Jan. 29, 2007

XAVIER (15-6, 5-2) at DUQUESNE (7-11, 3-4)
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 • 7:00 p.m. (EST)
A.J. Palumbo Center (5,358) • Pittsburgh, Pa.

TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net Ohio with Brad Johansen & Steve Wolf
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
INTERNET BROADCAST: www.RedZoneMedia.com

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DUQUESNE HOSTS A-10 PRESEASON FAVORITE XAVIER

Duquesne (7-11, 3-4), which rallied from double-digit second half deficits to defeat both Dayton and Temple last week, completes a three-game homestand when preseason Atlantic 10 favorite Xavier visits Palumbo Center for a 7:00 p.m. game on Wednesday, Jan. 31 (KQV radio 1410 AM and on the internet at www.RedZoneMedia.com). The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net Ohio.

Last Wednesday, Duquesne rallied from a 10-point deficit with just over 11 minutes left to defeat Dayton 93-89. The win, which was just the Dukes' second over the Flyers in the past 20 meetings, also ended an eight-game Dayton series win streak at Palumbo Center that dated back to 1997.

In Saturday's 96-92 victory over Temple, DU erased a 12-point second half deficit in posting the highest point total by a Duquesne team in the 48-game history of the series. DU led for a grand total of 4:57 in the two wins.

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 (see below). In addition, DU's 30 and 29 free throw attempts in the past two games (48-of-59, 81.4%) are its two highest FTA totals of the season:

                                       TO's                PPG.    3M      3AT     FORCEDFirst 15 g.     68.6    6.3     20.8    14.5Last 3 g.       92.0    10.3    29.0    25.3Difference      +23.4   +4.0    +8.2    +10.8

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 76 turnovers (25.3/g.), averaged 92.0 ppg. and gone 2-1 since the change in style ... each player in the 10-man group has logged at least 11 minutes in the past three games as Everhart has substituted a total of 172 times - including entire five-man units 23 times - in the past 120 minutes of basketball

• This is the first time a Duquesne team has posted back-to-back 90-point games since the 1992-93 season ... the last time DU scored 90 or more in three-straight games was in 1988-89 ... it is also the first time a Duquesne team has defeated Dayton and Temple in the same season since 1982-93

• DU has never beaten Dayton, Temple and Xavier in the same year.

DUKES AND MUSKETEERS

Xavier leads the series 24-15, including a 10-8 advantage in games played at Pittsburgh ... DU snapped a six-game series losing streak with a two-game sweep in 2003-04 ... since then, XU has taken three in a row ... last year, Stanley Burrell scored 21 and Justin Doellman added 20 as Xavier held Duquesne scoreless for the final 4:05 to turn an eight-point lead into a 91-70 win at the Cintas Center ... two year's ago, Burrell scored 16 of his 32 points in the first nine minutes of the second half to help Xavier pull away to an 83-72 win at the Palumbo Center.

COMEBACK KIDS

Duquesne has erased double-digit deficits in each of its past five wins - including three on the road. The Dukes were down 14 (34-20) with 6:00 left in the first half in the 72-71 win at Saint Francis, Pa. DU trailed Boston College by 10 (75-65) with 4:43 left in regulation in the 98-93 overtime road victory and erased a 14-point first half deficit (32-18 with 5:57 left) in the 73-63 win at Saint Louis:

OPPONENT                DEFICIT SCORE   TIME       RESULT  SCOREat Saint Francis, Pa.   -14     34-20   6:00 (1st)    W    72-71at Boston College       -10     75-65   4:43 (2nd)    W    98-93 (OT)at Saint Louis          -14     32-18   5:57 (1st)    W    73-63Dayton                  -10     70-60   11:07 (2nd)   W    93-89Temple                  -12     68-56   11:55 (2nd)   W    96-92

QUICK NOTES

• Head coach Ron Everhart has used ten different starting lineups in the Dukes' first 18 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 three-game span) ... the average age of the 10 players currently dressing for games is 19.9

• DU, which has 279 team assists and 284 turnovers, has assisted on 59.9 percent of its field goals ...

• Duquesne has seen its 3-point attempts jump from 20.8 in its first 15 games to 29.0 in its past three ... the Dukes are 31-of-87 (35.6%) from the 3-point arc in their past three games after shooting 30.1 percent in their first 15 ... Duquesne began the week first in the Atlantic 10 in free throw percentage (.743), second in assists (15.5 apg.), third in steals (7.1) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio ... nine different Dukes have scored in double digits at least once ... Robert Mitchell (nine times), Scott Grote, Aaron Jackson & Kieron Achara (twice each) and Reggie Jackson have all topped the 20-point mark

• Aaron Jackson, who led all Atlantic 10 returnees with a 1.73-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, has a team-high 72 assists and 39 turnovers this year ... his 1.85-to-1 ratio ranks fourth and his 4.0 assists per game third 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 10 in 18 games this season ... he has led DU in rebounding a team-high eight times and in assists a team-best 11 times ... Jackson, who splits time at both guard spots, leads the team with 45 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 ... Jackson is coming off his second 20-point game of the season (and second of his career) with 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the win over Temple ... he added seven rebounds and six assists vs. the Owls ... Jackson scored a career-high 22 vs. Northern Illinois (9-of-11 from the field) on Nov. 20

