2015 Season Review

PITTSBURGH - Duquesne experienced a Jekyll and Hyde season in 2014-15.

At home, the Dukes proved they could play with anyone, posting double-digit February wins over NCAA Tournament-bound Dayton (83-73) at CONSOL Energy Center and NIT participant George Washington (78-62) at Palumbo Center.

DU also notched Atlantic 10 home wins over Saint Joseph's, George Mason and Saint Louis.

Two of Duquesne's three home conference losses came down to the last possession (61-60 to Rhode Island and 100-97 to St. Bonaventure in overtime), and the third, a 70-64 loss to No. 17 (AP) VCU at CONSOL Energy Center, was a two-point game with under two minutes left.

It was on the road where the Dukes struggled, sandwiching two wins around 10 consecutive losses from December through February. Overall, DU outscored opponents by 4.1 points per game at home and was outscored by 10.7 on the road.

Despite its road struggles, Duquesne managed to finish the season with wins in six of its last 12 games, including an A-10 Championship first round win over Saint Louis.

The backcourt of Derrick Colter (13.2 ppg.) and Micah Mason (12.8 ppg.) led the way for the Dukes.

Colter made drastic improvements in both his overall (.370 to .442) and 3-point (.345 to .426) percentages from his sophomore to junior seasons while topping the 100 assist mark (113) for the third time in as many years.

Mason emerged as a more consistent scoring threat, closing the season with 16 or more points in nine of his last 10 games. The more aggressive Mason - who attempted 41 free throws in his first two college seasons - made his way to the foul line 42 times as a junior (38-of-42, .905). Mason retained his shooting touch, finishing 7th nationally in 3-point percentage (.447). He will enter his senior year as the second most-accurate 3-point shooter in NCAA history (.492).

DU's lone senior - forward Dominque McKoy (7.9 ppg.) - led the team in rebounding 14 times in finishing with a team-best 6.2 rpg. average.

Junior swingman Jeremiah Jones also finished strong, scoring in double digits in eight of his last 11 games. Jones, who had 77 assists in his first 60 games at DU, had 101 in 31 games, making it just the sixth time in school history - and first time since 1993-94 - that DU had two players with 100 or more assists in the same season.


2014-15 QUICK HITS

· Duquesne's 2014-15 roster consisted of one senior, six juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen. The Dukes had four first-year scholarship players (Eric James, TySean Powell, Jordan Robinson & Jordan Stevens). DU will return four starters (Derrick Colter, Micah Mason, Jeremiah Jones & Darius Lewis) and four additional lettermen (TySean Powell, L.G. Gill, Eric James & Jordan Robinson) in 2015-16.

· Duquesne, which was picked to finish 11th in the 14-team Atlantic 10 in the annual poll of league coaches and media, finished 11th with a 6-12 record. DU went 5-4 at home and 1-8 on the road in conference games. National media outlets pegged the Dukes to finish anywhere from 7th (Basketball Times & College Basketball Madness) to 12th (Athlon) in the preseason.

· The Dukes defeated Saint Louis, 61-55, in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship. The win was DU's third opening round Championship win in 20 years. The others came in 2004 (1-1) and 2009 (3-1). Duquesne's 12 blocks in the victory tied the Atlantic 10 Championship single-game record set by UMass vs. West Virginia on March 4, 1990.

· Despite its 12-19 record, Duquesne was outscored by an average of just 2.9 points per game. Duquesne was 1-4 in games decided by three or fewer points, including a 1-2 mark in Atlantic 10 play.

· Three of DU's A-10 games - all at home - came down to the last possession: a 71-68 win over Saint Joseph's, a 61-60 loss to Rhode Island and a 100-97 OT loss to St. Bonaventure (the Dukes led Rhody by 13 and the Bonnies by 15 in the second half). In addition, DU had the ball down two with under two minutes left in a 70-64 "home" loss to No. 17 (AP) VCU at CONSOL Energy Center on Jan. 17. The Dukes were also tied with UMass with under three minutes left at Mullins Center on Feb. 14.

