Dec. 10, 2010
Complete Game Notes
Presented by Trib Total Media
WEST VIRGINIA (6-2) at DUQUESNE (4-3)
Sun., Dec. 12, 2010 • CONSOL Energy Center (flexible seating) • Pittsburgh, Pa. • 7:05 (EST) • CBS College Sports TV
TELEVISION: CBS College Sports (national) with Roger Twibell & Pete Gillen
DUQUESNE RADIO: WPBG-FM (104.7) with Ray Goss & Jarrett Durham
STREAMING AUDIO: RedZoneMedia.com or GoDuquesne.com
GAMETRACKER: www.GoDuquesne.com
DUKES HOST WVU AT CONSOL ENERGY CENTER: Duquesne (4-3), coming off an 81-71 win at Green Bay on Wednesday, returns home to face West Virginia (6-2) at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12 at CONSOL Energy Center. The game, which will be televised nationally by CBS College Sports, will be Duquesne's first home game in the new arena. On Dec. 1 DU fell to No. 3 (AP) Pitt at CONSOL in a neutral-site game. DU, which leads the nation in 3-pointers per game (11.9), is coming off its best half in five seasons under head coach Ron Everhart. The Dukes shot 88.2 percent (15-of-17) in the second half at Green Bay - one make away from tying the NCAA record for field goal percentage in a half of 94.1 percent set by North Carolina vs. Virginia on Jan. 7, 1978 (16 of 17 in the 2nd). Five players hit at least two 3-pointers as the Dukes went 15-of-24 from the arc. Duquesne is shooting 43.5 percent from 3-point on the season. West Virginia, which defeated Robert Morris at home 82-49 on Tuesday, is 3-2 away from WVU Coliseum (0-1 away and 3-1 at neutral sites). The Mountaineers are limiting opponents to 25 percent shooting from beyond the arc. WVU, which has six players 6-7 or taller, is outrebounding opponents by 5.4 per game. WVU returns 10 players and five seniors from last year's Final Four team.
DUQUESNE LATELY: Senior preseason All-A10 pick Damian Saunders, who became DU's all-time shot blocker with four rejections at Penn State, needs three steals to pass Kenya Hunter (218 from 1993-96) and become the school's all-time steals leader ... Hunter set the record in 103 games ... the WVU game will be Saunders' 103rd ... Saunders has 233 career blocks ... the old record of 229 was set by Derrick Alston (1991-94) ... senior Bill Clark, who has hit five or more 3-pointers in a game four times, leads DU at 16.4 ppg. ... Clark, who has 23 3-pointers this season, is coming off a season-low five points at Green Bay ... DU, which shot .261 from the 3-point arc last season (282nd nationally), is shooting .435 from long distance and is averaging a nation's best 11.9 "3s"/g. ... the Dukes, who are averaging 20.1 assists/g. (began the week 3rd nationally), have assisted on 71% of their field goals ... freshman T.J. McConnell (10.1 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 5.3 apg., 3.0 spg.) is coming off a season-high 20 point game at Green Bay ... the 6-0 Pittsburgh native nearly posted the second triple-double in school history in 27 minutes at Bowling Green (10-11-9a) ... DU is competing without starting PG Eric Evans who is recovering from Oct. 27 foot surgery (out 6-8 weeks).
DU AT A GLANCE: Duquesne has been led by senior 1,000-point scorers F/G Bill Clark (1,223 points, 16.4, 6.1; 23 3-pointers) and F Damian Saunders (1,206 points, 14.3, 7.3, 2.8b). Ten players are averaging 10 or more minutes per game. The Dukes, who averaged an Everhart Era "low" 70.3 ppg. last season, have returned to their running ways under their fifth-year head coach (83.4 ppg.). DU leads the nation with 11.9 3-point FGs/g. and began the week ranked third in assists/g. (currently 20.1 apg.). True freshmen T.J. McConnell (11.3 ppg., 3.0 spg.) and Mike Talley (9.7 ppg.) have started four times in the backcourt. The duo combined for 37 points on 12-of-16 shooting against Green Bay's senior backcourt of Rahmon Fletcher and Bryquis Perine which brought a combined 207 games of experience into Wednesday night's game. McConnell and Talley have 59 assists and 28 turnovers (2.1-to-1 ratio) between them.
