March 17, 2010 | AP Press

PRINCETON, NJ - Douglas Davis came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points, including 10 during a 17-3 run to end the first half, as Princeton (21-8) advanced to the quarterfinal round of the College Basketball Invitational with a 65-51 win over Duquesne (16-16) at Jadwin Gym.

Kareem Maddox added 15 points and Ian Hummer added 14 for the Tigers who moved to 11-3 at home.

Damian Saunders led Duquesne with 14 points. B.J. Monteiro and Sean Johnson added 10 each.

Duquesne jumped out to a 20-11 lead as Princeton missed its first seven shots. Davis, who scored 13 in the first half, hit the first of three 3-pointers in the final 7:46 of the half to ignite Princeton’s 17-3 run. Duquesne, which shot 37 percent for the game, missed eight of its last nine shots as the Tigers took a 28-23 lead at the half.

DU briefly cut it to one on a Melquan Bolding layup a little over two minutes into the second half, before Princeton answered with a 15-3 run to take a 43-30 lead with 11:31 to go. Maddox, who was 6-of-10 from the field, scored eight points and assisted on another basket during the run.

Princeton maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

The Tigers outrebounded the Dukes 41-26.

“I didn’t think we guarded with the intensity we needed in the middle of the second half,” said Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. “They beat us to quite a few loose balls. The biggest key was Princeton on the glass. They out-toughed us.”

Princeton, which shot 52 percent in the second half, finished at 47.1 percent. The Tigers went 4-of-14 from the 3-point arc with Davis accounting for all four makes.

“We’ve got several issues,” said Everhart. “Two issues that are obvious are that we just didn’t shoot the ball well this year – even from the free throw line – and that makes everything more difficult. When you can’t loosen a defense up by making shots, and you miss your free throws, you have trouble.”

Duquesne was 1-of-13 from the 3-point arc before Johnson hit 2-of-3 in the game’s closing minutes. The Dukes, who entered the game shooting 60.8 percent from the foul line, hit just 8-of-18 free throw attempts.

AP Photo

March 7, 2010 | Atlantic10.com

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Junior guard Kevin Anderson of Richmond has been named the 2009-10 Atlantic 10 men’s basketball Player of the Year in voting conducted among the Conference’s 14 head coaches.

The A-10 coaches also selected Fordham’s Chris Gaston as the Rookie of the Year, Chris Johnson of Dayton as the recipient of the Chris Daniels Award as the league’s most improved player, Temple’s Ramone Moore as Sixth Man of the Year, Damian Saunders of Duquesne as Defensive Player of the Year and Temple’s Fran Dunphy as Coach of the Year. In addition, Yves Mekongo of La Salle was tabbed Student-Athlete of the Year in voting among the league’s sports information directors.

Anderson ranks fifth in the Conference in scoring (17.8 ppg.) while leading the third-seeded Spiders to program highs in both regular season (24) and A-10 (13) victories. A second-team selection a year ago, the native of Duluth, Ga., has scored 20 or more points 12 times this season and also leads UR in assists (83) and steals (56). Anderson is the program’s first student-athlete to be tabbed A-10 Player of the Year since UR entered the league in 2001-02.

A two-time Player of the Week selection this season, Anderson is joined on the All-Conference first-team by Lavoy Allen of Temple, Xavier’s Jordan Crawford, Damian Saunders of Duquesne and Dayton’s Chris Wright. Crawford leads the A-10 in scoring at 19.7 ppg., while Wright garnered second-team distinction last season. For the first time in the league’s 34-year history, the first-team All-Conference consists of only sophomores and juniors.

