PREVIEW: @DuqMBB vs. La Salle

Dukes have Super Bowl Sunday meeting with Explorers at 2 pm at PPG Paints Arena

G21 | LA SALLE (10-10, 1-7) at DUQUESNE (15-5, 5-3)
Sun., Feb. 2 • 2:00 pm ET • Pittsburgh, Pa. • PPG Paints Arena (flex seating to 19,000)

LIVE STREAM: ESPN+ with Tim Benz & Ellis Cannon
RADIO: WJAS-AM 1320 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Jarrett Durham ('71)

Duquesne (15-5, 5-3), which saw its eight-game home win streak snapped in a 73-69 loss to #7 (AP) Dayton on Wednesday, returns to action vs. La Salle (10-10, 1-7) on Sun., Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena. The Dukes, who are playing home games at three venues due to renovation of the on-campus UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse - are looking to snap a three-game Atlantic 10 losing streak. This is DU's fourth game at PPG Paints Arena this season (94-67 win over Princeton, 58-56 OT win over Fordham and the Dayton game). La Salle came back from a 13-point deficit to force overtime in a 77-76 home loss to Saint Louis on Wednesday. The Explorers are 2-5 on the road, including a 1-3 mark in Atlantic 10 road games.

TRENDING

Duquesne's 15-5 start is the school's best since 2010-11 (16-5).
The Dukes rank 9th nationally - and first in the A-10 - in blocks/g. at 5.90. DU is fifth in the nation in block percentage (16.5) according to KenPom.
DU ranks 28th nationally in 3-point percentage defense (.293).
Duquesne is 27th nationally and first in the A-10 in fewest fouls per game (15.0).
Junior Marcus Weathers (team-high 14.4 ppg.) is shooting .600 in A-10 games. Weathers, whose career scoring high entering the season was 19 points, has scored 20 or more a team-high four times.
Weathers' 60.1 effective field goal percentage is the third-best in the A-10 behind Dayton's Trey Landers (66.4) and Obi Toppin (66.1).
Sophomore Sincere Carry is DU's second-leading scorer at 11.5 ppg. DU is 11-1 when Carry, DU's assist leader at 4.4 apg., hands out five or more assists.
Junior center Michael Hughes ranks 10th nationally in blocks per game (2.90) and 7th in block pct. (14.0) according to KenPom. His 58 total blocks rank 13th in Division I. DU is 8-0 (4-0 in A-10 play) when Hughes blocks four or more shots.
The Dukes have won eight of nine at home while playing at three different venues (PPG Paints Arena, D-III La Roche University and Robert Morris). DU has been displaced by season-long renovation work which is being done to the on-campus UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Duquesne has had to board a bus for 17 of its 20 games this season (La Roche is 10 miles from DU's downtown campus, Robert Morris is an 18-mile trip). Duquesne is 35-12 in home games under Dambrot, including a 22-6 mark over the past two seasons.
Under Keith Dambrot, DU is: 41-3 when leading with 5:00 left ... 38-10 when scoring 70 or more points ... 33-3 when the first to 70 points in a game ... 32-7 when holding opponents under 70 (including 13-0 this year).

DUKES AND EXPLORERS
Series Record: La Salle leads 44-32
At Pittsburgh: Duquesne leads 20-14
At Philadelphia: La Salle leads 27-10
Neutral Site: La Salle leads 3-2
A-10 Regular Season: La Salle leads 23-15
A-10 Championship: La Salle leads 2-0
MCC Regular Season: La Salle led 2-0
Dambrot vs. La Salle: 1-1

This is the 77th meeting in a series that dates to Feb. 10, 1940 ... La Salle leads 44-32, including a 23-15 advantage in Atlantic 10 regular season games ... the Explorers have won eight of the past 10 ... in games played in Pittsbugh, DU leads 20-14 ... this is the second meeting between Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot and La Salle's Ashley Howard.
La Salle has outscored Duquesne by one point in the past 17 meetings (1,371-1,370 dating back to 2006-07) ... the Dukes have won seven and the Explorers 10 of the past 17 ... the average score for both teams in those games is 80.65-80.58.

HOW TIGHT HAS THE SERIES BEEN AS OF LATE?
There have been a total of 24 ties and 50 lead changes in the past two meetings between the Dukes and Explorers: 15/33 in Duquesne's triple overtime 101-94 win in Pittsburgh and 9/17 in La Salle's 73-72 win in Philadelphia last year.

A-10 NOTABLES

Duquesne's 73-59 win over Saint Louis on Jan. 2 was the Dukes' sixth in a row over the Billikens in Pittsburgh.
DU's 71-64 home win over Davidson on Jan. 5 was DU's first series win, ending a streak of seven consecutive losses to the Wildcats.
The 78-60 (+18) margin of victory at Saint Joseph's was DU's third-largest in the series and most since a 96-70 win over the Hawks at the A-10 Championship at the Palestra on Mar. 3, 1990.
DU's 66-61 win at George Washington was its fifth-straight series win and program-best third consecutive win at GW.

LAST GAME
#7 (AP) Dayton 73, Duquesne 69 • Wednesday, Jan. 29, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Duquesne, down 55-36 with 12:45 left, cut it to 71-69 with 34 seconds left.
Dayton finished with 29 field goals to 27 for Duquesne ... the two teams finished with eight 3-pointers each ... the Flyers went 7-of-7 from the foul line, while DU finished 7-of-13.
The Dukes outrebounded the Flyers 30-25. Half of DU's rebounds came at the offensive end. It was Duquesne's second loss when outrebounding its opponent (11-2)
The interior tandem of Marcus Weathers (17 points on 7-of-11 shooting) and Michael Hughes (19 points on 7-of-13 shooting) was a combined 14-of-24 from the field. The twosome scored 24 of DU's 39 second-half points.
Hughes and Tavian Dunn-Martin both posted career highs in steals with four each for DU which forced 17 Dayton turnovers.
Dayton's largest lead was 19 at 55-36 with 12:45 left ... Duquesne trailed by two (71-69) with 17 seconds remaining, but never led.

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