Feb. 15, 2016
QUICK NOTES
• Duquesne (15-10, 5-7) hosts George Washington (18-7, 7-5) at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19 (A-10 Digital Network - free HD stream). The Dukes are looking to avenge a 91-64 loss at GW on Jan. 9 as well as put an end to a three-game losing streak. The Dukes have either led, or been tied for the lead for 66:21 of a possible 85 minutes in their past two games. The Colonials, who are 5-4 on the road, are coming off back-to-back losses to Saint Joseph's and at St. Bonaventure.
• DU is 10-3 at home with all three losses coming in conference play (to Dayton, Davidson & UMass).
• Duquesne is holding opponents to their lowest field goal percentage in 45 years (.405). The defensive field goal percentage is the best by a DU team since the 1970-71 NCAA Tournament team held opponents to .389. The Dukes have held 10 opponents under 40 percent this season. Only four teams - Pitt (.554), South Carolina State (.456), VCU (.525) & UMass (.457) - have shot better than 45 percent against Duquesne this year. DU is limiting its A-10 opponents to .400 shooting. DU's current 80.0 ppg. scoring average is its highest since 2008 (82.3).
THE SERIES
Series Record: GW leads 48-28
At Pittsburgh: Duquesne leads 19-17
A-10 Regular Season: GW leads 41-23
SERIES QUICK NOTES
• This is the 77th meeting in a series that dates to Jan. 21, 1932 ... GW leads the series 48-28 (41-23 lead in Atlantic 10 regular season) ... in games played in Pittsburgh, the Dukes lead 19-17 ... the two met three times last season, with GW winning by 15 at home (74-59) and DU winning by 16 in Pittsburgh (78-62) ... the Colonials took the rubber match by a 73-55 score in the second round of the A-10 Championship at Barclays Center ... GW on the first game this season, 91-64 at Smith Center on Jan. 9.
• Duquesne saw a four-game series win streak snapped in its 2012 trip to George Washington (a 56-51 loss) ... the four-game streak was the Dukes' longest in the series since 1989-90 ... GW won 26 of 31 games prior to DU's four-game streak ... the Colonials won the next four, including a 74-59 victory at Smith Center on Jan. 24, before the Dukes broke the streak with a 78-62 win at Palumbo Center on Feb. 11 of last season.
• DU scored 51, 57, 57 & 59 points in its first four games against Mike Longeran-coached GW teams, before scoring 78 in the second meeting last season ... the Dukes scored 64 in the first meeting this year ... DU coach Jim Ferry is 1-5 against GW.
• GW has three seniors, Patricio Garino (104), Kevin Larsen (120) and Joe McDonald (120), who have combined for more than 340 starts ... Garino, Larsen, McDonald and grad-transfer Alex Mitola have all surpassed 1,000 points, while D-III transfer Matt Hart (994) is closing in on the mark ... junior Wake Forest transfer 6-9 Tyler Cavanaugh leads GW at 16.6 ppg.
LEFTOVERS FROM UMASS
Leftovers from Duquesne's 108-99 loss to UMass on Sunday: Duquesne led by 10 with 10:11 left and six with 2:27 to go, but had no answer for Jabari Hinds who scored 37 for UMass .... Hinds had 29 after the half in helping the Minutemen rally from a 43-33 halftime deficit ... Micah Mason scored a career-high 29 points (14-16 from the line) and tied his career high with 10 assists for DU ... L.G. Gill added 20 ... Eric James (15), Derrick Colter (11) and Josh Steel (career-high 11) also scored in double figures for DU ... it was DU's second consecutive loss when leading with five minutes left (14-2 this year) ... UMass set Ferry Era highs for points (108) and free throws made (30) and attempted (43) ... Hinds' 37 points were the most scored against a Ferry-coached DU team.
TRENDING
• Duquesne is looking for its 11th home win. DU's three home losses (10-3) are its fewest since the 1994 NIT team (12-3). Duquesne has three home games remaining (including GW).
• DU leads the nation (through Feb. 14) in defensive rebounds per game at 30.12.
• The Dukes have outrebounded 14 of 25 opponents and are 13-1 in those games. DU has been outrebounded in its past three games.
• DU is 14-6 when scoring 70 or more, 9-3 when hitting 10 or more "3s", 14-2 when leading with 5:00 left and 12-2 when leading at the half. In an anomaly of sorts, the Dukes have hit 10 or more "3s" and scored 70 or more in each of their past three games (all defeats). DU led with five minutes left in each of its past two games - at Dayton and vs. UMass.
• The Dukes are 36-90 (.400) from the arc during their current three-game losing streak: 13-34 vs. Davidson, 11-25 at Dayton & 12-31 vs. UMass.
• Micah Mason, who has scored 20 or more in a career-best four-straight games, hit a career-high seven 3-pointers (7-of-8) on his way to a game-high 27 points at Dayton and followed that with a career-high 29 (14-of-16 from the line) and career high-tying 10 assists vs. UMass. He is averaging 25.0 ppg. and 5.5 assists in his past four games.
• Josh Steel came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points (all in nine first half minutes) vs. UMass. Steel, who went 3-of-4 from 3-point, scored eight-straight for the Dukes at one point.
• Darius Lewis has 49 rebounds (9.8 rpg.) in his past five games. He is coming off back-to-back double-digit rebound games (career-high 13 at Dayton and 11 vs. UMass).
NEXT UP: Duquesne heads to Rhode Island for the first of back-to-back road games on Sat., Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. DU is at St. Bonaventure on Wed., Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m.
