Jan. 24, 2011

Complete Duquesne Game Notes
Fordham Game Notes

Streaming Video

DUQUESNE (13-5, 5-0) at FORDHAM (6-11, 0-5)
Wed., Jan. 26, 2011 ­• Rose Hill Gym (3,200) • Bronx, N.Y. • 7:00 (EST)

DUQUESNE RADIO: WPBG-FM (104.7) with Ray Goss & Jarrett Durham
STREAMING AUDIO: RedZoneMedia.com or GoDuquesne.com
GAMETRACKER/STREAMING VIDEO: FordhamSports.com

STREAKING DUKES HEAD TO FORDHAM: Duquesne (13-5, 5-0), off to is first 5-0 conference start in school history, looks to extend its win streak to nine at Fordham (6-11, 0-5) on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The Dukes, whose eight-game streak is the schools longest since 1971-72, will be looking to post six straight Atlantic 10 wins - and three consecutive A-10 road wins - for the first time in school history against a vastly improved Fordham team that is 5-3 at Rose Hill Gym this season. The Rams, who won two games last season (2-26) have already posted six victories under first-year coach Tom Pecora, including a mid-December win over St. John's. Duquesne, which is 5-2 on the road, has held each of its first five league foes to at least one 30-or-fewer-point half (Saint Joe's had 26 in the first half, Saint Louis scored 25 & 20 points in two halves, Temple had 23 in the first, La Salle 24 in the second and Charlotte 30 in the first). Duquesne has led at the half of 16 of 18 games (tied once) and enjoyed at least a seven-point lead at some point in every game this season. All 13 of DU's wins have been by double-digit margins. This is the first time since 1971 that the Dukes have opened January with seven-straight wins. This is DU's second 13-5 start in four years (2007-08 was the other). Duquesne's last 14-5 start was in 1979-80. The 2010-11 Dukes are looking to become the first team to post a nine-game win streak since the 1970-71 NCAA team won 15 in a row.

DUQUESNE LATELY: Senior preseason All-A10 pick Damian Saunders, who will be making his 103rd career start at Fordham, became DU's all-time blocked shot and career steals leader in December ... the 6-7 Connecticut native has 262 career blocks (old record of 229 was set by Derrick Alston from 1991-94) and 241 steals (old record 218 by Kenya Hunter from 1993-96) ... Saunders ranks 21st on DU's all-time scoring list with 1,333 points ... he can jump all the way to 18th with seven more points and to 17th with 23 ... Saunders ranks fourth on the all-time rebound list with 899 ... senior Bill Clark, who has hit five or more 3-pointers in a game four times, leads DU at 17.0 ppg. ... Clark ranks third on DU's all-time list with 194 career 3-pointers ... Clark (1,414 points) enters the Fordham game needing 15 points to pass former teammate Aaron Jackson (1,428 from 2006-09) and move into the No. 12 spot on the all-time list ... four-time A-10 Rookie of the Week freshman T.J. McConnell ranks among the top five in five A-10 categories: steals (3.0, 1st), assists (4.4, 3rd), assist/TO ratio (2.3, 3rd), 3-PT% (.453, 5th) & FG% (.535, 5th) ... DU, which shot .261 from the 3-point arc last season (282nd nationally), is shooting .379 from long distance (49th) ... DU is 8-0 since the return of junior G Eric Evans (foot surgery, missed eight weeks).

THE SERIES: Duquesne, which leads the series 16-12, snapped a five-game series losing streak with a 74-62 win over Fordham at the Palumbo Center in 2008 ... in the 2008 return game, the Rams defeated the Dukes 75-74 at Rose Hill Gym ... two years ago, Bill Clark led five players in double figures with 22 points in an 89-68 win at Fordham ... the 21-point margin of victory was the largest ever by a Duquesne team in an Atlantic 10 road game ... last year, six players (three for each team) scored 20 or more in a 111-100 DU win at Palumbo Center ... in games played in the Bronx, the series is tied 6-6 ... in A-10 regular-season action, its tied at 9-9 ... Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart is 3-3 against the Rams, including a 1-2 mark at Rose Hill Gym ... his Duquesne teams are averaging 81.7 ppg. against Fordham.

