Duquesne (7-6), winner of four of its past five, opens Atlantic 10 play at Fordham (6-7) on Friday, Dec. 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Rose Hill Gym (Atlantic 10 Network). The Dukes will be looking for their fourth consecutive victory against a Fordham team that is 6-2 at home.
- The Dukes and Rams have been idle for seven and eight days respectively. DU is coming off a 70-57 home win over Colgate on Dec. 22, while Fordham snapped a six-game losing streak with an 83-60 victory over Central Connecticut State at Rose Hill Gym on Dec. 21.
- Duquesne is 19-20 in Atlantic 10 openers, including a 1-3 mark under head coach Jim Ferry. The win came over Fordham at home in 2014-15. DU is 6-13 when opening A-10 play on the road.
- Duquesne, which lost over 70 percent of its scoring from last season, has incorporated a number of newcomers into the 2016-17 rotation. DU's top four scorers are first-year players: freshman Mike Lewis II (11.8 ppg.), Nebraska transfer sophomore Tarin Smith (11.6 ppg.), graduate transfer Emile Blackman (10.2 ppg.) and freshman Isiaha Mike (10.2 ppg.). None of DU's top seven scorers averaged more than 9.2 minutes per game last year. This will be the first trip to Rose Hill Gym for 12 of DU's 16 players.
SERIES QUICK NOTES
- This is the 35th game in a series that dates to Dec. 22, 1949 ... Duquesne leads the series 20-14 ... in games played in the Bronx, the Dukes lead 8-7 ... Duquesne head coach Jim Ferry is 3-2 all-time vs. Fordham with a win at Rose Hill Gym while at LIU (82-70 on Nov. 23, 2010) and an additional road win in DU's last trip to Fordham (81-66 on Mar. 4, 2015).
- The Dukes snapped a five-game series losing streak with a 74-62 win at the Palumbo Center in 2008 ... since then, the Dukes have won seven of 10 with two of the losses coming at Rose Hill Gym.
- Duquesne has won three of the past four meetings at Rose Hill Gym ... last year, Fordham ended a streak of four consecutive losses in Pittsburgh with a 78-69 win on Mar. 2.
- Duquesne is 13-11 against the Rams in Atlantic 10 regular-season play.
ON THE RAMS
Fordham (6-7) snapped a six-game losing streak with an 83-60 home win over CCSU on Dec. 21 ... the Rams are 6-2 at Rose Hill Gym with a four-point loss to 10-3 Texas-Arlington (63-67) and one-point loss to Sacred Heart (70-71) ... first year grad transfer 6-5 forward Javontae Hawkins (Eastern Kentucky) leads the Rams in scoring (13.5 ppg.) and rebounding (5.0 rpg.) ... sophomore Joseph Chartouny (11.4 ppg., 69 assists, 41 steals), the 2016 A-10 Rookie of the Year, ranks among the nation's leaders in steals per game ... Fordham is forcing 20.7 turnovers per game ... the Rams have an A-10-high 145 team steals.
LAST GAME
Duquesne 70, Colgate 57 - Dec. 22
- Freshman Isiaha Mike scored a game and career-high 19 points to lead the Dukes to their third win in a row and fourth in five games
- Tarin Smith added 15 points, Mike Lewis II had 12 and Rene Castro added 11 off the bench for the Dukes who led from the 6:31 mark of the first half on
- Duquesne, which led by 11 at the half, saw the Raiders cut the lead to two less than four minutes into the second half
-Mike and Castro scored five points each to key a 10-2 run that turned a 48-45 lead into a 58-46 advantage with 7:29 left
- Colgate, which entered the game averaging 9.1 3-pointers per game, went 4-of-24 from the arc for the game
- The Dukes held the Raiders to 37.1 percent shooting
- DU tied its season low with eight turnovers
- Duquesne outscored Colgate 14-4 in fast break points
- The Dukes went 14-of-17 (.824) from the foul line
- Kale Abrahamson, who missed DU's first nine games with a broken bone in his hand, came of the bench to score 8 points in 14 minutes
- Rene Castro led the Dukes with 4 assist in 26 turnover-free minutes off the bench
- Primary ballhandlers Mike Lewis II, Tarin Smith, Emile Blackman and Rene Castro combined for 12 assists and 1 turnover
- Jordan Robinson contributed 6 rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench
- Duquesne led for 31:36
TRENDING
- Mike Lewis II (11.8 ppg.) is DU's first three-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week (Nov. 14, Nov. 28 & Dec. 5) since Derrick Colter in 2013. Lewis II has scored in double digits in DU's past seven games, and is averaging 15.4 ppg. over that span. He has hit at least two 3-pointers in each of the seven games. Lewis II, who went 5-of-21 from 3-point in his first six games, is 16-of-40 (.400) from the arc in his past seven.
- Freshman Isiaha Mike has been named A-10 Rookie of the Week twice (Dec. 12 & 26). This is the first time in school history DU has had two multiple Rookies of the Week (Lewis II has been named three times). A Duke has won or shared Rookie of the Week honors five times in the seven weeks it has been presented this season.
- First-year Nebraska transfer Tarin Smith, who has a team-high nine double-digit games, scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half vs. Jackson State. Smith is 11-of-22 from the field and 13-of-16 from the foul line in DU's past two games (18.5 ppg. over that span).
- The Dukes are 4-0 with sophomore forward Nakye Sanders in the starting lineup (Pitt, CCSU, Jackson State & Colgate). Sanders, who made his first career start vs. Pitt on Dec. 2, has missed just 12 shots this season (28-40, .700). He posted his first career double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds off the bench vs. Robert Morris on Dec. 6.
- DU has held six teams under 40 perent shooting this season: Loyola, Md. (.365), UT Martin (.348), Cleveland State (.385), Pitt (.333), Jackson State (.355) & Colgate (.371). The Dukes are 5-1 in those games.
- Duquesne, which averaged 16.8 turnovers in going 3-5 in its first eight games, has turned it over just 11.4 times/g in winning four of its past five.
- Duquesne has yet to play with its complete roster this season. Sophomore guard Josh Steel missed the first five games, plus the last six (suspension). Grad transfer Kale Abrahamson, who missed DU's first nine games (broken bone in his hand), made his debut on Dec. 6 vs. Robert Morris.
NEXT UP
Duquesne hosts VCU in its Atlantic 10 home opener on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 7:00 p.m. (ASN). It will be the Rams first visit to the A.J. Palumbo Center (DU's two previous home games versus VCU were played at PPG Paints Arena).
