Nov. 23, 2004
WEST VIRGINIA (1-0) at DUQUESNE (1-3)
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2004 - 7:05 p.m. (EST)
Pittsburgh, Pa. - A.J. Palumbo Center (6,200)TELEVISION: None
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
INTERNET BROADCAST: www.redzonemedia.com
DUQUESNE HOSTS WEST VIRGINIA
Duquesne (1-3), coming off an 85-71 home loss to Lafayette on Saturday, hosts long-time rival West Virginia in a pre-Thanksgiving matchup at 7:05 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Nov. 24 (KQV-AM 1410/www.redzonemedia.com). West Virginia opened its season with an 82-70 win over Saint Peter's on Saturday night at Morgantown.
DUKES & MOUNTAINEERS
This is the 80th meeting between Duquesne and West Virginia ... it also marks the 32nd consecutive season (since 1973-74) the Dukes and Mountaineers have met at least once on the hardwood ... WVU leads the series, which dates back to Jan. 30, 1915, 43-36 ... Duquesne, however, has won four of the last six meetings ... in 1998-99, the Dukes defeated the Mountaineers 59-50 at the Palumbo Center and followed that with a 94-80 win at Wheeling, W.Va. in a game that was moved due to asbestos abatement at WVU Coliseum ... in 2000-01, Duquesne - which returned from a tournament at Hawaii the afternoon before the game - dropped an 81-73 decision to West Virginia at the Palumbo Center ... three year's ago DU snapped a 22-game road and 18-game arena losing streak with a 68-61 win at WVU Coliseum ... in 2002-03 DU took an 86-82 decision at the Palumbo Center ... last year Drew Schifino scored 27 of his game-high 29 points in the second half to lead West Virginia to an 88-84 overtime win at Morgantown ... Jon Pawlak scored a career-high 19 for the Dukes ... in games played at Pittsburgh, Duquesne holds a 22-13 series edge ... in 10 Palumbo Center meetings, the series is deadlocked at 5-5.
MORE ON WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia, in its third season under head coach John Beilein, returns all five starters from last year's 17-win team. The Mountaineers, who won a pair of games in last year's NIT, also added in impact transfer in 6-4 forward Mike Gansey, formerly of St. Bonaventure. Gansey, a member of the 2001-02 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, had some memorable outings against the Dukes including his first career double-double (11-10) as a freshman in the first round of the 2002 A-10 Tournament and a 20-point game as a sophomore in his only Palumbo Center appearance. WVU, which defeated NCAA Tournament teams Maryland, Boston College and Seton Hall last season, opened this year with an 82-70 win over Saint Peter's on Saturday. Six-eleven senior D'or Fischer, who set a school blocked shot record last season with 124, led the way for WVU with 24 points (11-of-13 from the field), 9 rebounds and 4 blocks vs. the Peacocks. He was one of five in double figures with Tyrone Salley and Gansey adding 16, Kevin Pittsnogle 13 and Johannes Herber 10. For the game the Mountaineers shot 55.9 percent from the field and handed out 24 assists while turning it over just 11 times.
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY TENTATIVE STARTERS VS. WEST VIRGINIA| # | P | Name | Ht | Yr | Pts | Reb | G/GS | Hometown | Quick Facts |
| 34 | F | Keith Gayden | 6-8 | Jr. | 6.5 | 5.0 | 4/3 | Chicago, Ill. | JC transfer from Kennedy-King College in Chicago |
| 42 | C | Kieron Achara | 6-9 | So. | 12.3 | 8.3 | 4/4 | Stirling, Scotland | Double-doubles in each of DU's last two games |
| 23 | G | Jack Higgins | 6-5 | Jr. | 8.8 | 3.5 | 4/4 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 1-of-10 from field vs. Lafayette (2 pts. in 23 min.) |
| 22 | G | Bryant McAllister | 6-3 | Jr. | 17.0 | 3.3 | 4/4 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Scored a career-high 24 vs. Lafayette (10-of-18 FGA) |
| 5 | G | Martin Osimani | 6-4 | Sr. | 11.3 | 2.3 | 4/3 | Montevideo, Uruguay | Career high 16 points in each of DU's last two games |
OFF THE BENCH| 32 | G | Tyler Bluemling | 6-2 | Sr. | 5.6 | 1.5 | 4/1 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Shooting 46.7% (7-of-15) from 3-point arc |
| 33 | F | Jon Pawlak | 6-9 | Sr. | 1.3 | 5.0 | 4/1 | Natrona Heights, Pa. | Career-high 19 points in 25 min. last year at WVU |
| 20 | G | Ryan Tricco | 6-4 | Jr. | 3.5 | 1.5 | 4/0 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Averaging 12.8 minutes per game |
| 4 | G | Chauncey Duke | 6-6 | Fr. | 3.0 | 2.5 | 4/0 | Springfield, Mo. | Scored 12 points (4-of-4 from arc) vs. N.C. A&T |
| 25 | F | DeVario Hudson | 6-6 | Fr. | 2.5 | 1.5 | 4/0 | Phoenixville, Pa. | Has 10 points in 25 minutes of action |
| 25 | F | Sean McKeon | 6-10 | Fr. | 1.3 | 0.5 | 4/0 | Phoenixville, Pa. | Out 2-3 weeks with mononucleosis |
DUQUESNE QUICK NOTES
- Senior guard Tyler Bluemling made his first career start in the season opener vs. Santa Clara ... it was the 69th game of his career ... Bluemling has scored 23 points in four games this season ... his point total in 17 appearances last year was 24 ... he leads the team with seven 3-pointers (46.7%)
