G15 | FORDHAM (9-5, 0-1) at DUQUESNE (9-5, 0-1)
Wed., Jan. 9, 2019 • 8:00 pm ET • Pittsburgh, Pa. • A.J. Palumbo Center (4,390)

LIVE STREAM: ESPN+ with Josh Taylor (pxp) & Ellis Cannon (analyst)
RADIO: WJAS-AM 1320 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Jarrett Durham ('71)
IN-GAME STATS: StatBroadcast
DUQUESNE GAME NOES: Click here

Duquesne (9-5, 0-1), coming off an Atlantic 10-opening defeat at Davidson, returns home to host Fordham (9-5, 0-1) on Wed., Jan. 9 at 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+). The Dukes/Rams matchup will be the second game of a doubleheader preceded by the Duquesne women vs. Davidson at 5:00 p.m. This will be the A-10 home opener for DU both programs. This is Duquesne's first of two games against Fordham, with the return matchup set for Feb. 9 in the Bronx. It is the third consecutive season the two will play home-and-home. Last year, DU posted a 23-point win at Fordham (64-41), only to see the Rams return the favor in a 23-point win (80-57) at Pittsburgh. In an odd twist, Duquesne has won the past three meetings at Fordham, while Fordham has won the past three at A.J. Palumbo Center.

TRENDING

• Duquesne has erased double-digit deficits in three of its wins: -18 vs. Longwood, -14 vs. UIC and -12 vs. Eastern Kentucky. DU trailed by double digits in the second half in all three games.
• The Dukes are 4-4 when trailing at the half. Last year DU was 1-10 when down at intermission.
• Eight players have either led or tied for the team lead in scoring this season.
• Freshman guard Sincere Carry ranks 12th nationally in assist rate and third in steal percentage according to KenPom. Carry ranked first nationally among freshmen in steals per game (3.07) and fifth among freshmen in assists per game (5.86) through Jan. 6.
• First-year Akron transfer Michael Hughes ranked among the nation's field goal percentage leaders (.663) before dropping below the min. 5.0 FGM/g. The 6-8 center has scored in double digits in nine of the 11 games he's played.
• DU is 15-4 under Keith Dambrot when holding opponents under 70 points. The Dukes are also 17-2 when they are the first to reach the 70-point mark.
• DU's 9.29 steals per game average, which ranks tied for 15th nationally, is the highest by a Dukes' team since Ron Everhart's 2011 squad - led by freshman guard T.J. McConnell - led the nation at 9.91 spg. DU has posted double-digit steals in four of its past five games: 11 vs. Maine, 13 vs. Penn State, 12 vs. Eastern Kentucky and 10 vs. NJIT. Duquesne posted season-high 15 steals on Nov. 25 vs. UMass Lowell.

NATION'S TOP FRESHMEN ASSIST MEN
Sincere Carry ranks 5th among the nation's freshmen in assists per game. The 6-1 point guard, who has handed out nine assists three times, currently ranks first on DU's list for most assists per game by a freshman (through games of Jan. 6):
 

PLAYER, SCHOOL	G	AST	APG
1.  Kai Toews, UNCW	16	126	7.9
2.  Jalen Pickett, Siena	15	110	7.3
3.  Cameron Parker, Sacred Heart	14	100	7.1
4.  Grayson Murphy, Belmont	13	83	6.4
5.  SINCERE CARRY, Duquesne	14	82	5.9

DUKES AND RAMS
Series Record:  Duquesne leads 22-16
At Pittsburgh:  Duquesne leads 11-7
At Bronx:  Duquesne leads 10-7
Neutral Site:  Fordham leads 2-1
A-10 Regular Season:  Duquesne leads 15-13
A-10 Championship:  Fordham leads 1-0
Dambrot vs. Fordham:  1-1

• This is the 39th game in a series that dates to Dec. 22, 1949. Duquesne leads 22-16. In games played in Pittsburgh, the Dukes lead 11-7.
• Fordham has won the past three at Palumbo Center, including an 80-67 win on Feb. 10 of last year. The Rams' win followed a 64-41 Duquesne victory at Fordham on Jan. 6. The margin of victory in each game - in the other team's gym - was 23 points. DU has won the past three at Fordham.
• Duquesne snapped a five-game series losing streak with a 74-62 win at the Palumbo Center in 2008. Since then, the Dukes have won nine of 14 with three of the five losses coming at home.
• The two have split the regular-season series in each of the past two years. This is the third consecutive season the two are playing home-and-home.
• Duquesne is 15-13 against the Rams in Atlantic 10 regular-season play.
• Keith Dambrot is 1-1 against the Rams with both meetings coming last season.

LAST GAME
Davidson 65, Duquesne 61
Saturday, Jan. 5, Belk Arena, Davidson, N.C.