FORDHAM THIS YEAR: Fordham, which won just two games last year (2-26), is 6-11 under first-year coach Tom Pecora ... the Rams, who own an early season win over St. John's (84-81 on Dec 11), won four in a row - and five of six - in late November/early December ... Fordham has experienced tough going as of late, having lost seven in a row including a 91-57 decision at Dayton on Saturday ... the Rams have dropped 31 consecutive conference games dating back to a 67-65 victory at St. Bonaventure on January 28, 2009 ... Fordham is 5-3 at Rose Hill Gym this season and 583-320 (.646) at its on-campus home since it opened in 1925 ... Rose Hill is the oldest gym still being used by an NCAA Division I basketball team ... the 3,200-seat facility opened on January 16, 1925 for a game between Fordham and Boston College ... sophomore forward Chris Gaston (15.2, 11.2) has posted 10 double-doubles this season ... Gaston was a second team preseason All-Atlantic 10 pick ... senior guard Brenton Butler (14.6 ppg.), who has 1,363 career points, ranks eleventh on the Fordham all-time scoring list ... Butler, who has hit 200 career 3-pointers, is the son of former Atlanta Falcons defensive back Bobby Butler (1981-92) ... Butler (26), Branden Frazier (40) and Alberto Estwick (36) have combined for 102 of Fordham's 109 3-point field goals.

DU AT A GLANCE: Duquesne has been led by senior 1,000-point scorers Bill Clark (1,414 points in 112 g,) and Damian Saunders (1,333 points in 113 g.). Nine players are averaging 12 or more minutes per game and six have 33 or more assists. 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 (81.3 ppg.). DU begins the week ranked among the nation's top 25 in six categories: turnover margin (1st), assists (2nd), scoring (14th), blocks (18th) & assist/turnover ratio (20th). True freshmen T.J. McConnell (11.2 ppg., 3.0 spg.) and Mike Talley (7.7 ppg.) have started 14 times side-by-side 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 the Dec. 8 game. McConnell scored a team-high 18 points against West Virginia fifth-year senior - and 2010 NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player - Joe Mazzulla on Dec. 12. McConnell and Talley have 124 assists and 63 turnovers (1.97-to-1 ratio) between them.

CHARLOTTE LEFTOVERS: Notes from Duquesne's 83-67 win over Charlotte on Saturday ... Duquesne outscored Charlotte 31-2 off turnovers in posting its largest margin of victory in the nine-game series ... DU's 16 steals were one shy of the school record the Dukes have already tied twice this season (both have come in the past five games, at Houston Baptist and at La Salle) ... T.J. McConnell's six steals were one shy of tying the individual single-game record of seven shared by six players - including Bill Clark who had seven steals at Houston Baptist ... DU forced 26 49ers turnovers ... five players handed out three or more assists as the Dukes assisted on 21 of 33 field goals ... DU finished with eight turnovers ... Duquesne took the lead for good at the 15:11 mark of the first half ... McConnell had a steal, assist, blocked shot and 3-pointer in the span of 26 seconds to ignite an 18-2 first half run that put the game out of reach ... Duquesne's largest lead was 24 points ... DU had at least a 20-point lead from the 8:37 mark until 34 seconds remained in the game ... Damian Saunders went 8-of-11 from the field - with four dunks - in scoring 15 points ... he also had five steals.

NOTES FROM THE DUKES CLIPBOARD

• Duquesne, which played in the NIT in 2009 & CBI last year, is looking to make its third-straight postseason appearance in 2011 - something that hasn't occurred on the Bluff since 1968-71 (NIT, NCAA, NIT & NCAA).

• DU, which has gone 10-19, 17-13, 21-13 & 16-16 in four seasons under head coach Ron Everhart, has posted 15+ wins in three straight years for the first time since `68-73. Duquesne was coming off a 3-24 season, and had finished above .500 once (1994) in the 21 years prior to Everhart taking over in 2006-07.

• The Dukes, who are averaging 16 wins per season under Everhart, won more than 16 games once (17-13 in 1994) in 25 seasons prior to Everhart's arrival.

• DU's eight-game winning streak is the school's longest since 1971-72 ... this is the first time in school history a Duquesne team has opened conference play 5-0 ... the previous best mark was 3-0 in 2008-09.