The All-Conference second-team includes Temple’s Ryan Brooks, David Gonzalvez of Richmond, La Salle’s Rodney Green, Kwamain Mitchell of Saint Louis and St. Bonaventure’s Andrew Nicholson. Teammates Keith Cothran and Delroy James of Rhode Island, Massachusetts’ Ricky Harris, Jason Love of Xavier and Charlotte’s Shamari Spears were named to the third team. Temple’s Juan Fernandez, Damian Hollis of George Washington and Willie Reed of Saint Louis earned honorable mention acclaim

A four-time A-10 Rookie of the Week selection, Gaston leads all freshmen nationally in both scoring (18.0 ppg.) and rebounding (11.4), while his 504 points are the most by a freshman in team annals. The 6-7 forward leads the A-10 with three 30-point performances, pulled down at least 10 rebounds on 20 different occasions, and registered 19 double-doubles. Gaston is the third Fordham student-athlete to earn A-10 Rookie of the Year distinction, joining Bevon Robin (1998) and Bryant Dunston (2005).

Gaston is joined on the All-Rookie team by Chris Braswell of Charlotte, Cody Ellis of Saint Louis, George Washington’s Lasan Kromah, Aaric Murray of La Salle and Rhode Island’s Akeem Richmond.

The first-ever Duquesne player to garner A-10 Defensive Player of the Year distinction, Saunders enters this week’s A-10 Championship atop the league in both blocked shots (93) and steals (84) while averaging 14.9 ppg. and 11.4 rpg. The Waterbury, Conn., resident boasts 19 double-doubles and 19 performances with double-digit rebounds. Moreover, his 84 steals are tops in program history. The All-Defensive team is comprised of Saunders, Allen, Gonzalvez, Dayton’s London Warren and Garrett Williamson of Saint Joseph’s. Allen, Warren and Williamson are repeat selections.

Johnson was tabbed the recipient of the Atlantic 10’s Chris Daniels Award, presented to the Conference’s most improved player. A year ago, the 6-6 forward averaged 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and knocked down 24 field goals from beyond the arc. This season, the Columbus, Ohio, native enters the A-10 Championship ranked second on the Flyers in both scoring (11.8 ppg.) and rebounding (7.0 rpg.) while boasting 55 three-point field goals. He has grabbed 10 or more rebounds six times this season and has three 20-point performances to his credit.

Moore has provided a spark off the Temple bench in his sophomore campaign, averaging 7.6 points and dishing out 47 assists in just 17.6 minutes per game. In A-10 play, the 6-4 guard from Philadelphia, Pa., averaged 9.8 points on 51.3 percent shooting (61-for-119).

A three-time Academic All-Conference selection, Mekongo recently earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first-team distinction. The senior forward from Elizabeth, N.J., boasts a 3.81 grade point average while majoring in Integrated Science, Business & Technology. A second-team Academic All-American a year ago, Mekongo averaged 11.0 points and finished his career with 1,014 points. Joining Mekongo on the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Team are Brian Conklin of Saint Louis, Duquesne’s Jason Duty, Kurt Huelsman of Dayton and Rhode Island’s Will Martell.

Now in his fourth season at Temple, Dunphy guided the Owls to their first A-10 regular season title since 2002 and the top seed in this week’s Atlantic 10 Championship. Ranked 16th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and 20th in the Associated Press top 25, TU compiled a mark of 14-2 in Conference play, while its 26 regular-season victories equaled the Owls’ second-highest total in team history. In addition, Temple leads the league in both scoring defense (56.8 ppg.) and field goal percentage defense (38.1). The Owls have captured the last two A-10 Championships and are 81-48 (.628) under Dunphy.

March 14, 2009

By John Lamb | A10CollegeHoops.com

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Dionte Christmas and the Temple Owls are going to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row after an exciting 69-64 victory over the Duquesne Dukes at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night.

There was a lot of speculation before the game as to whether Temple could grab an at-large bid. Now that they won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament they don’t need to worry if their name gets called on Selection Sunday but when.

Christmas led the way with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-24 shooting including 7-of-16 from beyond the arc. His performances throughout the tournament were good enough to garner a spot on the All-Championship Team as well as the Most Outstanding Performer award.

“The only thing I had on my mind was winning the Championship and playing my butt off today to get this title,” said Christmas, who became just the second player in league history to be named the MOP twice. “I thought every shot I shot today was going in.”

“I didn’t even think about the previous game or how bad I was shooting in the previous game. I just knew how good I was going to play today and how good I can shoot today. That was the only thing on my mind.”