- Martin Osimani, who posted Duquesne's first 10 assist game in a decade last year at WVU (10 assists), needs one more 10-assist game for the school career record ... Osimani, who will be playing his 34th career game vs. the Mountaineers, shares the record for career 10 assist games with Clayton Adams who posted four in 109 career games between 1988-91 ... Osimani is coming off back-to-back career-high 16 points games at New Mexico and vs. Lafayette ... last year, it took Osimani nine games to reach his current 45 point total
- Bryant McAllister, hit 10-of-18 shots from the field in scoring a career-high 24 points vs. Lafayette ... McAllister, who has scored in double figures in each of DU's first four games, eclipsed his previous career best of 21 set at Akron and matched at Xavier last season
- Kieron Achara posted his second consecutive double-double (11-10) vs. Lafayette ... he scored 10 points and grabbed 11 boards in the previous game at New Mexico ... Achara, who has also scored in double digits in each of DU's first four games, totaled a career-high 17 points vs. North Carolina A&T in the second game of the season
- The Dukes have shot under 35 percent from the field twice in four games (33.8 in a loss to Santa Clara and 34.8 in a loss to Lafayette)
- DU's opponents have made 13 more free throws (84-126) than the Dukes have attempted (57-71)
- The Dukes have committed 20 more fouls than their opponents (96-to-76)
- Opponents are shooting a combined 51.0% (49-of-96) from the field during DU's current two-game losing streak
- Dukes' coach Danny Nee secured his 400th win vs. NC A&T
- 11 different Dukes have seen action in all four games this season
- The Dukes are shooting 80.3 percent (57-of-71) from the foul line
- Duquesne's Nov. 12 opener was the earliest in school history.
NEE REACHES 400 WINS
Duquesne head coach Danny Nee, who is in his fourth season at Duquesne and 25th season overall, reached a career milestone when he posted his 400th win on Nov. 13 vs. North Carolina A&T (82-69) at Albuquerque. Nee, who ranks 28th on the active coach win list, posted 107 victories in six years at Ohio, a school-record 254 in 14 seasons at Nebraska, seven in one year at Robert Morris and 32 at Duquesne. Nee's 738 games ranks 20th among active coaches. The Brooklyn native signed a two-year contract extension early last March that keeps him with the Dukes through 2007-08. Of the 12 Atlantic 10 head coaches, only Temple Hall of Famer John Chaney has coached for more seasons and notched more career wins than Nee.
NEE VS. WVU
Danny Nee is 2-3 all time vs. West Virginia with both wins coming at Duquesne. The first meeting came during the 1980-81 season - Nee's first as head coach at Ohio University, and the second coming four year's ago when Nee was at Robert Morris. The first encounter, which was Nee's third game as a head coach, the Mountaineers defeated the Bobcats 69-61 at Morgantown. Nee's `81 Ohio squad went on to finish 7-20, while the 1980-81 Mountaineers, under third-year head coach Gale Catlett, ended the year 23-10 and advanced to the NIT semifinals. In 2000-01, WVU defeated Nee's Robert Morris team by a 77-56 count at Morgantown. Three year's ago, Nee ended his personal two-game skid by guiding the Dukes to a 68-61 win at WVU Coliseum and followed that with an 86-82 win at the Palumbo Center in 2002-03. Last year, West Virginia rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat the Dukes 88-84 in overtime at the Coliseum.
IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
Duquesne is 158-174 (.476) in non-conference games since 1976-77 as members of the Eastern 8/Atlantic 10 and Midwestern Collegiate Conference (1992-93 season only). The Dukes have posted a winning non-conference record four times since 1990 (6-4 in 1996, 8-4 in 1994, 7-5 in 1993 and 7-4 in 1992). DU went 5-6 in non-conference play last year with three overtime road losses. Duquesne is 1-3 so far in non-league play this year.
WHO IS THAT MASKED MAN?
Senior point guard Martin Osimani is currently playing with a clear plastic mask to protect a broken nose he suffered during a pre-season scrimmage vs. Bowling Green on Nov. 6. The Uruguay native missed part of two practices while being examined and fitted for the mask prior to the trip to Albuquerque. To top things off, he aggravated the injury when he collided with teammate Sean McKeon in practice the night before the opener vs. Santa Clara. The practice time missed combined with the injury caused Osimani to come off the bench vs. Santa Clara. Osimani started slow before scoring all nine of his points in the second half vs. the Broncos. The next night, he started and handed out 11 assists in an 82-69 win over North Carolina A&T. The assist total, which was one shy of the school record he shares with two other players, also tied him with Clayton Adams for the career 10-assist game record with four. In game three, Osimani once again started and responded with a career-high 16 points and six assists in a tough 82-74 loss to New Mexico. He matched that point total vs. Lafayette. Osimani, mask and all, is shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the foul line. This isn't the first time Osimani has played with a protective shield. Last year, he came off the bench wearing goggles to protect a scratched eye, and handed out a school record-tying 12 assists in 25 minutes vs. Ohio.
