Jan. 26, 2007
TEMPLE (7-11, 1-4) at DUQUESNE (6-11, 2-4)
Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007 • 7:00 p.m. (EST)
A.J. Palumbo Center (5,358) • Pittsburgh, Pa. TELEVISION: None
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
INTERNET BROADCAST: www.RedZoneMedia.com
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DUQUESNE WELCOMES TEMPLE
Duquesne (6-11, 2-4), which snapped a five-game home losing streak and doubled last season's win total with a 93-89 victory over Dayton on Wednesday, returns to action to host Temple (7-11, 1-4) on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7:00 p.m. (KQV radio 1410 AM and on the internet at www.RedZoneMedia.com). The Dayton win was just the Dukes' second over the Flyers in the past 20 meetings. It also ended an eight-game Dayton series win streak at Palumbo Center that dated back to 1997. Since adopting a 94-foot pressing style of play prior to the Jan. 21 UMass game, the Dukes have seen their point production skyrocket and opponent turnovers jump by nearly 10 per game:
TO's PPG. 3M 3AT FORCEDFirst 15 g. 68.6 6.3 20.8 14.5Last 2 g. 90.0 11.5 31.0 24.0Difference +21.4 +5.2 +10.2 +9.5
Duquesne closes out its current three-game homestand versus Xavier on Jan. 31.
DUKES AND OWLS
Temple leads the overall series 35-12, including a 13-7 advantage in games played at Pittsburgh ... Duquesne snapped an eight-game series losing streak with a 61-54 win over the Owls in Pittsburgh on Jan. 8, 2003 ... Temple has won the past three meetings ... last year, Mardy Collins led four Owls in double figures with 23 points in a 76-52 win at Philadelphia ... Aaron Jackson (zero points in 37 minutes) is the only current Duke who saw action in that game.
DUQUESNE LATELY
- Duquesne, which began the season with seven scholarship players, is currently competing with eight ... of the 10 total players on the current active roster, just one is over 6-6 (6-10 junior Kieron Achara) ... with the indefinite loss of 6-9 F/C Almamy Thiero (blood clots in lungs), head coach Ron Everhart unveiled a "1040" version of the Dukes on Jan. 21 at UMass with 10 players combining for 40 minutes of uptempo basketball
- The Dukes have forced 48 turnovers and averaged 90.0 ppg. since the change in style ... each player in the 10-man group has logged at least 11 minutes in the past two games as Everhart has substituted a total of 111 times (including entire five-man units 14 times in the past 80 minutes of basketball)
- In Wednesday's 93-89 win over Dayton, DU erased an eight-point deficit in the final 4:52 to secure the win
- Five players scored in double figures for the Dukes including walk on Jason Duty (career-high 13 points) ... Duty, who played a total of 64 minutes in six games before the change in strategy, went 3-of-3 from the 3-point arc and did not turn the ball over in 20 minutes.
JUST HOW YOUNG ARE THEY?
According to research done by K.J. Cardinal, Assistant Commissioner/Communications for the America East Conference, only two teams - Centenary & Southern Mississippi - entered this season with fewer games of Division I experience than Duquesne. Here is a list of the least experienced NCAA teams based on total roster games played and starts:
FEWEST CAREER DIVISION I GAMES PLAYED
(entering 2005-06)
SCHOOL GCentenary 104Southern Mississippi 105DUQUESNE 117Morehead State 127UTEP 133Idaho 136Southern Utah 140Boston U. 144Jacksonville State 151Florida Atlantic 160
AL OUT
Graduate student transfer center Almamy Thiero (CHEERo), who was admitted to the hospital in the early hours of Jan. 19 for treatment of blood clots in his lungs, was discharged the afternoon of Jan. 24 and was on the bench in street clothes for the Dayton game. His status for the remainder of the season is to be determined. Thiero, who played 134 minutes in just 28 total games in four injury-plagued seasons at Memphis, eclipsed his Memphis career minute total in DU's first 11 games of 2006- 07. Thiero, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Oct. 9, was one of four players to play in each of the Dukes' first 15 games. The Mali, West Africa native missed all but three game of the 2003-04 season at Memphis due to blood clots.
