Box Score
Junior Kieron Achara led the Dukes with 16 points, on 6-for-11 shooting, and pulled down nine rebounds. Freshman Scott Grote added 14 points and six rebounds and classmate Robert Mitchell came off the bench to score 14 points, but made just 4-of-12 from the floor.
Sophomore Aaron Jackson, junior Reggie Jackson and Achara had game bests -- four assists for A. Jackson, three steals for R. Jackson and four blocks for the lad from Scotland.
La Salle had control of the game from the beginning. The Dukes only lead (9-8) came on Kieron Achara's traditional three-point play at 15:50 of the first half. Phillip Payne repeated Achara's 3-pt. play to cut La Salle's lead to 17-16 with 12:39 in the opening period. Stephen Wood's layup got the the Dukes within three (25-22). But the Explorers ran off eight straight on the way to a 40-29 halftime lead.
La Salle continued their march in the second half, eventually getting a lead of 19, the last time at 64-45 on Mike St. John's free throw. The Dukes, behind some strong defensive play, cut the lead to 67-59 on a Mitchell dunk. The Explorers ended the game with a 10-6 run and the 79-63 win.
The Explorers (7-8, 1-2) were led by freshman Rodney Green's 19 points, classmate Ruben Guillandeaux, who started the game, added 17 and junior Darnell Harris scored 13 points. St. John had a game-high 11 rebounds.
La Salle shot 58.6 percent in the first half and didn't cool down after the break. They made 31-of-61 tonight, 60.8 percent of their shots, including 5-of-9 from three-point range (55.6%)
The Dukes, who hit just 31.3% of their attempts in the first half including 0-10 from beyond the arc, ended the game at 32.4 percent. DU made 3-of-14 from 'downtown' in the second half.
Duquesne's recorded nine steals and limited their turnovers to 10. LSU won the battle on the boards, 40-32.
The Dukes (5-9, 1-2) next host Fordham on Sunday, January 14, 2007, at 12:00 noon. This a time change to accommodate the league's CSTV package.
Note: Duquesne's 56-44 win over St. Bonaventure's women's basketball team Tuesday ended two streaks -- the Dukes five-game losing streak and the Bonnies six-game winning streak.