Jan. 13, 2006

TELEVISION: Atlantic 10 Network with Scott Graham & John Griffin
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
INTERNET BROADCAST: www.RedZoneMedia.com

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DUQUESNE HEADS TO FORDHAM FOR TV GAME

Duquesne (2-12, 0-3), coming off a 62-48 loss to Richmond on Wednesday hits the road for the first time since Jan. 4 to face Fordham (6-9, 1-1) in an Atlantic 10 television network game on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 3:00 p.m. (Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh locally and on KQV-AM 1410/redzonemedia.com). The Dukes are looking to snap a six-game losing streak against a Fordham team that has been idle since its 78-63 home win over Penn on Jan. 9. The Rams, picked to finish eighth in the A-10 in a preseason poll of league coaches and media, opened conference play with a 66-56 home win over Dayton and followed that with a 64-59 loss at Rhode Island on Jan. 7. Duquesne is 0-5 on the road this season.

DUKES AND RAMS

Duquesne leads the series 13-7, including a 5-3 edge in games played at Fordham ... in Atlantic 10 regular-season play DU leads 6-4 ... Duquesne snapped a three-game Fordham series win streak with a 95-66 victory at the Palumbo Center in 2002 and followed that with a 74-65 win at Fordham in 2003, a 93-56 victory at Pittsburgh in 2004 and a 61-57 win at Fordham last season ... Fordham snapped DU's four-game series win streak with a 65-53 victory in the first round of last year's Atlantic 10 Championship ... Duquesne, winner of the last two Bronx matchups, has never won three in a row at Rose Hill Gym ... DU did defeat FU three times in a row on the road in Jan. & Dec. of 1955 and March of 1961, however the middle win was at Madison Square Garden in the Holiday Tournament ... the home team has won seven of the 10 A-10 meetings between the two ... the DU/FU series dates back to Dec. 22, 1949.

MORE ON THE FORDHAM SERIES

Duquesne's 37-point margin of victory over the Rams in 2004 (93-56) was its largest since 1983 (an 83-45 win over Ohio Dominican) ... the margin was also DU's largest ever in an Atlantic 10 game eclipsing a 109-74 win (+35) over St. Bonaventure on Feb. 23, 1989 ... Duquesne saw a streak of 344 consecutive games with a 3-pointer snapped when it went 0-of-2 from the arc in last season's 61-57 win at Fordham ... the Dukes started a new streak in the regular-season finale vs. UMass only to see that one ended when they went 0-of-21 from 3-point land in a 65-53 loss to Fordham in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship ... in short, a streak that began on March 11, 1993, was snapped on March 2, 2005 and the Dukes went "3-less" again only seven days later against the same Fordham team.

DUQUESNE LATELY

• Duquesne, which opened the season with a 12-man roster, is currently dressing nine players <:i>One of those nine, sophomore forward DeVario Hudson, was held out of Wednesday's Richmond game while he undergoes precautionary cardiac testing ... his status for the Fordham game is not known at this time
• Senior guard Bryant McAllister, who is averaging a team-best 18.5 ppg., is scoring at a 20.0 ppg. pace in conference play ... the Pittsburgh native enters the Fordham game 18th on Duquesne's all-time leading scorer's list with 1,273 points ... he needs 63 to pass Emmett Sellers and move into the No. 17 spot ... McAllister, who is seeing extensive playing time at the point this season, is also averaging a team-high 4.62 apg. ... he has tied his career assist high twice in his last seven games with nine vs. both The Citadel and Appalachian State ... McAllister began the week ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in both scoring and assists.

