Jan. 27, 2007
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PITTSBURGH (AP) - Kieron Achara and Aaron Jackson led Duquesne's second rally from a double-digit deficit in as many games and the Dukes pulled off another surprise win with their new frantic style of play by beating Temple 96-92 Saturday night.
Achara scored the go-ahead points for the second game in a row, hitting from the inside with 38 seconds left during a 22-point game. Aaron Jackson had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Reggie Jackson added 14, including the Dukes' final four points on free throws in the closing 10 seconds.
"I had a good feeling, but I think everybody did. I think anybody on our team could have made those free throws," Reggie Jackson said.
Duquesne (7-11, 3-4 Atlantic 10) might be one of college basketball's most surprising teams. The Dukes were 3-24 last season, then lost most of its depth when five players were shot in September. They have since had two players _ and coach Ron Everhart _ hospitalized with various problems.
"The other Duquesne teams I played for would have dropped their heads," Achara said of a program that has had one winning season in 20 years. "But this young team, we keep fighting to the end."
Everhart's team has won two of three since adopting a full-time, full-court pressure system that has forced 76 turnovers _ 28 by Temple, 19 in the second half. The Owls led by 68-56 with 12 minutes remaining, but the Dukes, who rallied to surprise Dayton 93-89 on Wednesday, outscored the Owls 25-14 over the final seven minutes.
Dionte Christmas scored 30 points, Mark Tyndale had 27 and Dustin Salisbery had 15 for Temple (7-12, 1-5), which squandered an 18-point lead in losing to Penn 76-74 on Wednesday. Temple lost its third in a row and eighth in nine games, but had won 11 of 12 against Duquesne.
Christmas was taken to nearby Mercy Hospital after the game because of a laceration on his left hand that occurred in the final minute of his third consecutive 30-point game. The injury is not believed to be serious, but it was not immediately clear whether it would cause him to miss any playing time.
Duquesne played sloppily for much of the game, committing 26 turnovers, but Aaron Jackson cut the margin to 78-76 by scoring four points in 21 seconds by following up Achara's missed free throw, then scoring on a layup off Achara's pass following a steal. Duquesne finally caught up at 84-all on Reggie Jackson's 3-pointer with slightly less than four minutes remaining.
"I think there was some fatigue on their part," Everhart said of the Owls, who had five players get all but 34 minutes of their playing time. "I asked my staff with two minutes left if we had the right players on the court _ rebounders and good free throw shooters _ and one of my assistants said, `It doesn't matter _ they're tired.'"
Duquesne, which earlier upset Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Saint Louis on the road, hadn't beaten Dayton and Temple in the same season since 1983.