• 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 ... 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 in a 73-63 win at SLU ... went 3-of-7 from the 3-point arc in scoring 17 at UMass ... blocked four shots, including a big rejection of a Brian Roberts shot with under 10 seconds left, in the 93-89 win over Dayton ... tied his career high with 22 points (7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line) in 26 minutes vs. Temple ... his two free throws with 38 seconds left gave the Dukes the lead for good against the Owls ... Achara's 108 career blocks rank second on DU's all-time list ... his .537 field goal percentage (248-of-462) ranks fourth all-time

• Freshman Robert Mitchell has been named A-10 Rookie of the Week a league-high four times ... 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 ... saw the streak of three consecutive 20-point game ended with 10 in the win over Temple ... 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 (11.9 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 8-of-47 since (17.0%) ... 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 (3-of-5 from 3-point) 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 ... 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 ... added 14, including four clutch free throws in the final nine seconds to seal DU's 96-92 win over Temple ... is 6-of-10 from the 3-point arc in his past three games ... Jackson had a solid game in the win at Boston College with six points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals ... Duquesne is 5-1 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 and added three rebounds in 16 minutes versus Temple ... 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.

NUMBERS

DU is 4-0 when leading at the half, 3-0 when scoring 90 or more and 3-1 when forcing 20 or more opponent turnovers.

NEW FACE(S)

This is the first season at Duquesne for head coach Ron Everhart who was hired on March 29. Everhart, in his 13th season as a head coach (181-183, .497), turned around programs at McNeese State and Northeastern prior to accepting the Duquesne job. Everhart inherited a Duquesne program that is coming off a 3-24 season (ranked 308 in the final RPI). Of the 334 programs that competed at the Division I level last season only two - Savannah State at 2-28 and Jacksonville at 1-26 - had fewer wins than Duquesne. Everhart brought his entire Northeastern coaching staff to the Bluff: assistant coaches Kim Lewis, Richard Pitino and Daryn Freedman along with director of basketball operations Anthony Serro. In addition to the new staff, Everhart also retooled the DU roster, bringing in a total of 15 new players (including transfers and preferred walk-ons) in his first five months on the job. To take it even further, Duquesne has a new athletic trainer (Vic Bauer) and two new student managers meaning the only two people on the bench that were here last year are sophomore Aaron Jackson and junior Kieron Achara. Jackson and Achara played a total of three games together last year prior to a season-ending shoulder injury to Achara.

NAILBITERS

Duquesne, whose largest lead in any game this season has been 10 points, has grown accustomed to playing to the final buzzer. DU's two wins last week were both decided by four points giving the Dukes a 6-3 record in games decided by six or fewer points this season (2-1 in one-point games). For those wondering, Duquesne opened 10-point leads in the season opener vs. Youngstown State, in game two against UNC Asheville, in a Dec. 2 loss at Robert Morris and in a 73-63 win at Saint Louis on Jan. 6. The Dukes led for a grand total of 4:57 in its two wins last week (2:10 vs. Dayton and 2:47 vs. Temple).

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DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY TENTATIVE STARTERS VS. XAVIER

U>#  P Name            HT   Cl  Pts   Reb  G/GS   Hometown23 F Robert Mitchell 6-6  Fr. 17.9  5.3  17/13  Brooklyn, N.Y.     League high four-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week30 F Scott Grote     6-6  Fr. 10.2  3.8  18/15  Centerville, Ohio     Scored 14 points (4-of-7) in Wed. win over Dayton20 G Phillip Fayne   6-2  So.  5.0  1.4  18/ 7  Carbondale, Ill.     One of four players to see action in all 18 games22 G Gary Tucker     6-0  Jr.  4.7  1.8  17/ 4  Pensacola, Fla.     11 points, 4 assists & 4 steals in 14 minutes vs. Dayton3  G Reggie Jackson  5-10 Jr.  6.6  1.2  18/12  Hogansville, Ga.     Scored a career-best 22 (8-of-12) at UMass

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 4 F Jimmy Sherwood  6-1  Fr.  1.2  1.0   5/ 2  Sharon, Mass.     Played a total of two minutes in DU's first 15 games31 F Stephen Wood    6-3  Fr.  4.3  1.4  16/ 7  S. Jamaica Queens, N.Y.     Seven points in 17 minutes vs. Temple 2 C Kieron Achara   6-10 Jr. 14.0  6.1  12/10  Stirling, Scotland     53.7 career FG% ranks fourth all-time at DU43 G Jason Duty      5-11 Fr.  4.4  0.3   9/ 2  Cranberry, Twp., Pa.     Late add walk-on; 28 points in past three g. (9.3 ppg) 1 G Aaron Jackson   6-2  So. 11.7  4.9  18/17 Hartford, Conn.     Team leader in assists, steals and minutes played