· In conference play, DU averaged 74.7 ppg. at home and 67.7 on the road. The Dukes outscored A-10 opponents by +1.3 ppg. at home and were outscored by 14.7 ppg. on the road. DU held A-10 opponents to .411 shooting at home. On the road, A-10 foes shot .490.

· DU's top two scorers were junior guards Derrick Colter (13.2 ppg.) and Micah Mason (12.8 ppg.) A guard either led, or tied for the team lead in scoring, in 28 of 31 games. The lone non-guards to lead the Dukes in scoring outright were L.G. Gill (twice) and Jeremiah Jones.

· The 3-point shooting of Colter and Mason helped the Dukes finish at .370 from the arc. The 3-point percentage was the third-best single-season mark in school history and best by a DU team since 1992. DU's 7.9 3-pointers per game was the fifth-best mark in school history.

· Colter, who spent time early in the season ranked in the top three nationally in 3-point shooting percentage, became the eighth player in school history to hit seven or more 3-pointers in a game when he went 7-of-8 from the arc in scoring a career-high 26 points in the opener vs. Bluefield State. Colter's seven makes were one shy of the school record shared by three players (last by Aaron Jackson who went 8-of-13 in scoring 46 points in a double-overtime NIT 116-108 loss at Virginia Tech on Mar. 18, 2009). Colter had six games with four or more 3-pointers in 2015 (he had five in 60 career games entering the year).

· Micah Mason, who led the nation in 3-point shooting percentage in 2014 (65-116, .560), finished seventh nationally this season (88-197, .447). The junior guard hit a career-high six 3-pointers in seven attempts vs. NJIT on Nov. 29 and tied the mark in the season finale vs. George Washington at the A-10 Championship (6-of-9). Mason has hit five or more "3s" in a game nine times (seven at Duquesne and two as a freshman at Drake). Mason will enter his senior season as the second most-accurate 3-point shooter in NCAA history (193-of-392, .492).

· DU's lone senior, forward Dominique McKoy, made his first start of 2015 vs. UMass Lowell on Dec. 20. McKoy, who played his best basketball late in the season, averaged 9.3 ppg. (213 pts.) and 7.0 rpg. (160) and shot .565 (96-of-170) as a starter. McKoy averaged 8.8 ppg. and 6.7 rpg. and shot .569 in his two seasons (90 games) at Duquesne. He scored 526 points as a Duke.

· Junior forward Jeremiah Jones emerged as one of DU's top facilitators. Jones, who had 77 assists in his first two seasons (60 g./1.3 apg.), had 101 in 31 games this year (3.3 apg.). Jones had 11 games with four or more assists with a career high of eight in 36 turnover-free minutes vs. St. Bonaventure on Jan. 22. He had one of his top games of the season with 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists (one turnover) in 35 minutes vs. GW on Feb. 11 and followed that with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes at UMass. He scored a career high-tying 16 points (with a career high-tying three 3-pointers) vs. Saint Louis on Feb. 25 and added 16 more against the Billikens in the first round of the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship.

· Six-six freshman TySean Powell, who shot .579, led the team in dunks (20) and conventional three-point plays (10 in 11 attempts). Powell finished third on the team in free throw attempts (47-of-72). Powell's shooting percentage was the sixth-best mark in school history (minimum 200 points). The only freshman to have a more accurate season was Bruce Atkins who shot .615 as a freshman in 1978-79.

· Building quality depth has been a priority of head coach Jim Ferry since his arrival at Duquesne. In 2015, DU's bench outscored the opponent bench 766-556 (an average of 6.8 ppg.). The DU bench, which posted a high of 67 points at Abilene Christian on Nov. 22, outscored its opponent in 20 of 31 games.

· DU's 11.0 turnovers per game last season was the lowest mark in school history (previous was 11.5 in 1995). The 2015 Dukes, with four first-year players playing prominent roles, averaged 12.3 turnovers/g.

