Aug. 25, 2005

Four post-season squads are on tap for Duquesne in its 11-game 2005-06 non-conference schedule announced today. Highlighting the slate are home games with two of those post-season teams at the Palumbo Center in Penn State (NCAA) and West Virginia (WNIT). DU's other two match-ups are at Bowling Green (NCAA) and at Western Kentucky (WNIT). In all the Red & Blue have nine 2005 NCAA / WNIT teams on the slate as league members Temple, Richmond and George Washington all made a trip to the NCAA tournament while Xavier and first-year member Charlotte participated in the WNIT.

Dan Durkin enters his 13th-year as the Dukes' Head Coach taking on four teams over an eight day span. The slate begins Nov. 19 as the Dukes host East Carolina at the A. J. Palumbo Center. Durkin, who was an assistant at Penn State before coming to Duquesne, will be re-united with PSU's Renee Portland as the Dukes hosts the Lady Lions Nov. 22. Penn State last visited the Palumbo Center on Jan. 7, 1991 when it was still a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Duquesne then makes its first road trip of the season over Thanksgiving break traveling to Florida for the Miami Tournament Nov. 25-26 with Bradley, Oakland and the host Hurricanes. The Dukes will face Oakland in the opening day's action and end the eight-day, four-game span vs. either Bradley or Miami Nov. 26.

The annual cross-town rivalry with Pitt is slated for Nov. 30 at the Peterson Events Center followed by a home game with Akron Dec. 3. Duquesne squeezes in a road trip to Bowling Green Dec. 6 before the WVU Mountaineers come to the Burgh Dec. 18. Fellow local rival Robert Morris visits the Palumbo on Dec. 21 to wrap up the home schedule. The Dukes close out the month at Western Kentucky (Dec. 28) and at Ohio (Dec. 30).

With the addition of Saint Louis and Charlotte into the Atlantic 10 Conference for the 2005-06 season, the league will use a one-division format with each team facing three opponents twice and the other 10 once in a 16-game schedule. Duquesne's home-and-home opponents are Dayton, St. Bonaventure and Saint Louis. The Dukes' A-10 home opponents include: Charlotte, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts and Xavier. The Dukes will travel to Fordham, Rhode Island, Richmond, Saint Joseph's and Temple in their other conference games. The season wraps up at the Atlantic 10 Championship scheduled for Mar. 3-6. The Atlantic 10 Conference will release the complete league schedule at a later date.

Date            Day   OpponentNov. 19         Sat.      EAST CAROLINANov. 22         Tue.      PENN STATENov. 25-26  Fri.-Sat. at Miami Tournament - Miami, Fla.                  with Bradley and OaklandNov. 25         Fri.      vs. OaklandNov. 26         Sat.      vs. Bradley / MiamiNov. 30         Wed.      at PittDec. 3          Sat.      AKRONDec. 6          Tue.      at Bowling GreenDec. 17         Sat.      WEST VIRGINIADec. 21         Wed.      ROBERT MORRISDec. 28         Wed.      at Western KentuckyDec. 30         Fri.      at Ohio
Mar. 3-6    Fri.-Mon.   at Atlantic 10 Championship

Home Atlantic 10 games with
Charlotte
Dayton
George Washington
La Salle
Massachusetts
St. Bonaventure
Saint Louis
Xavier

Road Atlantic 10 games with
Dayton
Fordham
Rhode Island
Richmond
St. Bonaventure
Saint Joseph's
Saint Louis
Temple

HOME games played on campus at the A.J. Palumbo Center located on Forbes Avenue