The Jacksons
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Here are the news reports on Duquesne's 96-78 win over Bowling Green on Wed., their 10th win, which set a number of marks for the Red & Blue. The game also helped Falcon players hit season/career highs. On other topics, some Nick Bosnic news, DU women (8-6) beat Niagara, MAAC football no more, A-10's rise in men's basketball is recognized, PG columnist Gene Collier may have hit another nerve ...
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Duquesne Jan. 3, 2007 Newstand
Men's Basketball
Bowling Green Game
- Duquesne: Dukes Use Big Second Half to Pull Away from Bowling Green, 96-78
Box Score
With the win, the Dukes matched last year's total (10-19). It is the earliest a Duquesne team has won 10 games since 1953-54 when DU posted victory No. 10 on Dec. 30.
"The thing I liked most was that we closed it out the right way," said Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart who evened his career record at 194-194. "We made our free throws, took care of the basketball and got some rebounds down the stretch. We kind of turned it around against their zone in the second half and our guards were the reason. They got the ball inside and were very patient."
Duquesne scored a
Bowling Green opponent-high 96 points - including 60 in the second half - against a defense that entered the game surrendering 66.4 points per game and holding opponents to a MAC low 39.3 field goal percentage. DU shot 47.5 percent from the field, went 32-of-45 from the foul line and assisted on 22 of 28 field goals.
DU's 16 steals tied the sixth-highest total in school history. It was the most since 16 steals in an overtime win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Dec. 31, 2002.
- Bowling Green: Dukes Run Past Falcons, 96-78
Visiting Duquesne University used fast-break offense, pressing defense and waves of substitutions to run past the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team, 96-78, Wednesday night.
The Falcons cut the lead to four points when Polk tipped in a teammate's miss, but a reverse layup by Mensah on the break was the first part of a three-point play and began a 7-0 run for the visitors. Back-to-back steals led to layups by a pair of Jacksons, as Aaron Jackson scored before a Reggie Jackson steal and bucket. The Dukes led by a 15-4 count with less than six minutes expired.
The Falcons got a stop at the other end, and a Knight rebound gave the ball back to the home team with a chance to cut into the lead. But, with the shot clock running down, a BG turnover led to DU layup at the other end. Then, a blocked shot led to another basket by the Dukes in transition. Suddenly, the lead was 52-44 as the Falcons took time with 12:15 left in the game.
Out of that timeout, however, another BG turnover gave the ball right back to the visitors, and Reggie Jackson's three-pointer put the DU lead into double digits. Then, an Aaron Jackson steal led to an odd-man rush, and a Damian Saunders dunk made the score 57-44 with 11:46 left.
Nate Miller grabbed seven boards for the Falcons, who had 18 offensive rebounds on the night.
Sophomore Otis Polk, as mentioned, had a career-high 17 points vs. Duquesne. Polk also set career standards in field goals made (six) and attempted (10), free throws made (four) and minutes played (31), and he tied his career rebounding best, with seven boards for the second time in three games.
Redshirt freshman Chris Knight had his second double-double of the year, with 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. His seven offensive rebounds also were the most of his career to date.
- AP: BGSU Loses First Game of New Year
- Trib: Duquesne's depth prevails in win over Bowling Green
- PG: Late run saves Dukes on road
- Toledo Blade: BG under pressure: Falcons forced into 24 turnovers
Duquesne coach Ron Everhart suspected he would not have to adjust his team's usual feisty full-court pressure in preparing for Bowling Green State University.
Everhart had heard the Falcons had recently lost starting point guard Ryne Hamblet to academic troubles and wouldn't have yet mastered their ball-handling game plan minus him.
"Knowing they were down one on the depth chart, we thought we might be able to create some more havoc and get easy baskets for ourselves," Everhart said.
Otis Polk, who entered the night averaging 4.5 points, had 11 points, four rebounds and two blocks in the first half. He did it all without committing a foul. Polk leads the team in fouls.
The last two minutes became an ugly muddle of fouls and free-throw shooting. (BGSU head coach Louis) Orr was pleased the Falcons shot 33 free throws, but they made just 22. Duquesne shot 45 and made 32.
Orr said his team is still a work in progress heading into league play.
"We are still trying to build winning habits," Orr said.
- DuquesneSports: Dukes Take Bowling Green, 96-78, for 10th Win
Other
- Hitting the Mark
Connellsville basketball player Johnny Dilworth concluded 2007 by doing what only four other Connellsville boys basketball players have done. In a 70-65 non-section loss to Schenley on Dec. 29, Dilworth reached the 1,000-point plateau for his career.
Dilworth used to keep track of his points, but he didn't know exactly how close he was to 1,000 points until late in a game against Mt. Pleasant during the Greensburg Salem Christmas Tournament. In that game, Dilworth scored 18 points and needed just three points to reach the milestone. But with the game well in hand, Connellsville coach Nick Bosnic (Duquesne '98) took Dilworth out of the game before he could reach the milestone. The Falcons won that game, 56-39.
Dilworth has 1,023 points. At 6 feet, 7 inches, the senior forward is a force inside and needs 111 rebounds for 1,000 in his career.
Dilworth intends to play basketball in college, and he has received interest from California (Pa.), Bethany College, Pitt-Greensburg, Robert Morris and Duquesne. So far, he has not decided on a school or a major.
- Time to separate contenders from pretenders
- Atlantic 10 steps into national spotlight
Another major reason for the league's facelift is the dramatic improvement of two of the league's previous bottom feeders. Duquesne (10-3) has nearly matched its 10-win total from last season and is off to its best start since 1979-80. St. Bonaventure (5-8) is two victories away from its win total from last season.
"A lot can change in a short period of time," (A-10 Commissioner Linda Bruno said). Nothing is better proof of that than A-10. The league that had slipped behind others in the mid-major hierarchy is challenging the notion that it doesn't belong alongside the best conferences in the nation.
- Niagara enjoying rising RPI
- Gene Collier's sports chat transcript 01/02/08
jimmy_g: Where do you see Duquesne finishing in the A-10 this year?
Gene Collier: Eleventh sounds about right. I think that was the pre-season rating. I was impressed with the Dukes against Pitt, but they lack a lot of critical parts. Who is the supposed go-to guy. James gives them something they haven't had in a while, and Mensah's a decent player, but they've lacked so much for so long, the fact that they're not abjectly terrible I think has a lot of people expecting too much. All that said, it'd be quite novel to see them shake up the A-10 tournament on the boardwalk.
Women's Basketball
Football
- Around FCS: Looking back at 2007
La Salle and St. Peter's dropped football, continuing the demise of the MAAC. St. Peter's ended its program during the summer, leaving several teams scrambling to fill schedules. La Salle went 0-11 and then pulled the plug on its team. The MAAC ended its run as a non-scholarship football league with Duquesne moving to the NEC. Iona and Marist were weighing an offer by the Pioneer Football League to join forces.
In a hostile takeover of the Atlantic 10, the CAA seized control of the northeast's preeminent league and watched a historic season unfold.
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