Feb. 19, 2016
QUICK NOTES
• Duquesne (15-11, 5-8) heads to Rhode Island (14-12, 6-7) for the first of back-to-back road games on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. (OSN in Rhody viewing area / CoxHub stream). The Dukes, who have managed double-digit second half leads in each of their past three games, are looking to end a four-game losing streak.
• DU is 3-5 on the road with A-10 wins at George Mason and Saint Louis. Rhode Island is 11-4 at home, including a 5-2 mark in conference games. Duquesne has won the past two meetings between the two at Ryan Center.
• Duquesne is holding opponents to their lowest field goal percentage in 45 years (.407). 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 .403 shooting. DU's current 79.8 ppg. scoring average is its highest since 2008 (82.3).
THE SERIES
Series Record: Rhode Island leads 30-25
At Kingston: Rhode Island leads 17-11
A-10 Regular Season: Rhode Island leads 27-21
SERIES QUICK NOTES
• This is the 56th meeting in a series that dates to Jan. 13, 1966 ... Rhode Island, winner of 17 of the past 23, leads the all-time series 30-25 ... in Kingston, R.I., Rhody leads 17-11 ... DU has won three of the past seven, including the past two at Ryan Center.
• In an oddity of sorts, URI has won the past seven meetings at Palumbo Center, while DU has won four of the past eight meetings at Ryan Center, including an 83-71 victory in 2014 ... Duquesne's last home win over Rhode Island was on Jan. 19, 2001 (83-69) ... Rhody's last home win over DU was on Jan. 20, 2010 (75-67).
• Eight of the past nine meetings between the two (six URI wins) have been determined by eight or fewer points ... the average score of the past nine: Duquesne 72.6, Rhode Island 72.1 (653 points for DU to 649 points for URI).
• URI is in its fourth season under head coach Dan Hurley ... Hurley and current DU head coach Jim Ferry met four times when Hurley was at Wagner (2010-11 & 2011-12) and Ferry was at LIU (2002-03 through 2011-12) ... Ferry's Blackbirds won all four meetings ... Ferry is 5-2 all-time vs. Hurley.
• Rhode Island is 11-4 at home, including a 5-2 mark in A-10 home games ... URI's home conference wins have come over Saint Louis, Richmond, La Salle, Fordham & George Mason with the losses coming to Saint Joseph's and Dayton.
LEFTOVERS FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON
Leftovers from Duquesne's 81-74 loss to George Washington on Wednesday: Micah Mason (26 points, 6-of-9 from 3-point) and Derrick Colter (18 points, 2-of-3 from 3-point) combined of 44 of DU's 74 points ... the rest of the team was a combined 2-of-15 from the arc ... Darius Lewis added 9 points and 9 rebounds ... DU led by 13 (45-32) with 17:01 left ... GW shot 52 percent (6-of-9 from 3-point) in scoring 50 second-half points ... the Colonials outscored the Dukes 13-5 off turnovers in the second half ... DU, which had three more field goals, including one more 3-pointer, was outscored 22-8 from the foul line ... GW outrebounded DU 39-28 ... there were six ties and two lead changes, before GW took the lead for good on a 3-pointer with 6:58 left.
TRENDING
• DU ranks third in the nation (through Feb. 17) in defensive rebounds per game at 29.85.
• The Dukes have outrebounded 14 of 25 opponents and are 13-1 in those games. DU has been outrebounded in its past four games - all losses.
• DU is 14-7 when scoring 70 or more, 9-4 when hitting 10 or more "3s", 14-2 when leading with 5:00 left and 12-3 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 four games (all defeats). DU led with five minutes left in two of its past three games - at Dayton and vs. UMass - and has had double-digit second half leads in each of its past three games.
• The Dukes are 46-117 (.393) from the arc during their current three-game losing streak: 13-34 vs. Davidson, 11-25 at Dayton, 12-31 vs. UMass & 10-27 vs. GW.
• Micah Mason, who has scored 20 or more in a career-best five-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 and 26 more (6-of-9 from 3-point) vs. GW. He is averaging 25.2 ppg. and 5.0 assists in his past five games.
• Darius Lewis has 58 rebounds (9.7 rpg.) in his past six games. He posted back-to-back double-digit rebound games (career-high 13 at Dayton and 11 vs. UMass) before adding 9 boards vs. GW.
MASON 20x5
Micah Mason's current streak of five consecutive 20-point games is the most by a Duke since Ovie Soko in 2014:
MOST RECENT 20-POINT SCORING STREAKS
6 -- Derrick Alston (1992-93)
6 -- James Hargrove (1991-92)
5 -- Micah Mason (2015-16)
5 -- Ovie Soko (2013-14)
5 -- Bryant McAllister (2005-06)
5 -- Tom Pipkins (two times) (1996-97)
5 -- Tom Pipkins (1995-96)
NEXT UP: Duquesne is at St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. (TWC-TV in Western N.Y. / A-10 Digital Network).