QUICK NOTES
- Head coach Ron Everhart has used ten different starting lineups in the Dukes' first 17 games ... every player on the active roster (including five true freshmen) has started at least one time ... every player is also averaging double-digit minutes since the Dukes adopted a pressing, uptempo style of play prior to the Jan. 21 UMass game (a two-game span) ... the average age of the 10 players currently dressing for games is 19.9
- DU, which has 255 team assists and 258 turnovers, has assisted on 58.9 percent of its field goals ... Duquesne has seen its 3-point attempts jump from 20.8 in its first 15 games to 31.0 in its past two ... the Dukes are 23-of-62 (37.1%) from the 3-point arc in their past two games after shooting 30.1 percent in their first 15 ... Duquesne began the week second in the Atlantic 10 in free throw percentage (.727), third in assists (14.75 apg.) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio
- Aaron Jackson, who led all Atlantic 10 returnees with a 1.73-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, has a team-high 66 assists and 36 turnovers this year ... his 1.83-to-1 ratio & 3.88 assists per game rank fifth in the A-10 ... Jackson, who averaged 3.2 rebounds per game last season, posted double-doubles in DU's first two games (12-11 vs. Youngstown State & 15-10 vs. UNC Asheville) ... he had five games with five or more rebounds in 27 outings last year, he has nine in 17 games this season ... Jackson leads the team with 42 offensive boards, including a spectacular put-back dunk at Boston College ... the Hartford, Conn. native put together one of the top stat lines by an A-10 player this season with 16 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and a career-high five steals at Saint Francis, Pa. ... he was named A-10 co-Player of the Week (Dec. 24) for his effort ... he followed that with 19 points and seven rebounds in DU's 98-93 OT win at Boston College to earn A-10 POW honors for the second consecutive week ... in the process, he became just the seventh player in school history to win conference Player of the Week honors twice in one season ... the Dukes are 5-3 when Jackson scores in double figures ... Jackson broke out of a two-game, 3-of-15 (5.5 ppg.) shooting slump with 11 points (4-of-9) at UMass ... he also had seven assists and seven boards versus the Minutemen
- 6-10 junior forward/center Kieron Achara, who was diagnosed with three stress fractures in his left foot on Nov. 10, discarded the protective boot he had worn for the previous three weeks on Dec. 2 ... the Stirling, Scotland native began practicing on Monday, Dec. 4 and made an unexpected return at Pitt (18 minutes) two days later ... it was his first game action since Dec. 3, 2005 vs. Robert Morris (he played in just three games last season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder ... he had season-ending surgery last Dec. 15) ... Achara made his first start on Dec. 9 vs. West Virginia and went 6-of-6 from the field in scoring 15 points in 25 minutes and followed that by scoring 13 of his 17 points in the second half (8-of-12 from the field) at Niagara ... he topped both outings by hitting a game-winning 3-pointer from the top of the key with 0:00 left to give the Dukes a 72-71 win at Saint Francis, Pa. on Dec. 22 ... Achara finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds ... he also went 2-of-4 from the 3-point arc against the Red Flash ... Achara entered the Saint Francis game 1-of-14 from the arc for his career ... he added 17 points in 29 minutes before fouling out at Boston College ... Achara had a streak of four consecutive double-digit scoring games snapped at Saint Joseph's (1-of-8 for three points in 27 minutes) before bouncing back with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting at Saint Louis ... he played a key role in limiting SLU 6-10, 270-pound center Ian Vouyoukas to six points and seven field goal attempts in 34 minutes ... he averaged 14.5 ppg., 8.5 rpg. & 3.5 bpg. in DU's two-game homestand vs. La Salle and Fordham and went 3-of-7 from the 3-point arc at UMass ... he blocked four shots, including a big rejection of a Brian Roberts shot with under 10 seconds left, in the 93-89 win over Dayton ... Achara's 105 career blocks rank second on DU's all-time list ... his .532 field goal percentage (241-of-453) currently ranks fourth on the career accuracy list
