Jan. 19, 2006

DUQUESNE (2-13, 0-4) at DAYTON (8-10, 0-4)
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006 • 8:00 p.m. (EST)
UD Arena (13,266) • Dayton, Ohio

TELEVISION: WHIO-TV (Dayton, Ohio viewing area)
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
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DUQUESNE AT DAYTON

Duquesne (2-13, 0-4), coming off a 90-63 loss at Fordham on Sunday returns to action at Dayton (8-10, 0-4) on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 8:00 p.m. (KQV-AM 1410/redzonemedia.com). The Dukes are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak against a Dayton team that is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak of its own. The Flyers, picked to finish fifth in the A-10 in a preseason poll of league coaches and media, are coming off a 53-51 home loss to Temple on Wednesday. Duquesne is 0-5 on the road this season, while Dayton is 7-4 at UD Arena.

DUKES AND FLYERS

Duquesne snapped a 16-game Dayton series win streak with a 94-93 double-overtime win at University of Dayton Arena last season ... the victory was the Dukes' first at Dayton since Feb. 1, 1983 (a span of 12 games) and first in the series since Jan. 30, 1997 ... Dayton leads the overall series 39-16, including a 17-3 advantage in Atlantic 10 regular-season games ... in games played at Dayton, the Flyers hold a 23-4 advantage ... Duquesne has never won two in a row at Dayton ... the closest was on Feb. 20, 1981 (a triple overtime 109-100 loss) followed by a 58-55 win on Feb. 1, 1983 (DU's last win at UD prior to last season).

DUQUESNE LATELY

• Duquesne, which opened the season with a 12-man roster, is currently dressing nine players
• Senior guard Bryant McAllister, who is averaging a team-best 17.7 ppg., is coming off his first single-digit scoring game of the season (eight at Fordham) ... it was also the first time the Pittsburgh native did not attempt a free throw in a game this year ... McAllister enters the Dayton game 18th on Duquesne's all-time leading scorer's list with 1,281 points ... he needs 55 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 4.64 apg. ... he has tied his career assist high twice in his last eight 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 ... he scored a game-high 26 points in DU's double-overtime win at Dayton last season.

CLOSE ONES

Since February 1993, Dayton has played in a total of 18 one-point games. Of the 18, three - more than against any other opponent - have come against Duquesne: February 4, 1993 (a 78-77 Dayton win at UD Arena), Feb. 5, 2003 (a 76-75 Dayton win at the Palumbo Center) and Jan. 5, 2005 (a 94-93 Duquesne double overtime victory at Dayton).

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 of Duquesne's first six 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, did not return to the team following semester break 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."

AND THEN THERE WERE NINE

The loss of three players who were expected to play significant roles for Duquesne this season has left the Dukes with a nine-man roster for conference play. Here is a chronology of the shrinking roster:

PLAYER                                       DATE LOSTKieron Achara (shoulder surgery)             Dec. 15Ryan Lambert (released from team)            Dec. 20Jack Higgins (not returning for second term) Jan. 10

The trio of Achara (62), Higgins (63) and Lambert (35) had a total of 160 games of Division I experience among them ... they combined for 11 starts in the 18 games they played this season.

OUT FOR OTHER REASONS

In addition to the roster attrition, a number of Dukes have not dressed for games this season. Here's the list of those who have been out at one time or another (not including Achara who did not dress for the game at Akron on Nov. 30). Duquesne had its full complement of players for one game this season - a 73-58 win over Robert Morris on Dec. 3:

Bryant McAllister   Ark-Pine Bluff   suspensionChauncey Duke       at Oakland       family funeralSean McKeon         at W. Virginia   bruised hipAdam Souply         The Citadel      sprained ankleDeVario Hudson      Richmond         cardiac testing

"I've never had a team that's been decimated like this, with so many players out" said DU head coach Danny Nee following the Richmond game. "If we have eight guys, then we have to use eight ... if its seven, it will be seven." This is Nee's 26th season as a head coach.

FORDHAM LEFTOVERS

Leftovers from the 90-63 loss at Fordham last Sunday ... DeVario Hudson returned to the lineup after missing the Richmond game while undergoing precautionary cardiac testing ... he was cleared two days before the game ... Fordham's 90 points and 57 first half points were both DU opponent highs ... Fordham, which hit 8-of-10 three-pointers in building a 57-31 halftime lead, finished the game 12-of-20 from the 3-point arc ... Fordham, which outrebounded the Dukes 45-to-19, had more offensive boards (23) than Duquesne had total rebounds (19) ... Chauncey Duke hit 7-of-10 from the field (4-of-6 from the arc) in scoring a career- and game-high 21 points for Duquesne ... Duke's previous career-best was 14 set earlier this season vs. Appalachian State ... he had 16 in the first half vs. the Rams ... Brian Kelly came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points in 20 minutes ... his previous best was six points (twice) ... Fordham's largest lead was 33 points five minutes into the second half ... Fordham's bench outscored Duquesne's 52-19.

