Nov. 1, 2006
Box Score
Charlie Parker scored 21 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to bring Millersville back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Duquesne 81-77 in the Dukes exhibition opener at the Palumbo Center.
Freshmen Scott Grote and Robert Mitchell led Duquesne with 15 points each.
Duquesne, which led 46-32 at the half, was up 63-46 with 10:25 left before Parker and Joel Perez, who finished with 20 points, scored 19 of Millersville's next 22 to pull the Marauders to within three at 71-68 with 4:11 remaining.
Reggie Bates then completed a traditional three-point play to tie the game at 71 before Perez, who went 6-of-7 from the arc, drilled a 3-pointer to put Millersville up 74-71 with 2:44 left.
Grote, who went 3-of-5 from the arc, answered with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 74, before Millersville took the lead for good on a Parker jumper at the 2:19 mark.
Duquesne's Reggie Jackson had a chance to tie the game with 1:08 to go but missed the front end of a one-and-one. Millersville scored the next five points to take an 81-74 lead with six seconds left.
Aaron Jackson hit a 3-pointer with one second left for the final margin.
"Depth was a real factor for us," said first-year Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. "We got awfully tired down the stretch. We sort of hit the wall. But you have to give Millersville credit, they made some big plays and hit some big shots."
Everhart, who had just 10 players - seven of whom are on scholarship - in uniform, played seven players for all but one minute of the game. Of the seven players, three were true freshmen.
Duquesne fell behind early, trailing 17-9 eight minutes into the game before turning up the defensive pressure and going on a 23-3 run to take a 32-20 lead with 5:01 left in the half. The Dukes upped the lead to 18 before settling on a 46-32 advantage at the half.
Duquesne, which shot 47.5 percent for the game, shot 48.4 percent in the first half while holding Millersville to 31.7 percent. The second half was a different story as the Marauders, led by Parker and Perez, shot 57.6 percent. For the game Millersville shot 43.2 percent from the field and 50 percent (9-of-18) from the 3-point arc.
"As well as we defended in the first half, is how poorly we defended in the second half," said Everhart. "I had a chance to call a few timeouts late in the game, but I wanted to see how our guys would react. I'm disappointed we didn't fight through the fatigue and play tougher."
Achara, Aaron Jackson and freshman Stephen Wood added 11 points each for Duquesne. Both Achara (arch) and Wood (knee) have missed practice time over the past week due to injuries. A third Duke, Phillip Fayne, who missed extensive practice time in early October with mononucleosis, played 28 minutes.
Wood and Aaron Jackson led Duquesne with seven rebounds each. Reggie Jackson handed out a team-high four assists.
Duquesne finished the game with 23 turnovers to 19 for Millersville.
The Dukes complete the exhibition portion of their schedule at home vs. Mercyhurst on Sunday, Nov. 5. DU opens the regular season at home versus Youngstown State on Nov. 13.
