Nov. 9, 2007
HOWARD (0-0) at DUQUESNE (0-0)
Friday, Nov. 9, 2007 • 8:00 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: redzonemedia.com or GoDuquesne.com
STREAMING VIDEO: GoDuquesne.com
GAME SPONSOR: Courtyard by Marriott schedule magnet giveaway (first 3,000 fans)
DUQUESNE SPORTS HALL OF FAME NIGHT: 2007-08 inductees introduced at halftime
Complete Game Notes
Duquesne tips-off the 2007-08 men's basketball season on Friday, Nov. 9 at 8:00 p.m. vs. Howard (0-0) at the Palumbo Center. It is also "Duquesne Sports Hall of Fame Night" as the three newest inductees: B.J. Barns (baseball), Beth Friday (basketball) and John Rosato (football administration) will be introduced at halftime.
This is the 92nd season of basketball for Duquesne University (1,220-926, .568). The Dukes started play in 1913-14 (DU did not field a team in 1944-45-46 due to World War II).
Duquesne has compiled an impressive 76-15 record in season opening games, including a 71-4 record when opening the season at home. The losses came in 1927-28 to Ohio Wesleyan (36-23); 1966-67 to St. Francis (81-63), 1989-90 to Detroit (108-97) and 2005-06 to Arkansas-Pine Bluff (64-56). The Dukes are 83-8 all-time in the first home game of the season, including a 14-4 mark at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
Duquesne returns eight of its top 10 scorers from a year ago. Every returning player averaged double-digit minutes, played in at least 16 games and started six times in 2006-07. The Howard game marks the debut of transfers F/C Shawn James (Northeastern) and G Kojo Mensah (Siena).
QUICK NOTES
DUQUESNE LATELY This is the earliest opening game in Duquesne basketball history ... DU got an early start this season with a four-game Labor Day weekend trip to Toronto ... the Dukes led by Kojo Mensah's 19.3 ppg. defeated Toronto (92-60), Ryerson (107-84), Sheridan (105-76) and Waterloo (107-80) in three days of play ... 12 players made the trip ... freshmen Bill Clark (clearinghouse), Damian Saunders (not yet enrolled) and Brandon Harris (plans to redshirt in 2007-08) did not accompany the team ... the Dukes were allowed 10 days of practice prior to departing ... Duquesne won its two exhibition games by a margin of 41.5 ppg. over a pair of Division II schools ... DU defeated Millersville 108-87 on Nov. 1 and Seton Hill 129-67 on Nov. 3 ... Clark hit 11-of-12 3-pointers in leading the team with a 19.5 ppg. scoring average ... when you throw in the four games in Canada, the Dukes averaged 108.0 ppg. in six preseason games ... junior F/C Shawn James is featured in the current year-end double issue of "SI Kids" (Peyton Manning cover) in a four-page story titled "The Comeback."
DUKES AND BISON This is the first meeting between Duquesne and Howard ... Howard, located in Washington, D.C., is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference ... the Bison return two starters and seven lettermen from last year's 9-22 team ... the 9-22 record is a little deceiving in that Howard was 5-7 when 6-4 junior forward Eugene Myatt was lost for the season with an ankle injury ... Myatt, a 2007-08 preseason second team All-MEAC pick, averaged 15.3 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free throw line prior to the injury ... the Philadelphia native (Lutheran Academy) was having an all-conference type season with 26 points (10-of-15) in an 84-78 loss at La Salle and 41 (19-of-25) in a 116-111 win over VMI before being hurt ... Howard also defeated St. Francis, Pa. (75-69) with Myatt in the lineup ... Gil Jackson, who served as an assistant at Penn for 16 seasons, is in his third year as head coach at Howard.
OPEN EARLY The Howard game marks the earliest start in the 92-year history of Duquesne basketball. The previous early opener was when the Dukes played Santa Clara in the opening round of the NABC Classic at Albuquerque, N.M. on Nov. 12, 2004.