DUKE HITTING HIS STRIDE

Sophomore swingman Chauncey Duke, whose lay-up with five seconds left in the second overtime period proved to be the game-winner in last year's 94-93 win at Dayton, is coming off a career-high 21 point game at Fordham ... Duke, who hit 7-of-10 field goal attempts vs. the Rams, has been a bright spot in conference play with a 9.5 ppg. scoring average and team-high field goal (58.3%) and 3-point (46.2%) percentages ... Duke, who has gone 4-of-6 from the 3-point arc in two of his last five games, has doubled his 3-point shooting percentage over that span (see box) ... Duke, who scored seven in the game at Dayton last year, missed the return match at Pittsburgh due to complications from a stomach virus.

70 IS THE KEY

Reaching the 70-point mark has meant success for the Dukes under Danny Nee. When scoring 70 or more, Duquesne is 34-18 in Nee's five seasons. Not coincidentally, DU's two wins this season have come in two of the three games in which it has topped the 70-point mark (73-58 over Robert Morris & 90-61 over The Citadel). To go one further, the Dukes are 13-2 when scoring 80 or more under Nee. Through 15 games this season, Duquesne is averaging 63.6 ppg.

DUQUESNE QUICK NOTES

• Duquesne has used seven different starting lineups in 15 games
• DU's entire preseason roster was intact for just one game this season (a 73-58 win over Robert Morris on Dec. 3)
• The Duquesne Holiday Tournament (Dec. 30-31) 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) ... Hudson rejoined the starting five for the Fordham game
• Brian Kelly made his second career start in Hudson's place vs. Richmond
• The Dukes were forced to play musical lineups since day one ... 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 second 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 in game No. 4 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. with three starts)
• Duquesne announced on Jan. 10 that 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 been on the floor for an opening tip
• Bryant McAllister, who has led the Dukes in scoring in 10 of 15 games, is coming off his first single-digit scoring game of the season (a season-low eight at Fordham) ... he averaged 21.2 ppg. in the five outings prior to the Fordham game ... the last time McAllister has had back-to-back single-digit games was in the second and third games of his sophomore season, when he was playing through an ankle injury (nine points vs. Siena and zero vs. Pitt) ... the Pittsburgh native 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 eight games (vs. The Citadel and Appalachian State), has had at least five assists in nine of 14 games ... going into this season, he had five or more assists in a game nine times in 89 career outings ... he snapped a season-long streak of two games in a row without at least five assists at Fordham ... McAllister ranks second in the A-10 in both scoring (17.7 ppg.) and assists (4.64 apg.) ... he is the only Duquesne player averaging over 30 minutes per game (31.7), McAllister leads the Dukes in assists (65) and steals (16)
• Sophomore forward DeVario Hudson, DU's second-leading scorer (10.1 ppg.) and top rebounder (5.6 rpg.) missed the Richmond game on Jan. 11 due to precautionary cardiac testing ... he was cleared to practice the Friday before the Fordham game and was back in the starting lineup against the Rams ... the Richmond 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 is second on the team to McAllister with seven double-digit games, bounced back to score 12 in the consolation game vs. Appalachian State ... Hudson has gotten off to a slow start in conference play with six points in each of the three A-10 games he's played ... Hudson is shooting 46.9 percent from the field on the season ... he is 11-of-12 (91.7%) from the line
• Freshman point guard Aaron Jackson, who handed out a season-high seven assists vs. The Citadel on Dec. 20, has turned it over just 21 times in 426 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 44 assists on the season and ranks second on the team with 11 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 ... he has yet to miss a free throw (11-of-11) in conference play ... he brings a streak of 12 straight free throws made into the Dayton game
• 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 four A-10 games that have followed he has managed just 16 points and 14 rebounds (4.0 ppg. and 2.8 rpg. on 28.6 percent shooting in league 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, was 1-of-6 from the field with two points in 23 minutes vs. Richmond and scored four points before fouling out with 54 seconds left at Fordham ... his 19 points and 12 rebounds vs. Appalachian 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 then 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 32 assists and 17 turnovers on the season (1.9-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, before exploding for a career-high 21 points (7-of-10 from the field) at Fordham ... Duke eclipsed his previous career high of 14 with 16 points in the first half ... Duke's 4.8 rpg. average is up from his 2.7 rpg. mark last season
• Sophomore Sean McKeon is 15-of-33 from the field (45.4%) with 40 points and 10 blocks in his last eight 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 eight games since Ryan Lambert left the team on Dec. 20
• Former walk-on Adam Souply who was put on scholarship prior to the season, has scored 11 points in DU's last three games ... the 6-1 senior handed out three assists in a 14 minutes vs. Appalachian State on Dec. 30 ... 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 ... he matched the five-point total again at Fordham ... Souply, who has seen action in nine games this season (79 total minutes), 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
• Through four conference games, Duquesne is being outshot 51.1 percent to 41.8 percent, outrebounded by 8.0 per game and being outscored by 20.7 points per game ... DU is shooting just 28.6 percent from the 3-point arc in A-10 play (14-of-49).