· DU went 149-of-210 (.710) from the foul line in its last 12 games to finish at .627 for the season. The Dukes
were at .580 entering the Jan. 31 George Mason game.


DUQUESNE DIGITS

.258 · Shooting percentage by George Mason in its 62-53 loss to Duquesne on Jan. 31. It was the lowest field goal pct. by an Dukes opponent since Rutgers shot .245 (13-53) in a 65-54 A-10 loss at DU on Dec. 6, 1986.

.438 · Combined 3-point shooting percentage of the starting backcourt of Derrick Colter (60-141, .426) and Micah Mason (88-197, .447).

.492 · Career 3-point percentage for guard Micah Mason (193-392). Mason's percentage ranks second only to the NCAA career record of .497 set by Green Bay's Tony Bennett who went 290-584 (.497) from 1989-92. (NCAA minimum to qualify is 200 makes and 2.0 made/g.)

1 · Number of seniors on the Dukes 2015 roster (second-year JC transfer Dominique McKoy).

5 · Players on the 2015 roster who posted 40-plus inch running vertical jumps in July testing: Jeremiah Jones (42.0"), Derrick Colter (41.0"), Eric James (41"), L.G. Gill (40") and Desmond Ridenour (40.0").

7.9 · Number of 3-pointers Duquesne made per game in 2015.

16 · This was just the second time since 1972 that the Dukes had 16 regular-season home games (seven non-conference and nine A-10). DU went 9-7 at home (8-6 at Palumbo Center & 1-1 at CONSOL Energy Center).

17 · Size shoe worn by 6-6 freshman TySean Powell.

17-1 · Duquesne's record under Jim Ferry when shooting 50 percent or better.

18 · Number of turnovers guard Micah Mason committed in 622 minutes of conference play. The junior guard had 56 assists over that stretch for a conference-best 3.1-to-1 ratio.

24.7 · Points per game Duquesne got from its bench (766 points in 31 g.).

40-12 · DU's record in non-conference games at Palumbo Center since 2007-08.

71.4 · Points per game the Dukes averaged in 2015. It was the third-highest average in the A-10. DU's 71.2 ppg. average in conference-only games ranked second in the league.

99th · This was the 99th season of Duquesne men's basketball.

1,092 · Career points for junior guard Derrick Colter. Colter's total is 269 more than his nearest teammate.


THE TEAM

1 · Derrick Colter
· Has started every game in his Duquesne career (91 and counting)
· Became the 38th 1,000-point scorer in school history with a 3-pointer at the 18:06 mark of the second half of DU's 83-73 win over Dayton on Feb. 21
· Will enter his senior season 32nd on DU's all-time scoring list with 1,092 points
· Led team in scoring (13.2 ppg.) and assists (3.6 apg.) for the second time. Colter, who also led in both categories as a freshman, joins Norm Nixon (twice) and B.B. Flenory (three times) as the only players to lead the Dukes in scoring and assists in multiple seasons
· Led the Dukes in assists for the third-straight year with 113 (3.6 apg.)
· Is the fourth player in DU history to reach 100 assists in each of his first three seasons (156 as a freshman, 103 as a sophomore & 113 as a junior). The only two players to do it four times are Clayton Adams (1988-91) and Norm Nixon (unofficial, 1974-77)
· Had the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Atlantic 10 (2.02-to-1)
· Was second on the team with 60 3-pointers
· Hit at least one 3-pointer in 28 of 31 games. Has never gone more than two career games without a 3-pointer
· Had six games with four or more 3-pointers in 2015 (he had five in 60 career games entering the year)
· Led the team with 23 double-digit scoring games
· Tied Micah Mason for team high with four 20-point games
· Had two four-point plays on the season
· Scored 10 or more in 13 of 18 A-10 contests
· Scored a career-high 26 in the season opener vs. Bluefield State. Hit a career-high seven 3-pointers (in eight attempts) in the win. Had 25 points in the win over Dayton and added 22 each at St. Bonaventure and vs. Saint Joseph's
· Solidified himself as Mr. Opening Day with his 26 points vs. Bluefield State. In three openers, Colter is averaging 22.0 ppg. on .636 shooting (17 at Albany as a freshman & 23 vs. Abilene Christian last year)
· Posted a season-high seven assists three times (at Fordham, at St. Bonaventure and vs. UMES)
· Led the team with 103 free throw attempts (80-of-103, .777)
· Improved his season-opening career 3-point shooting percentage by +9.7% and overall shooting percentage by +7.4% in 2015

