 record, Duquesne is outscoring its opponents 867-860 (+0.5 ppg.)
• Four of the Dukes' seven losses have come on the road by a combined 15 points, with three of those games decided in overtime.

QUICK HITS

• Duquesne has led at the half in eight of 13 games and is 4-4 in those games
• DU is 3-4 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 3-1 when outrebounding its opponent
• Nee enters the Saint Joseph's game needing eight wins to reach 400 for his career
• Nine of DU's 10 regulars have scored at least 10 points in a game this season: Achara (1 time), Dokes (5), Higgins (2), McAllister (8), Osimani (1), Palmer (9), Pawlak (4), Jimmy Tricco (7) and Ryan Tricco (2)
• The only regular who has yet to reach the 10-point mark is guard Tyler Bluemling who is averaging 6.6 minutes per game
• Seven different Dukes have either led or tied for the the team lead in scoring in a single game: Palmer (3 times), Jimmy Tricco (3), Dokes (2), McAllister (2), Higgins (1), Pawlak (1) and Ryan Tricco (1)
• Last year, Duquesne's 11 road losses, including three of 35 points or more, came by an average of -18.3 points ... this year, through four road games, the margin stands at -3.8 with the largest margin at five (74-69 in overtime at Minnesota)

DOCTOR MY EYES

Three different Duquesne players are recovering from significant eye injuries suffered in the Dukes' last three games. First, leading scorer and rebounder Elijah Palmer had his left eye scratched while pulling down a rebound in the first half vs. Cornell on Dec. 31. Palmer, whose injury was originally feared to be a scratched cornea, sat out the final 32 minutes of DU's 70-69 win. The injury turned out to be a scratch on the white of the eye that was treated with medication. Palmer did play at Richmond and scored six points in 18 minutes before fouling out with 4:55 left. He bounced back with 14 points vs. Ohio. Seven minutes into the Jan. 3 Richmond game, point guard Martin Osimani was poked in his left eye and was forced to the sideline. Osimani wasn't as lucky, as his injury required two stitches on the inside of his upper eyelid. The junior point guard, who was originally thought to be sidelined for the Ohio game, was cleared to play that afternoon. Wearing protective goggles, Osimani came off the bench to tie the DU school record with 12 assists in 25 minutes vs. OU. Finally, sophomore guard Bryant McAllister was also poked in his left eye early in the second half at Richmond and suffered a cut to his upper eyelid. McAllister's cut was treated on the bench with a steri-strip and he was able to return. He did play vs. Ohio. So, to recap, it was three left eye injuries to three different players in two games. Palmer missed 32 minutes vs. Cornell and Osimani missed 33 minutes at Richmond. All three did play vs. Ohio.