Christmas was joined on the All-Championship Team by Sergio Olmos and Ryan Brooks. Both played an integral part in getting the Owls to the Big Dance for the second straight year.

Olmos clearly presented a match up problem for the Dukes in the paint and the Owls exploited it early as the 7-0 center scored seven of his 14 points in the first seven minutes of the game. He pulled down nine rebounds – six of which were of the offensive variety – and blocked three shots in 35 minutes of play.

He had the unenviable task of defending Duquesne’s Damian Saunders, a speedy 6-7 forward, for most of the game. Although Saunders finished the game with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds Olmos was satisfied with the way things turned out when all was said and done.

“I’m kind of slow so it was a tough match up,” said Olmos after the game. “[Saunders] tried to take advantage of his speed and I think I did a good job of taking advantage of my height.”

Brooks proved again that he is the Owls best shooter in clutch situations. The junior guard scored 14 points for the Owls but none were bigger than the three-pointer he hit with 4:12 remaining in the game to extend the Owls lead to eight and put the game out of reach.

Brooks plays hard on both ends of the court and Dunphy pointed out the fact that Duquesne’s Aaron Jackson scored seven straight points in the span of 41 seconds while he was on the bench to reiterate just how important the junior out of Lower Merion, PA is to Temple’s success.

“I would have loved to have the luxury of bringing [Brooks] off the bench for his whole career but we can’t be out on the court too much without him,” said Dunphy of his first official Temple recruit. “I don’t like to be out on the court too much without him, that’s the type of kid he is. He’s just tremendous.”

Temple’s Lavoy Allen was also a big factor for the Owls as he notched his 13th double-double of the season to the tune of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Allen’s ability to play around the perimeter allowed Sergio Olmos to do what he does best – park himself near the basket.

Even though Temple led most of the way, Ron Everhart’s Dukes, a team with two sophomores and eight freshmen on the roster, certainly proved that they will be a formidable opponent for years to come in the Atlantic 10.

“I’m not trying to say that we didn’t want to go to the NCAA tournament because we obviously did,” said Everhart. “However, I feel like the run that we made here and the way that we played, I think it will help our basketball team. It laid a tremendous and solid foundation for years to come.”

Perhaps the most important part of that foundation is Melquan Bolding. While the freshman only scored seven points on 3-of-9 shooting his performances throughout the tournament were good enough to land him a spot on the All-Championship Team.

Bolding averaged 14 points per game in tournament play, almost five points above his season average. His three-point shooting against Dayton was instrumental in getting the Dukes through to the championship round.

For a while in the first half it looked as if the Dukes were a team of destiny. The teams traded baskets for most of the half with Duquesne actually taking the lead with 4:22 remaining thanks to a three-pointer by Saunders.

The Owls regained the lead for good late in the first half thanks to Christmas’ efforts. He scored eight of his team’s last 10 points of the half to allow Temple to take a 42-37 advantage into the break.

“We know what Christmas is capable of doing,” Jackson, who was also named to the All-Championship Team, said. “The way he reads screens and reads the defense was incredible. He was hard to defend.”

Both teams did not do a great job of defending in the first half as each squad shot exceptionally well. The Dukes shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) while the Owls shot 51.6 percent (16-of-31).

While the Dukes will likely wait and see where they will be seeded in the National Invitational Tournament, Dunphy’s Owls can sit back and enjoy the moment.

“The next 24 hours are fabulous to be honest with you,” said Dunphy. “I’m so happy for the guys, going to the NCAA Tournament, and there’s no feeling quite like this.”

GAME NOTES:
Temple claimed their 8th Atlantic 10 Championship in the 15th appearance which is the most by any member school past or present on both counts…They are now 8-7 in championship games…Temple is the first team to repeat as A-10 champions since the Owls won it in 2000 and 2001…This will be the 27th NCAA tournament appearance in Temple history…The Owls are now 5-0 against Duquesne in the A-10 Championship…Duquesne is now 1-2 in A-10 title games…Duquesne’s 21wins are the most since the 1971 NCAA team and their 38 wins over the past two seasons are the most since 1980-1981.