• Thousand-point scoring seniors Damian Saunders (2010 First Team All-Atlantic 10, A-10 Defensive Player of the Year & A-10 All-Defense Team) and Bill Clark lead the way for the Dukes. Saunders, who is DU's career blocked shot and steals leader, is averaging 12.5 ppg., 7.4 rpg. and 2.7 bpg. in 2010-11. Saunders ranks 21st in career points (1,333) and fourth in career rebounds (899) at Duquesne. He is already DU's career steals (241) and blocked shot (262) leader. Clark, who has 194 career 3-pointers, is averaging a team-best 17.0 ppg. Both Saunders and Clark (1,414 points, No. 13 all-time), who have never experienced a losing season at Duquesne, topped the 1,000-point mark last season. Saunders did it on Feb. 11, 2010 vs. UMass and Clark did it three days later vs. La Salle. Both reached 1,000 in their 88th game.

• The 6-7 Saunders, who was first player in DU history to be named A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, finished two steals shy of becoming the first player over 6-6 to lead the nation in steals per game in 2010 (Saunders finished second nationally at 2.8 spg.). Saunders' 89 steals in 32 games shattered the DU season record of 71 he set in 34 games as a sophomore. He tied his career high with six steals (five in the first half) on Dec. 8 at Green Bay and broke the DU career record with his 219th steal against George Mason on Dec. 22.

• Saunders became Duquesne's all-time leading shot blocker with his four rejections at Penn State on Dec. 4 ... the old mark of 229 was set by Derrick Alston in 114 games from 1991-94 ... Saunders broke the record in his 101st game.

• Saunders, who leads the A-10 with 30 career double-doubles, posted his first of this season with 20 points and 11 rebounds (and five assists & three blocks) vs. No. 3 (AP) Pitt on Dec. 1 and went for 12 and 11 vs. George Mason on Dec. 22. He added his 30th career double-double (11-10) vs. Saint Louis.

• The Dukes played their first 10 games (5-5) without junior point guard Eric Evans, who underwent foot surgery on Oct. 27. Evans, who had streaks of 66 games (every game of his DU career) and 32 starts snapped by the injury, was cleared to resume practice on Dec. 21. He saw action for the first time vs. Northwestern State on Dec. 31. Duquesne is 8-0 since Evans' return.

• Dec. 29 marked the first time the entire 2010-11 roster was healthy for the same practice.

• DU is 65-9 (13-1 in 2011) when leading with 5:00 minutes left under Ron Everhart.

• Everhart's Dukes have posted 26 road wins in five seasons. Of the 26 wins, 19 have been by double digits. In the 10 seasons prior to Everhart's arrival, Duquesne went 17-106 on the road with three double-digit victories. Everhart's Dukes own the six largest margins of victory ever posted by Duquesne teams in A-10 road games.

• Ron Everhart's Dukes have scored 100 or more points 10 times in his five seasons. Only Red Manning, who saw his DU teams score 100 or more 23 times in 16 seasons (1959-74) has coached more triple-digit scoring Duquesne teams. Everhart's Dukes have scored 100 or more on the road five times.

• Duquesne has led at the half in 16 of 18 games (has been tied at the half once), and held a lead of at least seven points at some point in every game this season.

• Duquesne's 16 3-pointers in its 110-67 season-opening win over Division II Bluefield State were one shy of the school record ... DU's 30 assists (on 41 field goals) tied the third-highest total in school history.

• DU tied the school record with 17 steals at Houston Baptist ... in that game Bill Clark tied the single-game mark with seven ... Clark shares the record with five other players ... the Dukes matched that mark for the second time in four games at La Salle on Jan. 19.

• The Dukes have had five or more double-digit scorers in eight of their 13 wins.

• Six players have attempted at least 38 3-pointers and 10 of the 12 players on the roster have hit at least one 3-pointer.

• All 13 of DU's wins have been by double digits, with seven by 20 or more.

• Duquesne is tied for the A-10 lead with five road wins ... the Dukes have won four in a row on the road, the longest streak since five in 1984-85 (last two road games) & 1985-86 (first three road games).