2 · Eric James
· Played in 24 games all off the bench
· Scored in double digits four times, all of which came in the Dukes' first seven games
· Scored a season-high 17 points in a season-best 26 minutes at Robert Morris
· Had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in the season-opening win over Bluefield State
· Saw action in 13 of 18 Atlantic 10 games
· Hit three 3-pointers in five attempts (nine points) and added six rebounds at Dayton
· Played in the first 19 games, before seeing action in five of the last 12

3 · Dominique McKoy
· Scored 526 points and shot .569 in his two seasons at Duquesne (60 games)
· Averaged 8.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in his DU career
· Was DU's top rebounder in 2015. Led the team in rebounding 14 times
· Scored in double digits 12 times, all of which came in his last 21 games
· Had a team-high five double-digit rebound games, with a career high of 16 vs. George Mason. Also posted 15 boards at St. Bonaventure, 12 at Saint Louis, 12 vs. Saint Louis (A-10 Championship) and 10 vs. George Washington (A-10 Championship)
· Had his best game as a Duke with a career-high 20 points and 15 rebounds at St. Bonaventure
· Had 11 points, nine rebounds, a career-high five assists and three steals in the win over Dayton
· Averaged 9.3 points and 7.0 rebounds and shot .565 in his 23 starts

5 · TySean Powell
· Played in 29 of 31 games with seven pre-January starts
· Scored in double-digits nine times with a season-high 18 on 7-of-7 shooting at Abilene Christian
· Reached double digits in five of his first six games, before totaling 10 or more four times in his last 23
· His .579 field goal percentage was the sixth-best in school history (min. 200 points) and second-best ever by a DU freshman (Bruce Atkins shot .615 as a freshman in 1978-79)
· Led the team with 20 dunks
· Converted a team-high 10-of-11 conventional three-point plays
· Went 6-of-6 from the field in scoring 13 vs. Howard
· Had 13 points and a season-high eight rebounds vs. St. Bonaventure
· Finished third on the team with 72 free throw attempts (47-of-72, .653)

22 · Micah Mason
· Second on the team in scoring at 12.8 ppg.
· Led team in 3-pointers (88), 3-point percentage (.447), free throw percentage (.905), steals (35) and minutes (1,011)
· Finished seventh nationally in 3-point percentage after leading the nation in 2014
· Led the team a scoring a team-high 19 times
· Scored 16 or more in nine of DU's last 10 games
· Scored in double digits 19 times
· Tied Derrick Colter for team high with four 20-point games: 24 vs. George Washington, 22 vs. George Washington (A-10 Championship), 20 vs. Saint Louis & 20 at UMass
· Led the Atlantic 10 in conference-only assist-to-turnover ratio for the second consecutive year (3.1-to-1 this year and 5.3-to-1 last year)
· Was second on the team with 110 defensive rebounds
· Scored a career-high 24 points in the home win over George Washington
· Added 22 points, including 6-of-9 3-pointers in DU's season-ending loss to GW at the Atlantic 10 Championship
· Had four games with five or more 3-pointers: 6-7 vs. NJIT, 5-5 vs. UMass-Lowell, 5-7 vs. Davidson and 6-9 vs. George Washington at the A-10 Championship
· Grabbed a career-high eight rebounds three times: vs. Saint Louis (A-10 Championship), vs. Dayton and at Abilene Christian
· Finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, a career high-tying nine assists and four steals in 40 turnover-free minutes in the win over Dayton
· Also handed out nine assists in the season opener vs. Bluefield State
· Added 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals at home vs. Saint Louis
· Had 11 turnover-free games
· Totaled a career high five steals at Richmond
· Hit at least one 3-pointer in 30 of 31 games and hit four or more in a game 10 times
· Was 38-of-42 (.905) from the foul line. Attempted 41 free throws as a freshman and sophomore
· His .492 (193-of-392) career 3-point shooting percentage is the second best in NCAA history