THREE FOR ALL: Duquesne shot 88.2 percent (15-of-17) in the second half of its 81-71 win at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Wednesday. The Dukes were one make away from tying the NCAA record for field goal percentage in a half of 94.1 percent set by North Carolina vs. Virginia on Jan. 7, 1978 (16-of-17 in the second half). The only two DU players to miss a shot in the second half were B.J. Monteiro (missed layup at 17:41) and Bill Clark (missed 3-pointer at 10:46). Duquesne made its last eight field goal attempts. For the game, Duquesne was 15-of-24 from the arc. Ironically, Bill Clark, Duquesne's leading scorer (18.3 ppg, 23-of-48 from 3-point entering the game), who came into the game ranked second nationally with 3.8 "3s" per game was 0-of-3 from the arc in 22 foul-plagued minutes. Clark didn't score until the 2:52 mark of the second half. Duquesne, which ranked last in Division I in 3-point shooting last year (282nd at .261) is 83-of-191 (.435) so far in 2010-11. DU began the week leading the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (now up to 11.9).
THE SERIES: This is the 86th meeting between Duquesne and West Virginia ... it also marks the 38th consecutive season (since 1973-74) the Dukes and Mountaineers have met at least once on the hardwood ... WVU leads the series, which dates back to Jan. 30, 1915, 49-36 ... in games played at Pittsburgh, DU leads 22-16 ... Duquesne won four of five from 1998-99 to 2002-03 before WVU began a streak of seven-straight series wins with an 88-84 overtime victory in 2003-04 ... on Nov. 25, 2002 Danny Nee's Dukes took an 86-82 decision at the Palumbo Center ... that was DU's last series win ... in the last Pittsburgh meeting on Dec. 13, 2008, West Virginia held Duquesne scoreless for the first 7:10 of the second half in erasing an eight-point halftime deficit and held on to defeat the Dukes 68-63 at the Palumbo Center.
WVU LATELY: This will be the first non-Palumbo Center meeting between the two schools in Pittsburgh since Jan. 9, 1988 (at the Civic Arena) when WVU was still a member of the Atlantic 10 ... WVU has made seven straight postseason appearances, including the NCAA Final four last season ... the Mountaineers are Duquesne's all-time most frequent non-conference opponent ... this will be game No. 86 ... the Mountaineers are 3-2 away from WVU Coliseum (0-1 on the road and 3-1 at neutral sites) ... WVU lost its lone road game at Miami on Dec. 4 (79-76) ... 6-4 senior guard Casey Mitchell leads the team with a 19.8 ppg. scoring average ... juniors point guard Darryl Bryant and 6-8, 260-pound Kevin Jones are both averaging 12.3 ppg. ... six-seven senior John Flowers, who is averaging 9.3 ppg., leads WVU with a 6.8 rebounds per game average ... WVU, which is averaging 79.2 ppg., has won its games by an average of 13.0 ppg. ... Mountaineers opponents are shooting 37.8 percent
A SIZABLE TASK: A closer look at the rosters of the two schools shows West Virginia with six players 6-7 or taller including six over 220 pounds ... Duquesne has three players 6-7 or taller and two (Rodigo Peggau & Dave Theis) who weigh over 220 ... the heaviest player on the DU roster is Peggau at 235 ... WVU has two that weigh 235 and three who weigh 260 or more.
