March 19, 2011

Complete Duquesne Game Notes
Oregon Game Notes
Live Stats

2011 COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL
presented by Zebra Pen -- SECOND ROUND

DUQUESNE (19-12) at OREGON (17-17)
Mon., Mar. 21, 2011 ­- Matthew Knight Arena (12,369) - Eugene, Ore. - 10:00 p.m. (EDT)

TELEVISION: HDNet with Rich Cellini & Craig Ehlo
DUQUESNE RADIO: WPGB-FM (104.7) with Greg Linnelli & Jarrett Durham
STREAMING AUDIO: redzonemedia.com or GoDuquesne.com
GAMETRACKER: GoDucks.com

DUKES ON TO OREGON: Duquesne (19-12) coming off an 87-76 win at Montana on Wednesday, continues its Western swing when it faces Oregon (17-17) in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational presented by Zebra Pen on Monday, March 21 at 10:00 p.m. (EDT). The game will be televised nationally by HDNet. DU, which is making its third postseason appearance in five years under head coach Ron Everhart, notched the school's first post-conference tournament win since a 75-73 victory over Charlotte in the first round of the 1994 NIT at Montana. It was also DU's first post-conference tournament win at a road or neutral site since a 75-72 NCAA Tournament East Regional consolation game win over St. John's at Cole Field House in College Park, Md. on March 15, 1969. The Dukes, who made the school's first postseason appearance in 15 years when they played in the 2009 NIT, also played in last year's CBI. This is the first time since 1968-71 (NIT, NCAA, NIT, NCAA) that a DU team has made three-straight postseason appearances. Duquesne (8-6), has posted eight road wins for just the second time since 1971 (8-7 in 2008-09 was the other). The last time DU won nine road games was 1952 (9-1). This is the fourth meeting between the Ducks and Dukes and first since December of 1975. DU leads the series 3-1.

DUQUESNE LATELY: 2010 & 2011 A10 Defensive Player of the Year Damian Saunders is the only D-I player in NCAA history with over 250 career assists (279), steals (276) & blocks (297) ... he is DU's career leader in steals, blocks, games (126), starts (115) and dunks (165) ... Saunders needs 34 points to pass Bruce Atkins (1,533 from 1979-82) to take over the No. 10 spot on the all-time scoring list (he has 1,500 points) ... Saunders, DU's No. 3 all-time rebounder (1,009), is the 10th A10 player to reach 1,000 ... senior Bill Clark, who will be making his 100th career start at UO, ranks third on DU's all-time 3-point FG (224) and games played (125) lists ... he ranks 7th in scoring with 1,609 points ... Saunders and Clark were both named second team All-A10 last week ... 2011 A10 Rookie of the Year T.J. McConnell is the only freshman in the country with over 300 points, 125 assists and 75 steals (337-135-91) ... he has broken both the DU single-season record (89 by Saunders in 32 g. last year) and A-10 freshman record for steals (86 by Temple's Pepe Sanchez in 1997) ... this year's senior class, which is the first to not experience a losing season since 1972-75, has posted 73 wins ... the 73 victories are the most over a four-year period since 1970-73 (74 wins).

MONTANA LEFTOVERS: Notes from DU's CBI first round 87-76 win at Montana: ... DU was the only road team to win a first round CBI game ... it was Duquesne's first post-conference tournament win since a 75-73 victory over Charlotte in the First Round of the 1994 NIT at the Palumbo Center ... it was DU's first post-conference tournament win at a road or neutral site since a 75-72 NCAA Tournament East Regional consolation game win over St. John's at Cole Field House in College Park, Md. on March 15, 1969 ... it was also the first career post-conference tournament win for fifth-year DU coach Ron Everhart ... Everhart took McNeese State to the 2001 NIT (the school's first post-season appearance in 12 years), Northeastern to the 2004 NIT (the school's first post-season appearance in 14 years) and Duquesne to the 2009 NIT (the school's first post-season appearance in 15 years) & 2010 CBI ... all five of the games were played on the road ... five Dukes scored in double figures led by Sean Johnson's career high-tying 19 in 24 minutes off the bench ... DU is 12-0 when five or more score in double digits this year ... 10 players saw action in the first half with nine scoring and all 10 registering at least one rebound in the opening 20 minutes ... Andre Marhold, who hadn't played double digit minutes since Feb. 13 vs. Xavier, had a career-high seven points in 12 minutes ... all seven points came in six second-half minutes ... Jerry Jones' 17 minutes were his most since he logged 18 vs. Northwestern State on New Year's Eve ... Damain Saunders, who played despite a stomach virus, had 11 points, five rebounds, five steals and five blocks in 27 minutes ... it was his first five block game of the season and tenth of his career ... T.J. McConnell had 15 points, six assists and four steals ... he eclipsed Saunders' school single-season record (89 set last year) with a steal an layup with 13:13 left in the first half ... McConnell now has 91 steals in 31 games ... DU's 14 steals were two shy of the CBI record set by Boston U. vs. Morehead State in 2010 ... the Dukes shot 54.2 percent against a Grizzlies team that entered the game ranked 15th nationally in field goal percentage defense at 39.4 percent ... DU's 87 points were the most given up by UM this season ... the Dukes were just the fourth team to score 80 or more against Montana this season.