23 · Jeremiah Jones
· Has played in every game in his Duquesne career (91 and counting) with 83 starts
· Has started 72 consecutive games
· Had 101 assists in 31 games after posting 77 in 60 games in his first two seasons at DU
· Was second on the team in assists (101), rebounding (4.5 rpg.) and free throws made (49) and attempted (76)
· Led the team with 52 offensive rebounds
· Led or tied for the team lead in assists 11 times
· Scored in double figures 10 times with a high of 16 vs. Saint Louis at home and vs. SLU at the A-10 Championship
· Had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists with just one turnover in the A-10 Championship first round win over Saint Louis
· Scored in double digits in eight of DU's last 11 games
· Had his first double-digit rebound game with 10 at Abilene Christian
· Posted a career-best eight assists with zero turnovers vs. St. Bonaventure and added a career-best three steals vs. UMES

32 · Desmond Ridenour
· Played in 21 of 31 games off the bench
· Averaged 2.0 points and 0.7 rebounds in just under eight minutes per game
· Scored a season-high seven points three times: vs. Davidson, at La Salle and at George Washington
· Played in 13 of 18 Atlantic 10 games
· Announced plans to transfer after the season

33 · L.G. Gill
· Played in all 31 games bringing his consecutive games played streak to 52
· Started the first eight games, before coming off the bench in his last 23
· Scored a season-high 17 in a start vs. Howard on Dec. 2
· Added 16 points (4-of-6 from 3-point) and seven rebounds off the bench in the win at Fordham
· Scored in double digits 10 times, inlcuding six times in DU's last 11 games
· DU was 6-4 when Gill scored 10 or more
· Grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and blocked a career-best three shots at Robert Morris
· Handed out a career-high five assists vs. Pitt

35 · Jordan Stevens
· Missed the season opener due to a suspension then played in 20-straight games before being suspended for the final 10 games of the season
· Scored in double digits eight times with a Duquesne player-high 27 points at Abilene Christian in his DU debut on Nov. 22. Went 10-of-17 from the field, including 6-of-9 from 3-point, against the Wildcats
· Went on to hit 16-of-71 3-point attempts (.225) in his next 19 games
· Had 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting at Penn State
· Posted a season-high seven assists to go along with 10 points in the win over UMass Lowell
· Finished with 53 assists and 36 turnovers
· Averaged 9.3 field goal attempts in under 18.8 minutes per game
· Made his last appearance on Feb. 7 at Davidson
· Announced plans to transfer after the season

54 · Darius Lewis
· Saw action in all 31 games with 21 starts after playing in just 10 games as a freshman
· Averaged 14.7 minutes per game
· Led the team with 31 blocked shots
· Scored a season-high 11 points and blocked five shots vs. UTPA
· Had nine points (with three dunks) and eight rebounds at Penn State
· Scored seven points and added a career-high 12 rebounds in 28 minutes of DU's home win over GW
·Posted eight points, six rebounds and three blocks in a win over George Mason
· His seven blocks in the A-10 Championship win over Saint Louis were the most by a Duke since Damian Saunders had seven vs. Saint Joseph's on Jan. 31, 2010

55 · Jordan Robinson
· Played in 22 games with three early-season starts
· Scored a season-high 10 points vs. UMass-Lowell and matched that total at UMass
· Shot a team-high .625 in just under 10 minutes/g.
· Had six points and a season-high six rebounds in 10 minutes vs. George Washington
· Got to the foul line 46 times in 217 total minutes played
· Saw action in 11 of 18 A-10 games