MY, HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED

A quick glance at the nine-man Duquesne roster shows that things have changed dramatically since Atlantic 10 media day back on Nov. 3. Kieron Achara, the 2005 A-10 Chris Daniels Award winner (Most Improved Player) underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Dec. 15. The 6-9, 260-pound Achara, who was a preseason Second Team All-Atlantic 10 pick, played in three games before going under the knife. He ranks second on DU's all-time shot blocking list (81) and is also the seventh-most accurate shooter in school history at 52.4 percent. Ryan Lambert, a 6-7 first-year transfer from Western Kentucky was released from the team on Dec. 20. Lambert played in the first seven games of the season with three starts. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game. Finally, Jack Higgins, DU's third-leading scorer for the past two seasons, will not be returning to the team in order to concentrate on academics. Higgins' last game as a Duke was on Dec. 20. Higgins, who finished his career tied for second on Duquesne's all-time 3-point accuracy list (39.1%), averaged 9.3 points (16 3-pointers) in DU's first eight games (six starts, 25.0 min./g.). Duquesne's current roster has just three true guards (senior Bryant McAllister, true freshman Aaron Jackson and fourth-year former walk on Adam Souply) "When I look at the team picture we took on Oct. 15," said Nee following the Duquesne Holiday Tournament on New Year's Eve, "I never dreamt that there would be that much change. We've got to play with the players we have, and I really like them, but we have to get good enough to win a game."

RICHMOND LEFTOVERS

Leftovers from the 62-48 loss to Richmond on Wednesday ... Duquesne was without starting forward DeVario Hudson who was held out of the game while he undergoes precautionary cardiac testing ... he will be out indefinitely ... Hudson's absence left the Dukes with an eight-man roster ... freshman Ronnie Thomas, who did not practice on Tuesday because of bruised ribs, scored a career-high seven points, grabbed two rebounds, blocked a shot and took two charges in 15 minutes while wearing a brace and padding to protect the injury ... Duquesne, which was outscored by 12 in the second half, has now been outscored by a combined 130-79 in the second halves of its first three conference games ... Keith Gayden (1-of-6) and Aaron Jackson (1-of-9) were a combined 2-of-15 from the field ... Jackson did have a team-high four assists with zero turnovers ... Chauncey Duke led DU with seven rebounds ... Richmond's largest lead was 17 (59-42) at the 2:16 mark of the second half ... Duquesne's 48 points and 20 second-half points were both season lows.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

Duquesne has struggled mightily in the second half of each of its first three Atlantic 10 games. In fact the Dukes, who are being outscored by a slim 98-93 in the first half, have been outscored 130-79 in the second 20 minutes. In addition, A-10 opponents are shooting a blistering 57.5 percent (50-of-87) in the second half vs. Duquesne, while the Dukes have hit just 32.5 percent (25-of-77) of their shots after intermission. Against La Salle, Duquesne missed seven consecutive shots and turned it over twice in going scoreless over a five minute span while watching La Salle turn a three-point deficit into a 55-43 lead with a 15-0 run. La Salle scored the first six points of the second half . Versus UMass, DU went without a field goal over the first 10:16 of the second half (just 6-of-8 from the line over that span) as the Minutemen built their lead to 23 points. The Dukes opened the half 0-of-9. Versus Richmond, Duquesne missed 13 of its first 14 shots of the second half and had just one field goal in the first 8:02. The second-half flameout may have all started in Duquesne's final non-conference game vs. Appalachian State on New Year's Eve. In that game, the Mountaineers erased a 10-point DU lead by outscoring the Dukes 17-4 to end the game as DU went without a field goal for the final seven minutes.