EVERHART VS. WVU/BIG EAST: This is the eighth game against West Virginia for fifth-year Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. Everhart, a native of Fairmont, W.Va., first faced the Mountaineers on Dec. 4, 1999, when his McNeese State team lost to WVU 93-84 at Wheeling. Coincidentally, the 1999-00 Mountaineers were coming off a 94-80 loss to Duquesne in the previous game - also in Wheeling. On Nov. 29, 2003, Everhart's Northeastern Huskies traveled to Morgantown and handed WVU a rare non-conference home defeat, 91-84. Northeastern finished the 2003-04 season 19-11, while John Beilein's Mountaineers went 17-14 including two wins in the NIT. Four years ago, WVU hit 17 3-pointers in an 85-54 win at the Palumbo Center. Three years ago, Bob Huggins' Mountaineers dominated in a 92-68 win at Morgantown. Two years ago, DU led by eight at the half before falling 68-63 at the Palumbo Center and last year the No. 6 (AP) Mountaineers cruised to a 68-39 win at Morgantown. Everhart is 2-16 all-time vs. the Big East, with 13 of the 18 games on the road. Everhart's other Big East win came on Jan. 5, 2003 when he led Northeastern - minus two starters - to Chestnut Hill, Mass. and posted one of the biggest road wins in school history by defeating Boston College 72-67. It marked just the third time in 35 meetings that Northeastern defeated BC (it was also the last meeting between the two schools).
EVERHART AND HUGGINS: This is the fifth time West Virginia natives Ron Everhart and Bob Huggins will lead their teams against each other. On Dec. 30, 1995, Everhart's McNeese State team lost to Huggins' 5th ranked (AP) Cincinnati Bearcats 103-69 at UC's Shoemaker Center. The 1995-96 Bearcats, led by Danny Fortson, went on to finish 28-5 in advancing to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Everhart, who was in his second season at McNeese, guided the Cowboys to a 15-12 record. Three years ago, WVU handled DU 92-68 at WVU Coliseum. Two years ago the Dukes led in the second half only to fall 68-63 at the Palumbo Center and last year No. 6 (AP) won at WVU Coliseum 68-39. Everhart first met Huggins when Huggins was a player at West Virginia and Everhart was in junior high. "I remember rebounding for him in the gym," said Everhart a self-confessed gym rat. Huggins befriended Everhart and the relationship has carried on for the past 30-plus years. "I have a lot of admiration and respect for Hugs," said Everhart. "He was one of those older guys who looked out for you and kind of took you under his wing, and you remember that."
QUICK HITS
Senior forward/guard Bill Clark, who has 23 3-pointers, currently ranks fourth on DU's all-time list ... he needs five to pass Wayne Smith (179 from 1999-02) and move into the No. 3 spot ... Tom Pipkins (311 from 1994-97) holds the school record ... he's followed by Tony Petrarca (287 from 1987-91) ... Clark is already third in career attempts with 510 ... Clark has hit five 3-pointers in a game four times this season ... all four have come away from home (at Robert Morris, at Bowling Green, vs. Pitt and at Penn State) ... he began the week ranked second nationally with 3.8 3-pointers per game before going 0-of-3 from the arc in scoring a season low five at Green Bay ... Clark, who entered the season averaging 2.1 assists per game, is averaging 3.0 apg. ... he had a career-high nine in the season opener vs. Bluefield State ... Clark flirted with a triple-double with 15 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes vs. the Division II Big Blues ... Clark, who has scored 20 or more in a game twice (22 at Robert Morris and 20 vs. Pitt), posted his seventh career double-double, and first this season, at Penn State (19-10) ... Clark leads the team with six charges taken ... senior forward Damian Saunders became DU's all-time blocked shot leader when he swatted four at Penn State on Dec. 4 ... the final block - of a Taran Buie layup with 11:26 to go - broke the previous record of 229 set by Derrick Alston in 114 games from 1991-94 ... the Penn State game was Saunders' 101st ... Saunders enters the WVU game with 233 blocks ... his 216 career steals are three shy of breaking the school record of 218 set by current Georgetown assistant coach Kenya Hunter from 1993-96 ... Saunders, whose 20 double-doubles ranked sixth nationally last season, posted his first of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds vs. No. 3 (AP) Pitt ... he added five assists and three blocks in 34 minutes vs. the Panthers ... he followed that by tying his career high with four 3-pointers in scoring 23 at Penn State ... it was just the second time in his career he has had 20 