March 4, 2008

PITTSBURGH - Duquesne University forward/center Shawn James (Brooklyn, N.Y./Notre Dame (Mass.) Prep) has been diagnosed with a small tear in the labrum of his right shoulder and is doubtful for Wednesday night's game at Temple.

He is scheduled to see a shoulder specialist tomorrow morning.

"Shawn had an MRI done this morning that showed a small tear," said Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. "Our team physician felt it best that he see a specialist before beginning any kind of rehab and he'll do that tomorrow.

"He will not be traveling with the team. If it is determined that he can play, there is a possibility we could fly him to Philadelphia tomorrow and have him for limited duty. If not, he'll stay back and begin rehab."

Duquesne (16-11, 6-8), which is in the hunt for one of 12 spots in the Atlantic 10 Championship, plays at Temple Wednesday night before closing out the regular season at home against Saint Louis.

The Dukes, who have lost four in a row since clinching the school's first winning season since 1993-94, are currently tied for 10th in the Atlantic 10 race.

James, the nation's fifth-leading shot blocker (4.1 bpg.), injured the shoulder when he was fouled while going up for a dunk with 10:20 left in Sunday's 89-82 loss at Charlotte. He stayed on the floor to hit a pair of free throws before heading for the sidelines for the remainder of the game.

The 6-10 Brooklyn, N.Y. native, who posted the first triple-double in school history earlier this season, leads the Dukes in scoring (13.2 ppg.) and rebounding (7.1 rpg.) and is shooting an Atlantic 10 best .551 from the field.