POST GAME AUDIO:
Dionte Christmas, Ryan Brooks, Sergio Olmos and Fran Dunphy Post Game Comments

John Lamb can be reached at johnlamb@a10collegehoops.com

AP Press

March 12, 2009 | AP Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Damian Saunders had 20 points to lead Duquesne to a 78-74 win over Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 tournament on Thursday.

Bill Clark finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds and Aaron Jackson added 17 points for the Dukes (20-11), who advanced to the tournament semifinals for the first time since 1994.

Jimmy Baron had eight 3-pointers and finished with 26 points for the Rams (22-10), while Kahiem Seawright had 13 points and Keith Cothran and Will Martell each scored 10.

The teams traded baskets for most of the game, which saw 13 ties and seven lead changes. But Duquesne finally went ahead for good on Clark’s 3-pointer with 3:30 left, which gave his team a 72-69 lead.

March 9, 2009 | Atlantic 10 Website

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Saint Joseph’s senior forward Ahmad Nivins has been named the 2008-09 Atlantic 10 men’s basketball Player of the Year in voting conducted among the Conference’s 14 head coaches.

The A-10 coaches also selected Andrew Nicholson of St. Bonaventure as the Rookie of the Year, Duquesne’s Aaron Jackson as the Chris Daniels Award recipient as the league’s most improved player, Delroy James of Rhode Island as Sixth Man of the Year, Massachusetts’ Tony Gaffney as Defensive Player of the Year and Rhode Island’s Jim Baron as Coach of the Year. In addition, Kevin Lisch of Saint Louis was tabbed Student-Athlete of the Year in voting among the league’s sports information directors.

Ahmad Nivins – Saint Joseph’s Hawks (F)

Nivins enters this week’s Atlantic 10 Championship (Mar. 11-14) in Atlantic City tied with Temple’s Dionte Christmas for the scoring lead with an average of 19.2 ppg. A third-team selection a year ago, the 6-9 forward from Jersey City, N.J., leads the Conference in rebounding (11.7 rpg.), minutes (39.43 mpg.) and double-doubles (20), while his league-best .625 shooting percentage (193-of-309) puts him on pace to join former George Washington standout Alexander Koul (1995-97) as the only players in A-10 history to lead the league in field goal percentage three consecutive years. A member of the All-Defensive Team, Nivins is the fourth player in SJU annals to earn the league’s Player of the Year honor and first since sharpshooter Pat Carroll in 2004-05.

A five-time Player of the Week selection this season, Nivins is joined on the All- Conference first-team by Christmas, Jimmy Baron of Rhode Island, Aaron Jackson of Duquesne and Xavier’s B.J. Raymond. Christmas is vying to become the league’s first-ever three-time scoring champion, while James is the first Duquesne player to garner first-team distinction since Mike James in 1997-98. The All-Conference second-team consists of Gaffney, Richmond’s Kevin Anderson, Derrick Brown of Xavier, Rodney Green of La Salle and Dayton’s Chris Wright. The third-team includes Lisch, Lavoy Allen of Temple, Massachusetts’ Ricky Harris, Lamont Mack of Charlotte and Rhode Island’s Kahiem Seawright.

Xavier’s C.J. Anderson, David Gonzalvez of Richmond, Dayton’s Marcus Johnson, Chris Lowe of UMass, and Damian Saunders of Duquesne earned honorable mention acclaim.

A program-record six-time A-10 Rookie of the Week selection, Nicholson enters this week’s A-10 Championship as the top freshman nationally in both blocked shots (79) and field goal percentage (.607 – 150-of-246). The Mississauga, Ontario, native is tied for second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg.) and third in rebounding (6.0 rpg.) and scored in double figures in 20 of the Bonnies’ 29 contests. The 6-9 forward is the first SBU freshman to garner Rookie of the Year honors since Alvin Lott in 1983-84.

Nicholson is joined on the All-Rookie team by Melquan Bolding of Duquesne, Fordham’s Jio Fontan, Dayton’s Chris Johnson and Kwamain Mitchell of Saint Louis.

