Complete notes in .pdf format
DUQUESNE (16-8, 6-5) at No. 10/12 (AP/ESPN) XAVIER (22-4, 10-1)
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008 • 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Cintas Center (10,250) • Cincinnati, Ohio
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net Ohio (replayed on FSN Pittsburgh Friday at Noon)
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
DUQUESNE INTERNET AUDIO BROADCAST: redzonemedia.com
ADDITIONAL MEDIA: Streaming video and GameTracker available at GoXavier.com
Duquesne heads to Xavier looking for its second-ever win over a ranked Atlantic 10 team (Duquesne is 1-30 all time vs. ranked conference foes). The lone victory was also DU's last over a ranked team - 78-70 over No. 16 (AP) Xavier on Jan. 25, 1997 at Cincinnati Gardens (a span of 21 g.).
The game, which will be televised live by Fox Sports Net Ohio, will air on Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh at Noon on Friday (tape delay).
The Dukes are 0-2 against ranked teams this season with both losses by a combined seven points (73-68 at home to then-No. 12 Pitt and 80-78 at then-No. 22 Rhode Island).
Duquesne, whose 16 wins are its most since 1993-94 (17-13), clinched its first winning season since `94 with its 63-61 victory at Dayton on Feb. 13.
The Dukes, who are 5-5 on the road, also won at La Salle on Feb. 9 (101-84). DU will be attempting to win its third consecutive Atlantic 10 road game - a feat that has never been accomplished in school history. Xavier, coming off an 81-77 win at Rhode Island on Monday, has won 14 of its past 15 games. The Musketeers are an A-10 best 13-1 at home.
DUQUESNE LATELY
- Duquesne's 16-8 record is its best since the 1980-81 NIT team (20-10) opened with the same mark ... DU's 16 wins are its most since 1993-94 (17-13 NIT) ... DU clinched its first winning season since `94 - and second winning season in 22 years - with its win at Dayton on Feb. 13
- Eight Dukes are averaging over 7.0 ppg. and 10 have at least one double-digit scoring game
- Duquesne has lost to three teams that either are - or were - ranked by a total of 11 points: 73-68 to then No. 12 Pitt, 77-73 at Drake and 80-78 at then-No. 22 Rhode Island ... four of DU's five road wins have been by 15+ points
- The Dukes own three wins over teams currently first or tied for first in their league: Cal State Northridge (1st Big West), Niagara (T1st MAAC) and Robert Morris (T1st NEC)
- DU began the week 3rd nationally in blocks (7.4), 4th in scoring (84.1), tied for 4th in assists (18.9) and 14th in steals (9.6)
- Shawn James, who ranks 5th nationally in blocks per game (4.0), posted the first triple-double in DU history Feb. 6 vs. Saint Joe's (17-11-10) ... he has more blocks (91) than seven Atlantic 10 teams (Xavier also has 91).
THE SERIES
Xavier leads the series 24-16, including a 13-6 advantage in games played at Cincinnati ... DU snapped a six-game series losing streak with a two-game sweep in 2003-04 (including a 74-68 Cintas Center win) and defeated the Musketeers 93-91 at Pittsburgh last year to make it 3-3 in the past six meetings ... two year's ago, Stanley Burrell scored 21 and Justin Doellman added 20 as Xavier held Duquesne scoreless for the final 4:05 to turn an eight-point lead into a 91-70 win at the Cintas Center ... last year Aaron Jackson scored off an inbounds pass with 22 seconds left as Duquesne held off a furious Xavier comeback to defeat the Musketeers 93-91 at the Palumbo Center. Duquesne, which led by 19 with 14:28 left and 16 with 7:15 remaining, saw Xavier mount a 23-7 run to tie the game at 91-91 on a pair of Derrick Brown free throws with 41 seconds remaining.
A victory over Xavier would:
- Be Duquesne's first over a ranked team since Jan. 25, 1997 (at No. 16 (AP) Xavier). It would also be DU's first win over a Top 10 team since a 91-84 win over #10 (AP) Florida State at home on Dec. 15, 1992. The last time Duquesne beat a Top 10 team on the road was Mar. 5, 1962 (73-72 at No. 6 (AP) Bradley).
