Dec. 26, 2015
QUICK NOTES
• Duquesne (10-2), off to its best start since 1979-80, returns from Christmas break to face Georgia Tech (9-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 7:00 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta. This is the final regular season non-conference game for the Dukes, who have been idle since tying the school record for pre-New Year's wins with a 72-65 victory over Robert Morris on Dec. 19.
• The Dukes, who have won four in a row, are looking to go 11-2 for the first time since the 1971-72 team opened 15-2.
• This is Duquesne's second road game (the Dukes defeated Saint Francis U, 67-65, in Johnstown, Pa. on Dec. 12). DU did travel to Estero, Fla. for three neutral-site games at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 23-25. The Dukes took two of three in winning the consolation side of the bracket. DU is 7-8 in non-league road games under fourth-year head coach Jim Ferry.
• Duquesne, which has scored 90 or more four times, has scored 70 or more points in all but one game this season (a 67-65 win at Saint Francis U on Dec. 12). DU's 82.8 ppg. early-season scoring average is the school's best since 1970-71.
NEXT UP: Duquesne opens Atlantic 10 play at home on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 2:30 p.m. vs. preseason conference favorite Dayton. The game will be televised nationally by NBCSN.
THE SERIES
Series Record: Georgia Tech leads 1-0
At Atlanta: Never Met
Neutral: Georgia Tech leads 1-0
Mar. 13, 1970 -- 68-78 (L) -- NIT at Madison Square Garden, New York City
VS. THE ACC: Duquesne is 6-25 all time against Atlantic Coast Conference schools (record when opponents were members of the ACC only). The Dukes were 0-11 in ACC arenas, until Ron Everhart's Dukes posted a 98-93 overtime win at Boston College's Conte Forum on Dec. 28, 2006 (Everhart was actually back in Pittsburgh battling illness during the game which was "co-coached" by then-assistants Richard Pitino, Kim Lewis and Daryn Freedman). Duquesne's last win over an ACC school prior to the victory at BC was on Dec. 15, 1992 when the Dukes upset No. 10 (AP) Florida State 91-84 at the Palumbo Center. The Dukes were 0-2 vs. the ACC in 2008-09 with a 95-72 loss at then-No. 7 (AP) Duke on Nov. 28 and a 116-108 double-overtime loss at Virginia Tech in the opening round of the NIT. Duquesne has faced long-time rival Pitt three times (0-3) since the Panthers joined the ACC.
MORE ON GEORGIA TECH: This is the second meeting between the Dukes and Yellow Jackets ... Tech won the first, 78-68, on March 13, 1970 in the first round of the NIT at Madison Square Garden ... Rich Yunkus led Tech with a game-high 28 points ... DU's Barry & Garry Nelson both fouled out trying to stop the Yellow Jackets star ... Bill Zopf had 18 in his final game as a Duke ... current DU radio color man Jarrett Durham had a rare off night with 11 points on 5-of-21 shooting ... GT, coming off a 12-19 season (8-8 at home), was picked to finish 13th in the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference ... the Yellow Jackets return three starters including leading scorer 6-5 senior forward Marcus Georges-Hunt (14.1, 3.0) ... second-leading scorer, 6-8, 256-pound senior Charles Mitchell (13.3, 11.8) is also back ... Georgia Tech bolstered its roster with graduate transfers Adam Smith (12.8, 34 "3's"), a 6-1 guard who led the ACC in 3-point percentage (.424) last season while at Virginia Tech and 6-8 forward James White (5.1, 5.7), who led Arkansas-Little Rock in rebounding leader last year ... 6-8, 262-pound Alabama transfer Nick Jacobs (9.8, 5.8) is also eligible this season after sitting out in 2014-15 ... Tech is in its fifth season under former Dayton head coach Brian Gregory ... Duquesne went 6-9 against Gregory-coached Dayton teams in eight seasons from 2003-04 through 2010-11 ... the Dukes won five of the last nine meetings against Gregory's Flyers.
LEFTOVERS FROM ROBERT MORRIS: Leftovers from Duquesne's 72-65 win over Robert Morris on Dec. 19: the Dukes won despite shooting .344 from the field (4-of-27 from 3-point) and turning it over 18 times ... Duquesne did its damage on the glass, outrebounding RMU 59-33 ... the Dukes turned 21 offensive boards into 22 second chance points ... the 59 boards were a Ferry Era high and the .148 3-point percentage was a Ferry Era low ... it was DU's first win under Jim Ferry when shooting under 40 percent ... Derrick Colter led the Dukes with 19 points ... the senior hit 6-of-6 free throws over the last 39 seconds to seal the win ... the starting backcourt of Colter (3-of-17) and Mason (4-of-15) was a combined 4-of-19 from 3-point ... Eric James came off the bench in place of the injured Jeremiah Jones (season-ending torn ACL in his right knee with 13:54 left in the first half) to add 13 points and a career-high eight rebounds in 29 minutes ... L.G. Gill tied his career high with 10 boards ... the Dukes finished with five dunks in snapping Robert Morris' series win streak at five ... Duquesne's largest lead was 10 points, which it reached three times in the first half, the last coming with 1:31 left ... Duquesne took the lead for good on a Derrick Colter 3-pointer with 12:25 left in the first half ... RMU tied it on a 3-pointer with 18:13 remaining, but could never gain the lead ... the victory upped DU's home record to 7-0 ... it is the program's best home start since 1979-80.
TRENDING
• Duquesne's 10-2 start is its best since 1979-80 (10-2). The Dukes have tied the school record for pre-New Year's Day wins set in 1953-54 (10-0).
• This is Duquesne's first game without injured co-captain Jeremiah Jones (9.6, 3.8) who suffered a torn ACL (right knee) in the Dec. 19 win over Robert Morris. Jones had played in every game in his DU career (103) with 84-straight starts.
• Duquesne is 9-0 when leading at the half and 10-0 when leading with 5:00 left. • The Dukes have outrebounded nine of 12 opponents (DU is 9-0 in those games).
• DU's 72-65 win over Robert Morris was its first when shooting under 40 percent under fourth-year head coach Jim Ferry. DU shot .344 against the Colonials.
• Derrick Colter took part in Dec. 17 commencement ceremonies. Colter finished his undergrad degree in criminal justice in 3 1/2 years.
