Box Score

ESTERO, FLA. - The senior backcourt of Derrick Colter and Micah Mason combined for 53 points as Duquesne rallied from a four-point deficit in overtime to post a 96-92 win over Milwaukee in the second round of the Gulf Coast Showcase at Estero, Fla.

Mason, who finished with 26, hit a layup to put the Dukes ahead with 43 seconds left and added a pair of free throws with 10 seconds to go. Eric James had a steal and free throw in the final seconds to seal the win.

Colter scored a career-high 27 points before fouling out with 2:36 left in overtime.

The Dukes trailed 92-88 when L.G. Gill, who finished with nine points, hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. James, who scored 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench, then stripped Jordan Johnson on a drive to set up Mason's deciding bucket. James then rebounded a J.J. Panoske miss and got the ball to Mason who hit two free throws with 10 seconds to go to make it 95-92. James then came up with another steal with six seconds left and made one of two free throws for the final margin.

"I thought our depth came through for us today," said Duquesne head coach Jim Ferry. "We went small, then matched up to them when they went big. Eric James was a big help off the bench because we were able to play him at multiple positions."

Duquesne had a chance to win it in regulation, but Colter's contested layup rolled off the rim at the horn.

Darius Lewis added 11 for DU on 5-of-5 shooting as the Dukes shot a Ferry Era best 64.8 percent on the afternoon. DU held UWM to 43.3 percent shooting, including 1-of-6 in the overtime period.

There were three ties and five lead changes in a first half that ended with the Dukes up 42-40.

Milwaukee took a 10-point lead on a bucket by Brock Stull before Duquesne started a 15-3 half-ending run that began with a Jeremiah Jones basket. DU got four free throws from Mason and a 3-pointer and layup from Colter to close out the run.

Duquesne led by as many as 12 in the second half, but couldn't maintain its lead as Matt Tiby, who finished with a game-high 29, kept the Panthers in the game. The 6-8 Tiby scored 22 after intermission, including four of his five 3-pointers in the second half and overtime.

"We got the lead and knew we couldn't keep them down because they're a real good team," said Ferry. "We defended really well in the first half which allowed us to make that run late and take the lead. In the second half we went back-and-forth, and in the overtime, we did a great job of holding them to 16 percent. They took that lead in OT and we just kept playing. It was a great team effort."

Mason had four 3-pointers and Colter and Gill had three apiece for the Dukes who finished 10-of-18 from the arc. Mason tied his career high with nine assists in 42 minutes.

Milwaukee outscored Duquesne 27 to 16 from the foul line. In addition to Colter fouling out, DU's four other starters finished with four fouls.

"We still fouled way too much today," said Ferry. It's something we need to get back and work on. If we can clean that up, we can win a lot of games."

Duquesne will face either Western Kentucky in the fifth place game of the Showcase tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.

NOTES

• Colter went 10-of-14 from the field in eclipsing his career high of 26 set last year vs. Bluefield State and matched earlier this season vs. Penn State.

• Mason, who was 1-of-11 from the field in a 3-point effort vs. Pepperdine yesterday, was 8-of-13 - including 4-of-5 from 3-point ... Mason's 26 points were two shy of his career best set earlier this season vs. New Orleans.

• Eric James' 15 points were two shy of his career high set last year at Robert Morris.

• Duquesne's .648 effort from the field was its best under Jim Ferry.