DUQUESNE QUICK NOTES

• Duquesne has used seven different starting lineups in 14 games
• The Duquesne Holiday Tournament marked the first time this season that the Dukes started the same lineup for more than two consecutive games ... the unit of Duke, Hudson, Gayden, McAllister and Jackson had started six in a row before Hudson missed the Richmond game (precautionary cardiac testing) ... Brian Kelly made his second career start in Hudson's place
• Senior guard Bryant McAllister missed the opener vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff while serving a one-game suspension for an off-court incident over the summer ... sophomore swingman Chauncey Duke missed the game at Oakland to return to Missouri for his grandmother's funeral and junior pivotman Kieron Achara missed the Akron game with foot and shoulder injuries
• Achara - who played 20 minutes vs. Robert Morris on Dec. 13 - had surgery on his shoulder on Dec. 15 and is out for the remainder of the season
• Six-seven forward Ryan Lambert, a first-year sophomore transfer from Western Kentucky, was released from the team on Dec. 20 ... he played in each of the first seven games of the season (6.5 ppg., 3.5 rpg. in 23.0 min./g.)
• Senior guard Jack Higgins, who saw action in the first eight games of the season (9.3 ppg., 16 3-pointers, with six starts), would not be returning to the team for the second semester in order to concentrate on academics
• The evolving roster has led to starts for nine different players so far this season ... Sean McKeon, Ronnie Thomas and Adam Souply are the only current roster members who have not started
• Bryant McAllister, who has led the Dukes in scoring in 10 of 14 games, is averaging 21.2 ppg. in Duquesne's last five outings ... he is shooting is 45.2 percent from the field (33-of-73) and 44.4 percent from the 3-point arc (12-of-27) over that span ... he tied his career scoring high with 30 points vs. Troy in the first round of the Duquesne Holiday Tournament on Dec. 30 ... McAllister, who has tied his career high of nine assists in two of the Dukes' last seven games (vs. The Citadel and Appalachian State), has just three assists in his last two games (vs. UMass & Richmond) ... it is the longest he has gone this season without a five-assist game ... McAllister ranks second in the A-10 in both scoring (18.5 ppg.) and assists (4.62 apg.) ... he is the only Duquesne player averaging over 30 minutes per game (31.5), McAllister leads the Dukes in assists (60) and steals (16) ... he has had at least five assists in eight of the 13 games he's played this year
• Sophomore forward DeVario Hudson, DU's second-leading scorer (10.4 ppg.) and top rebounder (5.8 rpg.) missed the Richmond game due to precautionary testing on his heart ... his status for the Fordham game is not known at this time ... the miss snapped Hudson's team-high streak of 19 consecutive games played ... Hudson, who entered the Duquesne Holiday Tournament with back-to-back double-doubles vs. The Citadel (20-11) and Boston College (14-11) saw a streak of five consecutive double-digit scoring games snapped with five on 2-of-9 shooting vs. Troy ... the Georgia native, who shot 30.0 percent from the field for the tournament (6-of-20), bounced back to score 12 in the consolation game vs. Appalachian State ... he followed that with six points on 3-of-7 shooting in 22 foul-plagued minutes at La Salle and six more in 29 minutes vs. UMass ... he is shooting 47.9 percent from the field on the season
• Freshman point guard Aaron Jackson, who handed out a season-high seven assists vs. The Citadel on Dec. 20, has turned it over just 19 times in 397 total minutes (28.4 min/g.) ... the 6-2 Hartford, Conn. native grabbed six rebounds in 21 minutes vs. Pitt on Dec. 7 and followed that by hitting 5-of-6 shots in scoring 12 points at WVU ... he has 41 assists on the season and ranks second on the team with 10 steals ... Jackson scored 10 points and added seven rebounds and six assists (with zero turnovers) in 33 minutes vs. No. 13 (AP) Boston College on Dec. 27 ... followed the first scoreless game of his career (0-of-5, 0 points) vs. Appalachian State with a career high 16 points and career-best eight rebounds in 37 minutes in the Atlantic 10-opener at La Salle
• Senior forward / center Keith Gayden posted back-to-back double-doubles vs. Troy (12-10) and Appalachian State (19-12) in earning a spot on the Duquesne Holiday Tournament all-tournament team (Dec. 30-31) ... in the two games that have followed he has managed just 12 points and 10 rebounds (4.0 ppg. and 3.3 rpg. in A-10 play) ... he fouled out of the La Salle game with 8:44 remaining (six points and five rebounds), scored four points and posted one rebound in 25 minutes vs. UMass and was 1-of-6 from the field with two points in 23 minutes vs. Richmond ... his 19 points and 12 rebounds vs. App. State were both career highs ... he also tied career bests for blocks (3) and minutes played (31) vs. the Mountaineers ... Gayden scored 15 points (7-of-11 from the field) vs. #13 (AP) Boston College - and its All-American forward Craig Smith - on Dec. 27
• Sophomore forward Chauncey Duke, who entered the DU Holiday Tournament 6-of-27 (22.2%) from the 3-point arc, hit 5-of-12 in the two games including a career high-tying 4-of-6 vs. Appalachian State ... his 14 points vs. the Mountaineers were a career high ... in the two games he averaged 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds on 52.9 percent shooting (9-of-17) ... Duke, who has 27 assists and 15 turnovers on the season (1.8-to-1 ratio), scored two points in 28 minutes at La Salle before rallying to score seven on 3-of-3 shooting vs. UMass ... he followed that with eight points and seven boards in 37 minutes vs. Richmond ... Duke's 5.0 rpg. average is up from his 2.7 rpg. mark last season
• Sophomore Sean McKeon is 14-of-28 from the field (50.0%) with 38 points and eight blocks in his last seven outings ... he scored a career-high 11 vs. UMass on Jan. 7 ... McKeon, who had four assists in 24 games last season (285 total minutes), added a team and career high four assists vs. the Minutemen
• Freshman forward/center Ronnie Thomas, who suffered bruised ribs in practice on Jan. 9, scored a career-high seven points and added a blocked shot and two charges taken in 15 minutes of action vs. Richmond on Jan. 11 ... Thomas played the game with his ribs bandaged and braced ... he is averaging 15.3 min./g. in seven games since Ryan Lambert left the team on Dec. 20
• Former walk-on Adam Souply who was put on scholarship prior to the season, handed out three assists in a 14 minutes vs. Appalachian State ... he also added a career high-tying five points, a career-best three rebounds and two assists (zero turnovers) in a career high 16 minutes vs. UMass ... Souply, who has seen action in eight games this season (68 total minutes), has seen his playing time increase with the departure of Jack Higgins ... Souply played in a total of five games (11 total minutes) in his first three seasons with the Dukes ... he is one of just three true guards (along with McAllister and Jackson) on the current nine-man roster
• Duquesne is shooting just 23.5 percent from the 3-point arc in conference play (8-of-34).