or more in back-to-back games (he had 21 at Dayton, 23 vs. Saint Louis and 21 at Rhode Island in consecutive games last year) ... Saunders had another of his typical stat-sheet stuffing games with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists, a career high-tying six steals and three blocks at Green Bay ... he is 18-of-32 (.562) from the field with 10 blocks in his past three games ... Saunders a 34 percent 3-point shooter his first two seasons, slumped to 18.9 percent last season (18-of-95) ... he looks to have regained his former form with a 50 percent success rate this season (9-of-18) ... he has made 8-of-11 3-point attempts in his past three games ... true freshman T.J. McConnell began the week ranked fifth nationally in steals per game (3.3/currently 3.0) ... his 2.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (37-16) ranks among the Atlantic 10 top three ... he has scored in double digits five times with highs of 20 (18 in the second half) at Green Bay and 14 vs. No. 3 (AP) Pitt ... the six-footer had 11 rebounds to go along with 10 points and nine assists in 27 minutes at Bowling Green in nearly becoming the second player in school history to post a triple-double ... McConnell played just nine minutes in the second half of the lopsided win ... has handed out five or more assists in a game four times ... is shooting .633 from the field and .522 (12-of-23) from the 3-point arc ... fellow freshman Mike Talley, who has started five times, has hit three or more 3-pointers three times ... Talley, who scored a season high 17 points in the opener vs. Bluefield State, matched that total at Green Bay (4-of-5 from 3-point) ... has scored in double digits four times ... he hit five 3-pointers in the opening day win over Bluefield ... has 22 assists with just 12 turnovers ... has turned it over one or fewer times in five of seven games (he had a season high four at Bowling Green & at Green Bay) ... broke out of a two-tame 3-of-15 (1-of-8 from 3-point) shooting slump to hit 4-of-6 at Green Bay ... junior guard/forward B.J. Monteiro has scored in double digits five times with a high of 21 on 9-of-10 shooting at Bowling Green ... the BGSU game followed a 2-of-10, eight-point performance in the loss at Robert Morris ... has tied his career high with three steals in two of the past four games (vs. UMBC and at Penn State) ... is third on the team with 15 offensive rebounds ... has blocked at least one shot in each of the past six games ... has scored 50 points in four starts and 37 points in three games off the bench ... sophomore guard Sean Johnson has scored 27 in three starts and 44 in four off the bench ... posted a season-high 17 in a start in the opener vs. Bluefield State and had 16 off the bench at Green Bay (5-of-7 including three 3-pointers) ... has scored in double digits four times ... sophomore forward/center Rodrigo Peggau posted career highs in points (14) and rebounds (12) in his first career double-double in the opening day win over Bluefield State ... he has 15 points and 18 rebounds in six games since ... averaging 14.0 minutes per game ... has started four times ... true freshman forward Joel Wright has played in all seven games off the bench ... has played a season high 16 minutes twice (vs. Bluefield State and at Bowling Green) ... had 11 points (5-of-8 from the line) and five rebounds in 12 minutes vs. UMBC ... is 7-of-15 (.467) from the foul line on the season ... true freshman Jerry Jones has also played in all seven games off the bench ... averaging 10.6 minutes per game ... scored a season-high five in 10 minutes vs. UMBC ... shooting .278 (5-of-18) ... has played double-digit minutes three times ... sophomore Andre Marhold played double digit minutes off the bench in each of the first four games before a strained groin kept him in street clothes vs. Pitt and at Penn State ... he dressed but did not play at Green Bay ... played a season-high 17 minutes at Bowling Green ... blocked three shots in the opener vs. Bluefield State ... is 5-of-7 from the field ... senior forward David Theis has played in three games ... scored five points in eight minutes against Bluefield State and had four points in five minutes at Bowling Green ... has not played in the past three games ... has played in 44 career games. ... Duquesne began the week ranked 1st nationally in 3-pointers per game (now at 11.9), 3rd in assists per game ( now at 20.1), 13th in scoring offense (now at 83.4) and 15th in steals per game (now at 9.6) ... DU has had 20 or more assists in a game five times ... the Dukes are averaging 105.5 points per game at the Palumbo Center and 74.6 ppg. away from home.