• Preseason first team All-Atlantic 10 pick Kellan Grady - in his first game back after missing the previous four with a knee injury - scored five of his team-high 17 points in the final 3:03 to help Davidson to the 65-61 win in the A-10 opener for both schools. The victory was the 19th in the last 20 games at Belk Arena for the Wildcats.
• Freshman Sincere Carry led the Dukes with 17 points (8-of-13 from the field) and five assists in 34 minutes. Carry also played in integral role in holding Davidson point guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson (17.8 ppg.) to 12 points on 0-of-4 three-point shooting.
• Frankie Hughes scored all of his 12 points in the first half. Marcus Weathers was the third Duke in double-digits with 11.
• DU's 22 second-half points were a Dambrot Era low. The Dukes held the Wildcats to 24 second-half points.
• Duquesne finished 5-of-21 from 3-point, including 1-of-11 in the second half.
• The Dukes, who had four more field goals than the Wildcats, were outscored 13-4 from the foul line. DU set Dambrot Era lows for both free throws made (4) and attempted (6).
• DU forced 15 Davidson turnovers. The Wildcats entered the game averaging 11.9 turnovers per game.
• Davidson has won 19 of its past 20 games at Belk Arena.
• It was the 13th consecutive game at least 11 players saw action for the Dukes.
• There were 10 ties and 18 lead changes. Davidson's largest lead was six, at 8-2. Duquesne's largest lead was five, the last of which came at the 15:42 mark of the second half. Davidson took the lead for good on KiShawn Prtichett's basket with 1:45 left. Davidson led for 16:33…Duquesne led for 16:37…The game was tied for 6:50.

NOTING THE DUKES

• Duquesne's roster features 11 newcomers, including four eligible Division I transfers. The 11 newcomers are tied for third-most of any NCAA Division I program. Of the 11 newcomers, 10 have seen action so far this season. The Dukes have seven freshmen and five sophomores on the 2018-19 roster.
• DU is ranked 348 of 353 schools in KenPom's listing of "most experienced" college teams. Only two members of the current roster - sophomore Eric Williams Jr. and junior Kellon Taylor - entered conference play having seen action in an Atlantic 10 game.
• DU has added four Division I transfers, all of whom practiced with the team while sitting out in 2017-18: 5-8 So. G Tavian Dunn-Martin (Akron), 6-4 So. G Frankie Hughes (Missouri), 6-8 So. C Michael Hughes (Akron) and 6-5 So. F Marcus Weathers (Miami, Ohio). All four have seen significant action this season.
• Duquesne's three Gotham Classic wins came over opponents who averaged 20.7 wins last season in William & Mary (19-12), UIC (20-16, CIT) & Radford (23-13, NCAA). The Dukes led at Notre Dame (21-15, NIT last year) 52-51 with 6:31 left in their fourth Gotham Classic game. Three of DU's nonconference losses came at the hands of Power 5 schools Notre Dame (ACC), Pitt (ACC) and Penn State (Big Ten).
• Second-year head coach Keith Dambrot's 16 wins in 2017-18 were the most by a DU first-year coach since Dudey Moore went 17-5 in 1948-49. Moore coached Keith's father, Sid, from 1952-54 during his highly-successful 10 seasons on the Bluff. There were 10 coaches between Moore and Dambrot. Dambrot engineered the seventh-best single-season improvement in school history in 2018 (+6.0, from 10-22 in 2016-17 to 16-16 last year).
• Freshman point guard Sincere Carry had an eye-opening debut, with seven points and nine assists (without a turnover) vs. William & Mary. He followed that with 32 points and eight more assists vs. UIC. The nine assists tied the sixth-most by a DU freshman, while the 32 points tied the second-highest total by a Dukes freshman. Through Sunday, Carry ranked fourth nationally - and first among freshmen - in steals per game (3.07) and tied for 28th nationally - 5th among freshmen - in assists per game (5.86).
• Sophomore Eric Williams Jr., who was named second team preseason All-Atlantic 10, leads the team in scoring (13.4) and rebounding (7.4). The 2018 A-10 All-Rookie Team pick set DU single-game freshman records for points (34 vs. George Mason) and rebounds (16 vs. Stetson) in a game last season. He also broke the school record for 3-pointers in a game with nine vs. George Mason. Williams Jr., who earned A-10 co-Player of the Week honors on Dec. 24, has four double-doubles this season.
• Forward Kellon Taylor, a two-sport athlete who plays receiver for DU's FCS football team, was in uniform for the first time for the Dec. 5 Marshall game. Taylor caught a team-high five passes for a team-best 97 yards in the Dukes' second round FCS Playoff loss at South Dakota State Dec. 1. It was the first time DU advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs. Taylor, who finished second on the team with 44 catches for 576 yards and two TDs, has seen action in five games since rejoining the team.
• Dambrot and his staff assembled the tallest recruiting class in school history. The seven-man group includes 6-11 Gavin Bizeau (Plainfield, Ind.), 6-11 Dylan Swingle (Chillicothe, Ohio), 6-10 Austin Rotroff (Wauseon, Ohio), 6-9 Amari Kelly (Long Island, N.Y.), 6-3 Lamar Norman Jr. (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 6-2 Brandon Wade (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and 6-1 Sincere Carry (Solon, Ohio). An eighth recruit - 6-11 James Ellis (Pittsburgh, Pa.) - is sitting out in 2018-19. Duquesne had never had a recruiting class with more than two players 6-9 or taller.
• Duquesne was picked to finish 11th in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll of conference coaches and media released on October 18. Eric Williams Jr. was named preseason second team All-A-10. He is the first Duke since Damian Saunders (2010-11) to earn preseason second team all-conference honors.
• Guard Mike Lewis II, who scored 979 points in 76 games (72 starts) at Duquesne (12.9 ppg), announced his plan to transfer on Dec. 27. Lewis II averaged 5.6 ppg. in 12 games this season. He scored in double digits 53 times (twice this season) and topped the 20-point mark 17 times as a Duke.