EXTREME MAKE-OVER

A $2 million renovation of Duquesne's basketball home - the A.J. Palumbo Center - is nearing completion. The project, which began in late June, involved the creation of new offices for both the men's and women's coaching staffs, video viewing and video breakdown rooms, a large meeting/recruiting room, a new training room and a new state-of-the-art student-athlete weight room. It is the first major renovation of the Palumbo Center which opened its doors in December of 1988.

ON THE ROAD

Duquesne went 3-11 on the road last season with all three wins coming in Atlantic 10 play (a double-overtime win at Dayton along with victories at La Salle and at Fordham). The win at Dayton ended a 16-game series losing streak and was the Dukes' first at UD Arena since Feb. 1, 1983. The victory at La Salle was DU's first since Jan. 20, 1979 (a span of 12 games) and also ended a streak of 26-straight losses in the City of Philadelphia (including games at La Salle, at Saint Joseph's, at Temple and at the A-10 Tournament). DU, which went 0-6 in non-conference road games last season, went 0-4 in non-league road games this year. Duquesne's last non-conference road win was at Florida International in the title game of the FIU New Year's Classic (a span of 13 non-conference road g.) on Dec. 28 2002 (a 71-68 overtime win). Duquesne has yet to beat just one current Atlantic 10 member on the road in league play in Richmond (0-4). The Dukes had the Spiders on the ropes last year, only to fall when UR scored with eight-tenths of a second left to win 72-71 at Robins Center. DU's top road victims in A-10 play are: Rhode Island (9 wins, 2003-04 last), St. Bonaventure (8 wins, 2003-04 last), George Washington (6 wins, 1999-00 last) and UMass (5 wins, 1988-89 last). Duquesne is 0-5 on the road this season.