- Mark the first time in school history a Duquesne team has won three consecutive Atlantic 10 road games. The Dukes have won two in a row 13 times, including twice under Ron Everhart. It would also mark DU's first three-game road winning streak (all games) since December of 1985.
- Would be Duquesne's sixth road win which would be the most since 1985-86 (6-8).
DUQUESNE VS. AP RANKED XAVIER TEAMS
Duquesne is 2-4 all-time versus ranked Xavier teams, with two of the meetings coming before the Musketeers joined the Atlantic 10. The average score in the six games is Xavier 77.3, Duquesne 71.7. DU was unranked at the time of all six games:
Mar. 6, 1993 H W DU 88 #18 XU 72
Mar. 12, 1993 *N L #22 XU 67 DU 41
Jan. 25, 1997 A W DU 78 #16 XU 70
Feb. 20, 1997 H L #16 XU 82 DU 74
Jan. 27, 1998 A L #24 XU 93 DU 71
Feb. 26, 2003 H L #13 XU 80 DU 78 (OT)
* - MCC Tournament at Indianapolis, Ind.
Average score: Xavier 77.3, Duquesne 71.7
LEFTOVERS FROM RICHMOND
- Duquesne set season lows for field goals made (18), field goals attempted (47), assists (11) and first half points (27) in dropping its 11th-straight game to the Spiders
- DU has yet to defeat Richmond since UR joined the Atlantic 10 in 2001-02
- The Spiders shot a Duquesne opponent high .688 (11-of-16) from the 3-point arc ... Richmond shot better from the arc than it did from both the foul line (.533) and on two-point attempts (.424)
- DU shot .383 including 5-of-21 from the 3-point arc
- The Dukes trimmed a 13-point deficit to one with 8 seconds left and had a chance to tie the game on their final possession, but an Aaron Jackson 3-point attempt glanced off the rim at the final horn
- DU centers Shawn James (8 points) and Kieron Achara (6 points) were limited to a combined two field goals on four attempts ... they scored 10 of their 14 points from the foul line
- Bill Clark broke out of a five game 0-of-13 3-point shooting slump to hit 2-of-6 from the arc ... Clark scored all of his team-high 15 points in 12 second-half minutes
- Damian Saunders had three blocks and three steals for the Dukes
- Duquesne, which forced four Richmond turnovers in the first 2:08 in jumping out to a 7-0 lead, caused just eight more the rest of the way as the Spiders finished with an opponent season-low 12.
MOVIN' ON UP
Shawn James continues to climb the NCAA Division I list for career blocked shots. He enters the Xavier game with 423 rejections in 78 games:
NCAA DIVISION-I MOST CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS
PLAYER, SCHOOL LAST YR. YRS G BLK
9. Lorenzo Coleman, Tenn. Tech 1997 4 113 437
10. Calvin Booth, Penn State 1999 4 114 428
11. Theo Ratliff, Wyoming 1995 4 111 425
12. Troy Murphy, Notre Dame 2001 3 94 425
13. Etan Thomas, Syracuse 2000 4 122 424
14. Shawn James, DUQUESNE active 78 423
15. Shelden Williams, Duke 2006 4 139 422
QUICK NOTES
The Dukes have had five different leading scorers in their past five games ... seven different players have paced DU in the scoring column at least once this season ... the Dukes have assisted on 64.3 percent of their field goals this season ... DU leads the Atlantic 10 (and began the week ranked tied for fourth nationally) with an 18.9 apg. average
- Do-it-all swingman Aaron Jackson is averaging 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and shooting .591 in his past five games ... Jackson, who is 5-of-10 from the 3-point arc over that five game span, is shooting .555 for the season ... Jackson is DU's second-leading rebounder in conference play at 5.4 rpg. ... his 30 offensive boards in A-10 play are a team-best
- Reggie Jackson, who was averaging 3.6 ppg. following the Dec. 5 Pitt game, brings an 8.0 ppg. scoring average into Thursday's game ... Jackson has handed out 64 assists (4.6 apg.) in his past 14 games, including a career-high nine vs. Robert Morris on Dec. 28 and at La Salle on Feb. 9 ... he has 18 assists and seven turnovers in his past three games ... Jackson's top three scoring games have all come on the road (19 each at Bowling Green, at Rhode Island & at La Salle)