- Freshman Robert Mitchell saw his streak of 12 consecutive games played ended when he was held out of the Saint Louis game for not being "accountable to himself and his teammates in practice," according to head coach Ron Everhart ... he came off the bench to score 14 points in 23 minutes vs. La Salle before scoring 23 - including 20 in the second half - vs. Fordham, 22 at UMass and 24 vs. Dayton ... in his past three games, he is averaging 23.0 ppg. on 45.5 percent shooting ... Mitchell scored in double digits in his first nine collegiate games before being held to seven in 33 minutes at Saint Francis ... the Jan. 3 game at Saint Joseph's was his first (and only) with under 10 field goal attempts (4-of-8) ... scored 17 of his team-high 24 in the second half to help the Dukes erase a 10-point deficit in a 93-89 win over Dayton on Jan. 24 ... is one of two A-10 freshmen leading his team in scoring -- Richmond's Dan Geriot (12.5 ppg.) is the other
- Scott Grote (Grote-EE) scored 14 of his game high-tying 23 points in the second half to help the Dukes rally from an eight-point deficit to defeat Youngstown State 81-75 in the season opener ... his 23 points tied for third-most by a Duquesne player in his first varsity game ... Grote, who missed four free throws in the final 43 seconds, was three shy of tying the record of 26 set by Tom Pipkins versus Robert Morris in the 1993-94 opener ... as one of three freshman starters in the season opener vs. YSU, Grote added nine rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes ... he converted two game-deciding free throws with 1.3 seconds left and intercepted the ensuing inbounds pass to give the Dukes a 77-76 win over UNC Asheville on Nov. 18 ... he also hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds left to force overtime in a 98-93 win at Boston College ... Grote scored 17 of his 19 after the half in helping the Dukes to the school's first-ever win in an Atlantic Coast Conference arena and earn A-10 Rookie of the Week honors ... Grote, who hit 13 of his first 29 3-point attempts (44.8%) to open the season, is 7-of-43 since (16.3%) ... the Dukes are 5-3 when Grote scores in double figures ... had one of his better floor games with five assists and one turnover in 31 minutes at Saint Louis ... attempted just five field goals in two games - including his first scoreless outing (0-of-2 in 16 minutes before fouling out at UMass) - prior to scoring 14 in 22 minutes in the win vs. Dayton
- Point guard Reggie Jackson hit 5-of-8 from the floor (including three 3-pointers in five attempts) in scoring 13 points at Saint Louis ... he scored DU's first eight points of the second half to pull the Dukes within two in what became a 73-63 win ... it was just his second double-digit outing in an 11 game span ... Jackson added four assists and seven steals against the Billikens ... the seven steals, which were the most by a DU player since Mike James had seven vs. La Salle on Jan. 31, 1998, tied the second-highest single game total in school history ... he followed that with just two points on 1-of-9 shooting (0-of-6 from the arc) in the loss to La Salle and two more points on 1-of-3 shooting vs. Fordham before exploding for a season-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting (4-of-6 from the 3-point arc) off the bench in the 101-87 loss at UMass ... Jackson had a solid game in the win at Boston College with six points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals ... Duquesne is 4-1 when Jackson scores in double digits
- Sophomore guard Phillip Fayne made his first start since Nov. 25 at Saint Louis ... he scored eight points and handed out four assists in 26 minutes vs. the Billikens ... he also started against La Salle, before coming off the bench vs. Fordham