MORE ON OREGON: This is the Ducks' 21st home game (12-8) ... only two Division I teams have played more: UTEP 22 & Louisville 21 ... Oregon, like Duquesne, has set a school record for steals in 2011 ... the Ducks have 277 in 34 games ... the Dukes have 308 in 31 ... 6-6, 245-pound forward Joevan Catron leads UO in scoring and rebounding (15.3, 6.4) ... the Chicago native had 24 points and 12 rebounds (12-of-13 from the foul line) in Oregon's first round CBI win over Weber State ... he went 8-of-8 from the free throw line over the final 4:09 ... Oregon, which defeated Weber State 68-59 in the first round, outscored WSU 23-5 from the foul line ... the Ducks went 23-of-26, while the Wildcats were 5-of-11 ... Weber State was whistled for 10 fouls - to four against UO - over the final 11:42 after cutting Oregon's lead to one ... Oregon leads all Pac-10 schools with a +3.06 turnover margin (12.3 committed to 15.4 forced) ... the Ducks are the second-best free throw shooting teams in the conference at 74.2% ... UO is the worst-shooting team in the Pac-10 at 41.8%.

NOMADS: Duquesne made the 2,000 mile trip to Missoula, Montana for Wednesday's game on Tuesday, March 15th. It took just under 10 hours (with one flight connection) from the time the team left campus until the team checked into its hotel. Instead of returning home, DU was granted a waiver from the NCAA and took a bus to Richland, Washington on Thursday before finishing the approximately 11 hour, 670-mile ride to Eugene on Friday. The Western trip comes on the heels of DU's return from Atlantic City, N.J. on March 11. The 370-mile bus trip, which usually takes six hours and 30 minutes, took the Dukes three hours longer after the bus was stopped by two flat tires. The Dukes, who spent the three hours at the Blue Mountain rest stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, got back to campus at 4:50 a.m. For those counting, beginning with the return from Atlantic City, the Dukes have covered 3,040 miles in a span of eight days (from March 11-18).

WHAT'S NEXT?: The four quarterfinal winners will be re-seeded for the CBI semifinals which will be played Wednesday, March 23 with home teams TBD. The four quarterfinal matchups are: Davidson at Creighton; Duquesne at Oregon; Evansville at Boise State and Rhode Island at Central Florida.

LOOKING FOR SECOND 20 IN THREE YEARS: Duquesne, at 19-12, is looking to post the 14th 20-win season in school history - and second in five seasons under Ron Everhart. Everhart's 2009 Dukes finished 21-13. DU has had just two 20-win seasons since 1972 (20-10 in 1981 was the other).

AND No. 9: This is just the second time since 1971 that Duquesne has won eight road games (8-6 entering Oregon). The other was in 2009 (8-7). The last time a DU team won nine road games was 59 years ago (9-1 in 1952).

BATTLE TESTED: Five of the seven Duquesne opponents that earned bids to this year's NCAA Championship (Pitt, West Virginia, George Mason, Richmond and Temple), advanced to the second round. Of the seven, one was guaranteed to lose since Penn State faced Temple in the opening round. The Dukes defeated the Owls, 78-66, on Jan. 15. Xavier joined Penn State as the other first round loser on DU's 2011 schedule.

70 IS THE KEY: Duquesne is 78-36 under Ron Everhart when scoring 70 or more points (18-4 this year). Conversely, the Dukes are 5-37 (1-8 this year with a 67-45 win over Saint Louis) when scoring under 70 under the fifth-year head coach. DU is 15-1 when scoring 80 or more this season.

NOTES FROM THE DUKES CLIPBOARD

• Duquesne, which played in the NIT in 2009 & CBI last year, is making its third-straight postseason appearance - 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 & 19-12 (and counting) in five seasons under head coach Ron Everhart, has posted 15+ wins in four 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.

• This is just the second time in the past 30 years Duquesne has won 18 games in a season - both have come under Everhart. The other was two years ago when the Dukes advanced to the A10 title game (21-13 NIT).