With 113 blocks and 59 steals entering Massachusetts’ opening round contest versus Duquesne on Mar. 11, Gaffney is the first player nationally since Shelden Williams (Duke, 2005-06) to register 100 blocks and 50 steals in a season. The senior forward leads the A-10 in blocks (3.90 bpg.), ranks second in rebounding (10.2 rpg.) and steals (2.03 spg.) and pulled down at least 10 rebounds in 18 of the Minutemen’s 29 games.

The All-Defensive team is comprised of Gaffney, Allen, Nivins, Dayton’s London Warren and Garrett Williamson of Saint Joseph’s.

Jackson was tabbed the Atlantic 10’s Chris Daniels Award, presented to the Conference’s most improved player. A year ago, the Hartford, Conn., resident averaged nine points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. This season, the senior guard has blossomed into one of the most complete players in the Conference, ranking in the top five of the league in scoring (third – 18.3 ppg.), assists (third – 5.79 apg.), field goal percentage (fourth – .543) and steals (fifth – 1.72 spg.). The versatile James has provided a spark off the bench for the Rams as a junior, averaging 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in just 24.2 minutes per game. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native ranks third on the team in assists (65) and has a pair of 20-point performances to his credit.

A two-time Academic All-Conference selection, Lisch is averaging a team-leading 14.2 points and also leads the Billikens in three-pointers (69) and steals (37) en route to earning All-Conference honors for the second consecutive year. In the classroom, the Belleville, Ill., resident boasts a 3.48 grade point average while majoring in Business Administration. He was named to the 2008-09 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-America third-team.

Joining Lisch on the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Team is Baron, Massachusetts’ Luke Bonner, Jason Duty of Duquesne and La Salle’s Yves Mekongo Mbala.

Selected by the league’s head coaches and media to finish ninth in the A-10 preseason poll, Baron led Rhode Island to an 11-5 league mark and 22-9 overall record. URI enters the Championship as the second seed and boasts the league’s highest scoring offense, averaging 80.1 ppg. The only coach in league history to earn A-10 Coach of the Year honors at two different schools, Baron was tabbed as the Conference’s Coach of the Year in 1995 while at St. Bonaventure and at Rhode Island in both 2003 and 2007. In eight seasons at URI, Baron is 130-116 (.528) and 336-318 overall (.514).

2008-09 ATLANTIC 10 MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS First-Team School Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown PPG RPG Asts Stls Blks

First-Team

Jimmy Baron Rhode Island Sr. G. 6-3 East Grennwich, R.I. 16.8 2.7 60 22 2
Dionte Christmas Temple Sr. G 6-5 Philadelphia, Pa. 19.2 6.1 88 41 5
Aaron Jackson Duquesne Sr. G 6-4 Hartford, Conn. 18.3 5.7 168 50 3
Ahmad Nivins Saint Joseph’s Sr. F 6-9 Jersey City, N.J.     19.2 11.7 32 19 55
B.J. Raymond Xavier Sr. G/F 6-6 Toledo, Ohio 13.8 4.2 46 17 12 

Second-Team

Kevin Anderson Richmond So. G 5-11 Duluth, Ga. 16.2 2.9 82 44 2
Derrick Brown Xavier Jr. F 6-8 Dayton, Ohio 13.8 6.1 61 21 28
Tony Gaffney Massachusetts Sr. F 6-8 Berkley, Mass. 11.5 10.2 49 59 113
Rodney Green La Salle Jr. G 6-5 Philadelphia, Pa. 17.6 4.9 105 56 5
Chris Wright Dayton So. F 6-8 Trotwood, Ohio 13.1 6.5 29 28 37  

Third-Team

Lavoy Allen Temple So. F 6-9 Morrisville, Pa. 11.1 8.6 62 13 48
Ricky Harris Massachusetts Jr. G 6-2 Baltimore, Md. 18.2 2.9 44 37 5
Kevin Lisch Saint Louis Sr. G 6-2 Belleville, Ill. 14.2 3.4 75 37 1
Lamont Mack Charlotte Sr. F 6-7 Chicago, Ill. 15.1 5.6 27 24 10
Kahiem Seawright Rhode Island Sr. F 6-8 Uniondale, N.Y. 13.8 7.4 68 25 31