- It took Shawn James four games to break the Atlantic 10 and Duquesne records for blocks in a game (he had 12 blocks in 22 minutes in Duquesne's 92-77 win at Oakland on Nov. 20), 15 games to break the school mark for blocks in a season and 20 to post the first triple-double in school history (17-11-10 vs. Saint Joseph's) ... James' 91 blocks have shattered the school mark of 60 set (in 1991-92) and tied (in 1992-93) by Derrick Alston ... the previous A-10 individual record of 11 blocks in a game was set by Rutgers' Roy Hinson in 1982-83 and tied by UMass' Stephane Lasme three times last year ... the old Duquesne record of seven was set by Derrick Alston vs. Saint Joseph's Jan. 5, 1991 ... James' five career triple-doubles are one shy of the NCAA career record set by Drexel's Michael Anderson (1985-88) and tied by LSU's Shaquille O'Neal (1990-92) .... with his five rejections against George Washington on Jan. 26, James became the 18th player in NCAA Division I history to reach 400 for his career ... his 423 blocked shots in 77 career games currently ranks 14th on the all-time NCAA Division I list ... he needs two blocks to pass Syracuse's Etan Thomas and three to pass Wyoming's Theo Ratliff and Notre Dame's Troy Murphy to move into the 11th spot on the all-time list (see chart above)
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Kojo Mensah has had streaks of 18 & 13 consecutive free throws made this season ... Mensah had scored in double digits in five-straight games before scoring a season-low three on 1-of-8 shooting at St. Bonaventure ... bounced back with a team-high 19 vs. Saint Joe's ... missed DU's next game, at La Salle, with strep throat ... DU is 3-4 when Mensah scores in single digits and 12-1 when Mensah attempts six or more free throws ... Mensah's 132 free throw attempts are 30 more than any other DU player ... has a team-high 12 "traditional" three-point plays (basket and free throw) ... Mensah is averaging 10.8 ppg. in Atlantic 10 games
- Damian Saunders has been named A-10 Rookie of the Week three times this season ... he is the fifth player in school history to win the award more than twice in a season ... Saunders leads the team with 40 steals and is second on the team with a 5.3 rebounds per game average ... he is third in blocks (28) and tied for third in 3-pointers made (21-of-57, .368)
- Fellow freshman Bill Clark has hit three or more 3-pointers in a game four times ... Clark, at 6-6, ranks third on the team with a 4.6 rpg. average ... Clark, who hit at least one three in 13 of his first 15 games, ended a five-game streak without a 3-pointer (0-of-13 over that span) by going 2-of-6 from the arc vs. Richmond ... Clark scored all 15 of his points in 12 second half minutes in helping the Dukes rally from a 13-point deficit against the Spiders
- Kieron Achara, who played just six minutes at Rhode Island after suffering a mild concussion and loosened tooth early in the second half, made his return at Fordham ... Achara had his front tooth knocked out early in the second half vs. Saint Joseph's, had a root canal the next day then delivered 21 points and a career high-tying five blocks at La Salle ... is shooting .804 from the foul line ... ... with James on the bench in street clothes the Stirling, Scotland native - fresh off a root canal the previous day - posted 18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals in 28 minutes vs. St. Bonaventure on Jan. 23 ...
- Gary Tucker, who had 30 assists and 29 turnovers in 28 games last season, has 51 and 30 this year (1.7-1 ratio) ... he ranks second on the team with 26 3-pointers (he was 14-of-52 last season) ... is shooting .429 from the arc (15-of-35) in 11 games away from the Palumbo Center (including neutral-site game vs. Cal State Northridge) ... third on the team with eight dunks.
A RECORD SET
DU broke the school record for blocks in a season in its 22nd game - at La Salle on Feb. 9. The old mark of 166 was set in 28 games in 1979-80. The Dukes enter the Xavier game with 178 rejections in 24 contests.