- Gary Tucker ended a three-game scoreless streak with seven points in 13 minutes at Boston College ... he hit 5-of-6 free throws - all in the final 5:16 - of DU's come-from-behind win at Saint Louis ... Tucker went 4-of-6 from the field in scoring 10 points vs. Fordham .... it was his first double-digit scoring game since Dec. 2 at Robert Morris (11 points) ... he played perhaps his best game as a Duke with 11 points, four assists and four steals in 14 minutes versus Dayton ... dunked an alley-oop pass from Jason Duty, was fouled to complete a three-point play ... finished the game 6-of-6 from the line
- Freshman walk ons Jason Duty and Jimmy Sherwood made their first career starts at UMass ... Duty, who had played in six games (two A-10) prior to UMass, scored seven points in 18 minutes vs. the Minutemen ... Sherwood, who played a total to two minutes in two games prior to UMass, grabbed a rebound in 11 minutes of action ... he scored his first four career points in 17 minutes vs. Dayton ... Sherwood and Duty combined for a key play in the win over Dayton ... with the Dukes down one with a minute left, Sherwood deflected a UD inbounds pass that was scooped up by Duty who was fouled and converted a pair of free throws to give DU its first lead since the 15 minute mark ... Duty keyed a late-game eight-point comeback by hitting a clutch 3-pointer to pull the Dukes within two with 2:46 left
- DU is 4-0 when leading at the half and 5-3 in games decided by six or fewer points
- DU's last three wins came over teams with a combined 30-12 record at the time of the game (Boston College was 7-3, Saint Louis 10-4 and Dayton 13-5).
DAYTON LEFTOVERS
Duquesne led for a grand total of 2:47 (1:22 of the first half and 1:25 of the second) ... the longest of six second-half leads lasted 30 seconds ... DU substituted 68 times in the game, including nine five-man "line changes" ... seven different players hit at least one 3-pointer and every player but Stephen Wood (0-of-6) scored ... DU went 26-of-29 from the free throw line ... the attempts and makes were both season highs ... the Dukes shot a season-low 50.0 percent (11-of-22) in the previous game at UMass ... Duquesne has forced 23 and 25 turnovers in its past two games (both season highs) and attempted 31 3-pointers in each game (also a season best)... Dayton shot 68.0 percent in the second half, but was outscored 51-45 by the Dukes who shot 54.2 percent in the second 20 minutes ... Kieron Achara tied his season high with four blocked shots ... he has 12 rejections in DU's past four games ... Robert Mitchell has topped the 20-point mark in Duquesne's past three games ... he scored 17 of his team-high 24 in the second half vs. UD.
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY TENTATIVE STARTERS VS. TEMPLE
# P Name HT Cl Pts Reb G/GS Hometown 4 F Jimmy Sherwood 6-1 Fr. 1.0 0.8 4/ 1 Sharon, Mass. Played a total of two minutes in DU's first 15 games31 F Stephen Wood 6-3 Fr. 4.1 1.4 15/ 6 S. Jamaica Queens, N.Y. Only player scoreless in win over Dayton 2 C Kieron Achara 6-10 Jr. 13.3 6.0 11/ 9 Stirling, Scotland 53.2 career FG% ranks fourth all-time at DU43 G Jason Duty 5-11 Fr. 4.0 0.3 8/ 1 Cranberry, Twp., Pa. Late add walk-on; 20 points in past two games 1 G Aaron Jackson 6-2 So. 11.2 4.8 17/16 Hartford, Conn. Team leader in assists, steals and minutes played
--- OR ---23 F Robert Mitchell 6-6 Fr. 18.4 5.3 16/13 Brooklyn, N.Y. Three-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week30 F Scott Grote 6-6 Fr. 10.4 3.9 17/15 Centerville, Ohio Scored 14 points (4-of-7) in Wed. win over Dayton20 G Phillip Fayne 6-2 So. 5.2 1.4 17/ 7 Carbondale, Ill. One of four players to see action in all 17 games22 G Gary Tucker 6-0 Jr. 4.7 1.8 16/ 4 Pensacola, Fla. 11 points, 4 assists & 4 steals in 14 minutes vs. Dayton3 G Reggie Jackson 5-10 Jr. 6.1 1.3 17/12 Hogansville, Ga. Scored a career-best 22 (8-of-12) at UMass