Honorable Mention

C.J. Anderson Xavier Sr. G/F 6-6 Cincinnati, Ohio 10.2 5.6 68 19 17
David Gonzalvez Richmond Jr. G 6-4 Marietta, Ga. 15.6 4.6 59 39 14
Marcus Johnson Dayton Jr. G 6-3 Cleveland, Ohio 12.1 3.2 50 26 15
Chris Lowe Massachusetts Sr. G 6-0 Mount Vernon, N.Y. 12.1 3.0 190 22 2
Damian Saunders Duquesne So. F 6-7 Waterbury, Conn. 13.3 7.9 66 66 66 

Rookie Team

Melquan Bolding Duquesne Fr. G/F 6-4 Mount Vernon, N.Y. 9.0 4.1 34 28 6
Jio Fontan Fordham Fr. G 5-11 Patterson, N.J. 15.3 2.7 132 33 3
Chris Johnson Dayton Fr. G/F 6-5 Columbus, Ohio 6.5 5.4 18 17 5
Kwamain Mitchell Saint Louis Fr. G 5-10 Milwaukee, Wis. 10.0 3.2 106 35 1
Andrew Nicholson St. Bonaventure Fr. F 6-9 Mississauga, Ontario 12.5 6.0 7 79 16 

Defensive Team

Lavoy Allen Temple So. F 6-9 Morrisville, Pa. 11.1 8.6 62 13 48
Tony Gaffney Massachusetts Sr. F 6-8 Berkley, Mass. 11.5 10.2 49 59 113
Ahmad Nivins Saint Joseph’s Sr. F 6-9 Jersey City, N.J.     19.2 11.7 32 19 55
London Warren Dayton Jr. G 6-0 Jacksonville, Fla. 4.2 2.7 126 48 4
Garrett Williamson Saint Joseph’s Jr. G 6-5 Lower Merion, Pa. 5.9 3.7 135 43 36

Academic Team

Jimmy Baron Rhode Island Sr. G 6-3 East Greenwich, R.I. Communication Studies
Luke Bonner Massachusetts Gr. C 7-1 Concord, N.H. Sports Management
Jason Duty Duquesne Jr. G 6-1 Cranberry Township, Pa. Accounting
Kevin Lisch Saint Louis Sr. G 6-2 Belleville, Ill. Business Administration
Yves Mekongo Mbala La Salle Jr. F 6-7 Elizabeth, N.J. Integrated Science & Business Technology

Player of the Year: Ahmad Nivins, Saint Joseph’s

Rookie of the Year: Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

Defensive Player of the Year: Tony Gaffney, Massachusetts

Chris Daniels Most Improved Player of the Year: Aaron Jackson, Duquesne

Sixth Man of the Year: Delroy James, Rhode Island

Student-Athlete of the Year: Kevin Lisch, Saint Louis

Coach of the Year: Jim Baron, Rhode Island

AP Photo

March 4, 2009 by Josh Taylor | A10CollegeHoops

PITTSBURGH, PA. — For the second year in a row, Duquesne hosted Saint Louis at the A.J. Palumbo Center for their season home finale, and just like the previous meeting, the Dukes walked away with a win. A strong second half by sophomore forward Bill Clark and a clutch performance by senior guard Aaron Jackson helped the Dukes secure a 70-68 victory over the Billikens.

Jackson, in his last scheduled home game of his career, scored 23 points, including the final 11 for Duquesne, with five rebounds and seven assists. Clark scored 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 17 in the second half.

Duquesne started out with Jackson in his customary role as the team’s catalyst, scoring on a layup and then assisting on one by Melquan Bolding to go out to an early 4-0 lead. Saint Louis finally got on the board with two layups by Kwamain Mitchell, and then a three-pointer by Kevin Lisch gave them their first lead, 7-6. Lisch scored 10 in the first half and tied Jackson for the game high.

