Duquesne (9-15, 2-9) completes a stretch of four-of-five on the road when it heads to St. Louis (8-16, 3-8) to face the SLU Billikens on Sat., Feb. 11 at 8:00 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised regionally by FOX Midwest Plus (A-10 Digital Network). This is the second game between the DU and SLU, with Duquesne taking the first meeting, 73-66, at Palumbo Center on Jan. 11.
QUICK NOTES
- Duquesne, which has been idle since a 90-53 defeat at Dayton last Saturday, has lost seven in a row since its win over Saint Louis. The Billikens, who are 4-4 since losing at Duquesne, are coming off a 70-55 defeat at St. Bonaventure on Wednesday. Saint Louis has won three in a row at home - including A-10 victories over UMass and George Mason - to move to 7-7 at Chaifetz Arena. Duquesne is 1-8 on the road with the win coming at Fordham on Dec. 20 (75-72).
- 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 - all starters - are first-year players: freshman Mike Lewis II (12.7 ppg.), graduate transfer Emile Blackman (12.0 ppg.), freshman Isiaha Mike (10.5 ppg.) and Nebraska transfer sophomore Tarin Smith (9.4 ppg.). None of DU's top eight scorers averaged more than 9.2 minutes per game last year.
- Lewis II & Mike have combined to earn Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week six times (three each). It is the first time DU has had two multiple Rookies of the Week in the same year. The last A-10 team to have two rookies earn the honor at least three times in a season is Saint Louis in 2005-06 (Tommie Liddell six times and Kevin Lisch three times).
SERIES QUICK NOTES
- This is the 25th game between Duquesne and 12th-year Atlantic 10 member Saint Louis ... Duquesne leads the overall series is 13-11 ... in A-10 regular season play, the Billikens lead 10-9 ... in games at St. Louis, SLU leads 5-4.
- DU head coach Jim Ferry is 6-3 vs. Saint Louis, including a 2-1 mark at Chaifetz Arena.
- Saint Louis had won seven of eight - including the last five in a row, before DU's upset win over the No. 10 (AP) Billikens at Chaifetz Arena on Feb. 27, 2014 ... the Dukes have won six of seven since, including the past five in a row ... DU's average margin of victory in the five games has been +9.4 ppg.
- This is the eighth time the Dukes and Billikens are playing home-and-home ... DU swept the series last season (2016) ... the two have split four times (2009, 2011, 2014 & 2015) and SLU has swept twice (2010 & 2012).
- Duquesne won the first meeting this season, 73-66 at Pittsburgh on Jan. 11 ... Isiaha Mike scored 17 of his career-high 24 in the second half to fuel the win ... Mike added a career-best 13 rebounds in posting his first double-double ... St. Louis native Mike Lewis II added 15 for DU, which rallied from an eight-point deficit with just over 15 minutes to go.
LAST GAME
Dayton 90, Duquesne 53
- Dayton held Duquesne to a season-low 53 points. The Flyers have held the Dukes to their two lowest point totals this season (UD defeated DU 76-57 in Pittsburgh on Jan. 14).
- Isiaha Mike led the Dukes with 12 points. He was joined in double digits by Eric James (11) and Emile Blackman (10).
- Eric James came off the bench to score all of his season-high 11 points in the second half ... James tied his career high with three 3-pointers (he went 3-of-4 from the arc).
- Dayton, which shot 58.7 percent, assisted on 30 of its 37 field goals ... Duquesne shot 36.4 percent and assisted on six of 20 field goals.
- Dayton outscored Duquesne 27-10 off turnovers and 23-6 in fast break points.
TRENDING
- Freshman St. Louis native Mike Lewis II (12.7 ppg.), who had a streak of 14 double-digit games snapped at Davidson (6 points), came back to score 21 at Richmond and followed that with 20 more vs. St. Bonaventure before being held scoreless for just the second time (0 vs. Saint Francis U on Nov. 16) at Dayton. Lewis II, who is averaging 13.6 ppg. in conference play, went 0-of-5 at UD Arena. Lewis II, an .843 free throw shooter, saw a streak of 28 consecutive free throws made snapped vs. St. Bonaventure. He hadn't missed a free throw since Jan. 7 at La Salle prior to the SBU game. He did not get to the line at Dayton.
- Lewis II (12.7 ppg.) and Isiaha Mike (10.5 ppg.) are the highest scoring freshman duo in the Atlantic 10.
- Grad transfer Emile Blackman, who is averaging 14.1 ppg. in conference play, is scoring at a 15.8 ppg. clip in his past four games. He is 8-of-15 from 3-point (.533) over that span.
- Junior guard Rene Castro has turned it over twice in 82 minutes over DU's past five games. Castro has 21 assists and 10 turnovers in conference play. He is averaging 7.5 ppg. in A-10 games.
- The Dukes are 6-5 when turning it over fewer than 15 times and 6-5 when outrebounding their opponent.
- Duquesne is averaging 65.1 ppg. during its current seven-game losing streak. DU has scored over 70 just once over that span - in a 101-90 defeat at Richmond.
- DU has held seven teams under 40 percent shooting this season: Loyola, Md. (.365), UT Martin (.348), Cleveland State (.385), Pitt (.333), Jackson State (.355), Colgate (.371) & at Fordham (.388). The Dukes are 6-1 in those games. Teams are shooting .469 and averaging 80.6 ppg. vs. DU in A-10 play.
THE MIKE & MIKE SHOW
Mike Lewis II (12.7 ppg.) & Isiaha Mike (10.5 ppg.) have a chance to become just the second freshman duo in school history to average double digits in the same season; joining Bruce Atkins (13.8 ppg.) & Doug Arnold (10.7 ppg.), who accomplished the feat in 1978-79. Of the 10 top scoring freshmen in school history who finished their career at DU (indicated by an asterisk), nine went on to score 1,000 points (Kenya Hunter is the lone outlier at 971 points):
DU DOUBLE-DIGIT FRESHMAN SCORERS
16.6 -- Wayne Smith* (1999)
16.4 -- Robert Mitchell (2007)
14.7 -- Tom Pipkins* (1994)
13.8 -- Bruce Atkins* (1979)
13.5 -- Derrick Colter* (2013)
12.7 -- Mike Lewis II (2017)
12.4 -- Dick Ricketts* (1952)
12.2 -- Collins Dobbs* (1985)
12.2 -- Kevin Price* (1995)
11.3 -- Derrick Alston* (1991)
10.8 -- T.J. McConnell (2011)
10.7 -- Doug Arnold (1979)
10.7 -- Norm Nixon* (1974)
10.5 -- Isiaha Mike (2017)
10.1 -- Kenya Hunter* (1993)
NEXT UP
Duquesne returns to Pittsburgh to open a three-game homestand vs. UMass on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 (Facebook Live).