• This year's senior class of Bill Clark, Damian Saunders and Dave Theis, which is the first to not experience a losing season since 1972-75, is responsible for 73 total wins ... the 73 victories are the most over a four-year period since 1970-73 (74 victories).

• Eighteen of DU's 19 wins have been by double digits, with eight by 20 or more ... eight of Duquesne's 12 losses have come by six or fewer points, including two in overtime and five by three or fewer points.

• Half of DU's 12 losses have come to NCAA Tournament teams ... the Dukes own a win over No. 7 seed Temple (78-66 over the then-No. 19 (AP) Owls on Jan. 15) ... only Duke has defeated Temple by a larger margin.

• DU's 11-game winning streak from Dec. 31 through Feb. 2 was the school's longest since 1970-71 ... 2011 was the first time a Duquesne team opened conference play 8-0 ... the previous best mark was 3-0 in 2008-09 ... the eight consecutive conference wins were also a school record (old mark was five in 1980-81 & 2006-07).

• DU (10-6) tied the school record for conference victories set in 1981 (10-3) and matched in 1991 (10-8).

• Fifteen hundred-point scoring seniors and 2011 second team All-A10 picks Damian Saunders and Bill Clark lead the way for the Dukes. Saunders, who is DU's career blocked shot, steals and games played & started leader ranks 11th in career points (1,500) and third in career rebounds (1,009). He is already DU's career steals (276) and blocked shot (297) leader. Clark, who has 224 career 3-pointers, ranks 7th on the scoring list with 1,609 points. Saunders and Clark, who have never experienced a losing season at Duquesne, rank first and second in career games played (126 for Saunders and 125 for Clark).

• The 6-7 Saunders IS THE ONLY PLAYER IN NCAA HISTORY to post more than 250 assists (279), steals (276) and blocks (297) in a career. Saunders, who is averaging over 2.0 per game in all three categories, has more assists, steals and blocks than turnovers (248) in his career.

• Saunders, one of just four two-time A-10 Defensive Players of the Year (2010 & 2011), finished two steals shy of becoming the first player over 6-6 to lead the nation in steals/g. last season (2nd 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 (the record was broken this year by teammate T.J. McConnell). Saunders tied his career high with six steals (five in the first half) on Dec. 8 at Green Bay and has added five more on five other occasions. He broke the DU career record with his 219th steal against George Mason on Dec. 22. Saunders (71 steals) and McConnell (91 steals) are the only A-10 players averaging over 2.0 spg.

• 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 6-10 Derrick Alston in 114 games from 1991-94 ... Saunders broke the record in his 101st game.

• Saunders, who has 35 career double-doubles, posted his first 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 double-double (11-10) vs. Saint Louis, 31st at Fordham (13-12), 32nd at St. Bonaventure (16-14), 33rd at UMass (14-13), 34th at Richmond (10-11) & 35th vs. Saint Joe's at the A-10 Championship (21-11).

• 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 14-7 since Evans' return.

• Everhart's Dukes have posted 29 road wins in five seasons. Of the 29 wins, 22 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. All eight of DU's road wins this season (8-6) have been by double-digit margins.

• Duquesne has led at the half in 25 of 31 games (trailed vs. Pitt, at St. Bonaventure, at Saint Louis, at Richmond, vs. Saint Joseph's at the A-10 Championship & tied at La Salle).

• 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 the team mark for the second time in four games at La Salle on Jan. 19 and did it again at UMass on Feb. 16.

• The Dukes have had five or more double-digit scorers in 12 of their 19 wins.

• Six players have attempted at least 65 3-pointers. Every returning player is shooting a better percentage from the arc in 2010-11 than he did last season.

• Duquesne won five in a row on the road (Dec. 8 through Jan. 26) for the first time since a two-season streak of five that ended in December of 1985 ... DU's four A-10 road wins tied the most in school history (1981 & 2009 are the others).

• Duquesne, which is assisting on over 65 percent of its field goals, is averaging 17.8 assists per game - the seventh-highest in Atlantic 10 history. Five players have 70 or more assists.

• 2011 A-10 Rookie of the Year T.J. McConnell's five Rookie of the Week mentions tied the school record set by Robert Mitchell in 2006-07 ... McConnell (91 steals in 31 games) has broken the Atlantic 10 freshman record for steals (86 set by Temple's Pepe Sanchez in 31 games in 1996-97) ... and the Duquesne the school record of 89 set by Damian Saunders in 32 games last year.

• DU received votes in the AP poll for three weeks from Jan. 24 through Feb. 7.