Duquesne (4-6) takes on its third and final Northeast Conference opponent when Central Connecticut State (2-5) visits Palumbo Center for a 2:00 p.m. game on Saturday, Dec. 10. DU is 1-1 vs. NEC schools with an 89-75 win over Saint Francis U on Nov. 16 and 64-60 loss to Robert Morris on Dec. 6.
The CCSU game begins a stretch of three in a row at home for the Dukes. DU hosts Jackson State following final exams on Dec. 19 and welcomes Colgate for its last pre-Christmas game on Dec. 22. They are Duquesne's final three non-conference games before the start of Atlantic 10 play on Dec. 30 at Fordham.
THE SERIES
- This is the first meeting between the Dukes and Blue Devils.
- CCSU finished 4-25 in its final season under former coach Howie Dickenman, who led the Blue Devils for 20 seasons. The Blue Devils are in their first season under former 15-year NBA veteran and University of Connecticut standout Donyell Marshall. This is Marshall's first season as a head coach at any level.
- The Blue Devils return 2016 NEC All-Rookie Team guard Austin Nehls (13.4 ppg.). Nehls hit 71 3-pointers on his way to averaging 11.7 points per game last season. Nehls has 18 3-pointers (18-39, .462) in seven games this season.
- CCSU is off to a 2-5 start, including an 82-61 win at Maine. The Blue Devils are 1-3 on the road.The Duquesne game is the second of seven in a row on the road for CCSU.
- The Blue Devils are coming off a 79-37 loss at Rutgers (8-1) on Tuesday. CCSU shot a season-low .250 from the field (3-of-17 from 3-point) and turned it over 22 times in the defeat.
- CCSU has eight players averaging double-digit minutes.
- This is CCSU's 80th season of basketball. Duquesne celebrated its 100th last season.
LAST GAME - ROBERT MORRIS 64, DUQUESNE 60
Isaiah Still hit a driving layup with 15 seconds left to give Robert Morris a 64-60 win over Duquesne at PPG Paints Arena ... after hitting the shot, Still blocked a layup attempt by DU's Emile Blackman with 10 seconds to go ... RMU's Clive Allen hit four free throws in the final seven seconds for the final margin ... Mike Lewis II, who led DU with 15 points, gave the Dukes a one-point lead on a basket with :30 left ... Lewis II was one of four Dukes in double figures including Nakye Sanders who set career highs for points (11), rebounds (16) and blocks (5) in 30 minutes off the bench ... Blackman had 12 and Tarin Smith 10 for the Dukes who shot .383 and turned it over 16 times ... DU went 5-17 from 3-point with Lewis II (2-5) and Blackman (2-4) combining for four of the makes ... the Dukes, who entered the game shooting .694 from the foul line, missed 10 free throws (9-of-19) ... Sanders, who went 5-of-5 from the field, was 1-of-7 from the stripe ... there were 11 ties and 17 lead changes before Robert Morris took the lead for good on Still's layup with :15 left ... RMU's largest lead was nine at 42-33 with 17:58 left ... Duquesne's largest lead was seven points (20-13) with 11:12 to go in the first half ... Duquesne led for 12:34, Robert Morris led for 17:56 ... the game was tied for 9:30.
TRENDING
- Mike Lewis II (10.7 ppg.), who has earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors three times (Nov. 14, Nov. 28 & Dec. 5), is DU's first three-time ROW since Derrick Colter in 2013 (three times). He is averaging 15.3 ppg. in DU's past four games.
- Grad transfer, Emile Blackman, who reached the 1,000-point career mark last week vs. Pitt, is 16-of-31 (.516) from the field, including 8-of-14 from 3-point, in his past three games.
- Sophomore forward Nakye Sanders set career highs for points (11), rebounds (16) and blocks (5) off the bench vs. RMU. Sanders, who made his first career start vs. Pitt, has missed just eight shots this season (23-31, .742).
- Duquesne has yet to play with its complete roster this season. Sophomore guard Josh Steel missed the first five games, plus the UMBC,Pitt & RMU games (suspension). Grad transfer Kale Abrahamson, who missed DU's first nine games (broken bone in his hand), made his debut on Tuesday vs. Robert Morris.
- DU has held four teams under 40%shooting this season: Loyola, Md. (.365), UT Martin (.348), Cleveland State (.385) and Pitt (.333).
- Duquesne is getting 23.5 points per game from its bench (+5.4/ppg.). The DU bench has outscored the opponent bench seven times in 10 games.
- The center trio of Darius Lewis (.480), Nakye Sanders (.742) and Jordan Robinson (.571) is shooting a combined 55-of-95 (.579) from the field.
A FRESH START
Freshman guard Mike Lewis II, who has started nine of the Dukes' first 10 games, is currently averaging 10.7 points per game. Of the 10 top scoring freshmen in school history who finished their career at DU, nine went on to score 1,000 points (Kenya Hunter is the lone outlier at 971 points).
"NEW"CLEUS
Four of DU's top five scorers are first-year players: first-year graduate transfer Emile Blackman is averaging 11.4 ppg., sophomore Tarin Smith, a first-year transfer from Nebraska, is averaging 11.0 ppg. and freshman Mike Lewis II is third at 10.7 ppg. Freshman Isiaha Mike is the Dukes' fifth-leading scorer at 8.4 ppg. Lewis II has been named A-10 Rookie of the Week three times on the young season.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
DU has had four different leading scorers (Tarin Smith, Mike Lewis II, Rene Castro & Emile Blackman) and five different leading rebounders (Blackman, Smith, Nakye Sanders, Darius Lewis & Isiaha Mike) in 10 games. Blackman, Lewis, Mike & Sanders have all had double-digit rebound games and Smith, Lewis II, Castro & Blackman have all posted 20-point games.
NEXT UP
Duquesne breaks for final exams before hosting Jackson State on Monday, Dec. 19 at 7:00 p.m. at Palumbo Center (A-10 Network).