Duquesne regained the lead, and then freshman guard Eric Evans went on a run of his own, scoring six straight points for the Dukes and scoring 10 in the half. His layup with 8:44 remaining in the half put the Dukes up, 16-13.

“We realized the mismatch on Eric,” Jackson said. “We knew right away that it’s hard for them to guard him off the dribble, and he established that early in the game. He played a heck of a game for us.”

Saint Louis eventually cut Duquesne’s lead to one, but Evans’ three-pointer with 2:09 remaining extended it back to four. He then made one of two free throw attempts to put the Dukes up, 27-22, with 58 seconds to go.

“I thought Eric Evans was big for us at times,” Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said, “and I thought Bolding was big for us at times early in the game.”

After that, it was Lisch’s turn to respond, hitting a three of his own to make it 27-25 with 36 seconds left.

“We’re not going to miss him anymore, I’ll tell you that.” a smiling Everhart said of Lisch, who tied a career high with six made from behind the arc. “He’s a hell of a player.”

Duquesne was in position to take the final shot of the half, but a turnover by Bolding led to a last-second layup by Mitchell and a foul on freshman forward Oliver Lewinson. But Mitchell’s chance for a three-point play and the lead didn’t go in, and the two teams went into the half tied at 27.

The second half started with a reprise of how the first ended, alternating three-point shots by Evans and Lisch. But then Bill Clark knocked down his first of five threes on the night to put Duquesne up, 33-20. Saint Louis took a 36-35 lead on a layup by Barry Eberhardt, but Clark knowcked down another three and gave the Dukes the lead back.

“It was big for us,” Everhart said of Clark’s second half. “The only guy that has defended Billy Clark this year is Billy Clark. I hope that he can continue to keep his composure and play in our upcoming games the way he played in the second half because he was huge for us.”

“I said, ‘let me shoot as many shots as I can before I foul out,’” Clark said, tongue-in-cheek about his late surge. “I think, as everyone in here knows, I’m good at fouling, and the refs pretty much hate me, regardless, at home. So I figure I might as well get as many shots as I can before I foul out, and I ended the game with four fouls. Mission accomplished.”

Clark’s third three with 11:42 remaining put Duquesne up by seven, but then Saint Louis went on a 20-9 run over the next 7:35 to take the lead back. Lisch’s two free throws with 4:09 remaining gave the Billikens a 60-53 lead.

Duquesne struck back with an 11-4 run, including Clark’s last two three-pointers and five straight points by Jackson to tie the game at 64 with 1:43 left. Jackson then hit six straight free throws after Eberhardt converted one of two to put Duquesne ahead, 70-65.

During that run, Lisch missed two attempts from behind the arc in the last 33 seconds to keep the Billikens close. His last attempt missed with five seconds left, and Jackson pulled down the rebound, helping to stave off the late-game threat.

“We told our guys in the timeout exactly what they were going to do,” Everhart said of Duquesne’s expectation for Lisch to get the ball. “I kind of rolled the dice telling our guys that because I didn’t know for sure that’s what they were going to do, but they did and Damian [Saunders] was right on it. I thought he really got out quick enough and got high enough to bother his shot, but with Lisch, he’s capable of making that.”

Jackson was fouled after the rebound, and stood at the line with a chance to put the game out of reach. He hit both free throws from the double bonus and sealed it for the Dukes. Duquesne then called a 30-second timout, and after the break, the Duquesne fans gave a standing ovation, chanting, “AA-RON! AA-RON!”

“It was a really cool feeling,” Jackson said about the end of the game. “I try not to get too emotional. The crowd, knowing it’s my last game ever, is probably something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Mitchell’s long three-pointer from half court counted at the buzzer, but it would only count to cut the final gap to two points. The game had already been won, and the victors held their veteran leader at the heart of it.

“It’s his last home game, so you feel you want to win,” Clark said. “I’d say this game is for Aaron; not for ourselves, but for Aaron.”