SHARING THE BALL

Duquesne has assisted on 64.8 percent of its field goals in its last eight games (125-of-193), an improvement over the team's 56.1 percent rate in its first seven games (87-of-155). The Dukes have also cut their turnovers by more than four per game over that span. Guards Bryant McAllister (40 assists & 21 turnovers) and Aaron Jackson (30 assists & 15 turnovers) have been the catalysts with a combined 70 assists with 36 turnovers in DU's last eight games. The two have combined for 51.4 percent of Duquesne's 212 total assists:

SPAN           ASTs FGs PCT  AST/TOs     RATIOFirst 7 games    87 155 56.1 87-to-116   0.75-to-1Last 8 games    125 193 64.8 125-to-103  1.21-to-1

POINT BLANK

Among those gone from last year's team are starting point guard Martin Osimani and his backup, Tyler Bluemling. Osimani, a two-year starter who finished his career ranked eighth on the all-time Atlantic 10 assist list at 5.5 apg., along with Bluemling, accounted for over half of DU's total assists and had a combined 215-to-104 (2.1-to-1) assist-to-turnover ratio last season. Bryant McAllister has split time at the point this year with newcomer Aaron Jackson - who joined the starting lineup in game seven. With the transition, the Dukes struggled early with turnovers, averaging 16.6 per game through their first eight games. That looks to be improving with DU committing 86 turnovers in their last seven outings (12.3/g.). The 6-2 Jackson, who has started the last nine games, is off to a solid start in the turnover column with 21 TO's in 426 total minutes (28.4 min./g.), while McAllister leads the team in both assists with 65 (4.64 apg.) and turnovers (51). McAllister has benefitted by the emergence of Jackson, as he has 40 assists and 21 turnovers in his past seven games. McAllister on Jackson: "He plays hard and he plays confident. He allows me to get in the open floor. Having two guys who can push the ball makes us a lot faster."

FOUL PLAY

It wasn't until after the 13th game of the season (vs. UMass) that Duquesne finally got its free throw attempts (178-of-245) above the number of free throws opponents have made (231-of-330). Bryant McAllister (74-of-94) has accounted for just under 40 percent of DU's total free throw attempts, with Keith Gayden second at 14.7 percent (24-of-36). DU, which shot a season low six free throws in the loss at Youngstown State on Dec. 17, followed that by making 23 of a then-season high 28 in the win over The Citadel. DU topped that mark by going 22-of-29 from the stripe (McAllister was 13-of-15) vs. UMass on Jan. 7. The Dukes have shot more free throws than their opponent four times this season with two coming in wins - over Robert Morris and The Citadel.

FREE THROW ATTEMPTS = SUCCESS

One-fifth of Duquesne's total free throw attempts have come in the Dukes' two wins this season. DU attempted an average of 25.5 free throws (40-of-51) in wins over Robert Morris and The Citadel. In 13, losses, Duquesne has gone to the line an average of 14.9 times (138-of-194).

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 0-6 on the road this season.

DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY TENTATIVE STARTERS AT DAYTON

#	P	Name	Ht	Yr	Pts	Reb	G/GS	Hometown	Quick Facts
4	F	Chauncey Duke	6-6	So.	7.2	4.8	14/14	Springfield, Mo.	Career-high 21 points at Fordham; 58.3% in A-10 play
45	F	DeVario Hudson	6-6	So.	10.1	5.6	14/12	Decatur, Ga.	Leads DU in rebounding (5.6 rpg.) and blocked shots (19)
34	C	Keith Gayden	6-8	Sr.	7.0	4.7	15/12	Chicago, Ill.	8 points and 7 rebounds in 25 min. off bench last yr. at UD
22	G	Bryant McAllister	6-3	Sr.	17.7	4.1	14/14	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Preseason first team All-Atlantic 10; 1,281 career points
1	G	Aaron Jackson	6-2	Fr.	6.2	3.1	15/10	Hartford, Conn.	2.1-to-1 assist/turnover ratio (44-to-21)

OFF THE BENCH

25	F	Sean McKeon	6-10	So.	3.7	1.9	11/0	Phoenixville, Pa.	Scored 8 points in 14 min. in last season's win at Dayton
13	F	Brian Kelly	6-7	Fr.-RS	3.4	2.0	15/2	Decatur, Ga.	Scored a career-high 10 pts. in 20 min. at Fordham
32	F	Ronnie Thomas	6-9	Fr.	2.2	1.7	12/0	Middlebury, Ind.	True freshman scored a career-high 7 in 15 min. vs. UR
31	G	Adam Souply	6-1	Sr.	1.2	0.6	9/0	Fayette City, Pa.	5 pts., 3 reb. & 2 assists in career-high 16 min vs. UMass