For the senior who endured a 3-24 season as a freshman and a horrific campus shooting that wounded him and four of his teammates as a sophomore, Jackson was able to look fondly upon ending his career as a contributor to back-to-back winning seasons at Duquesne for the first time since the 1980-81 season.

“When you look at Duquesne on the A-10 schedule, you don’t say, ‘Oh, here’s Duquesne, this is a guaranteed win,’” Jackson said. “When you play Duquesne, it’s like, ‘We’re going to have to give them our best shot.’ Words cannot express how happy I am to be a part of this new era of the Duquesne Dukes.”

“I talked to our kids before we walked out of the locker room tonight, and I said to them, ‘this is the last game this guy is going to play in this arena,’” Everhart said. “‘Make sure this is a night he’s going to remember the right way, not the wrong way because someday he’s going to have to tell his kids what happened the last night you played in your gym.’ I’m very excited they were able to do that.”

Both teams will close out the regular season Saturday, with Duquesne visiting Dayton and Saint Louis hosting LaSalle. The Atlantic 10 Championships will commence on March 11 in Atlantic City.

March 1, 2009 by Josh Taylor | A10CollegeHoops

PITTSBURGH, PA. — If there was ever any doubt about Aaron Jackson’s legitimacy as an elite college basketball player, perhaps one of his best efforts to remove it came over the weekend against Rhode Island. Jackson led all scorers with 24 points and added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in a heroic effort that fell just short in the final seconds of a 73-71 loss.

On a Sunday afternoon where Duquesne honored their starting point guard, along with teammate Phillip Fayne for Senior Day at the A.J. Palumbo Center, Jackson helped get the Dukes started early with a back-door bounce pass to freshman Melquan Bolding for a slam dunk just 36 seconds into the game to put them on the board. From that point on, it was understood that it was going to be one of those days where the crowd was in for a good show.

After two early three-pointers by Jimmy Baron helped give Rhode Island a 10-4 lead, Jackson helped lead a string of three consecutive baskets with another baseline feed to Bolding for a reverse layup, and then a layup of his own to bring Duquesne within two. Bill Clark’s floater inside the paint with 16:16 remaining tied the game at 10.

Afterward came a battle between the two teams that saw four lead changes and five ties through the duration of the half. Keith Cothran’s dunk following a rebound off a Delroy James miss put Rhode Island ahead, 32-27, with 4:04 to go. Cothran scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor.

But then Duquesne answered with a 7-0 run, capped off by a Damian Saunders three-pointer from the top of the circle to give them a 34-32 lead with 3:02 remaining. The 6-foot-7 sophomore forward was faced with the difficult task of defending 7-foot center Will Martell, but he held him to only four points, recording four blocked shots and three steals to go with his 12 points and six rebounds. Also, the Dukes held the scoring edge in the paint, 38-34, as Saunders and Clark combined for 33 points.

“Damian and Billy are playing as well as we could ask them to,” Everhart said of his two sophomore starting forwards, who have been forced to play against bigger opponents due to the Dukes’ lack of size in the front court. “Of course there are games when Damian can play better and there are days when I just want to choke Billy, but I have no problem with the effort they have given.”

After Rhode Island guard Marquis Jones’ layup helped tie the game for the Rams on their ensuing possession, Duquesne rattled off another string of three unanswered baskets to close out the half. The Dukes’ freshman led the way, as two B.J. Monteiro free throws and a pair of Bolding jumpers — the latter of which came from the right baseline with two seconds left — closed out the half with the home team ahead, 40-34.

In the second half, Duquesne worked quickly to build on their lead as Bolding hit a three pointer at about two minutes in to put the Dukes ahead, 45-38. He shot 6-for-8 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from behind the arc for 16 points, along with six rebounds.

Rhode Island quickly responded with a layup by Jones and another three-pointer from Baron – he made four of his eight attempts behind the arc – to pull the Rams within two. But Bolding struck again with his second three pointer, Saunders added another from the left corner, and Duquesne was back up by six at 15:54.

Over the next two and a half minutes, Rhode Island went on a 15-3 run, including five points by Baron, six by Kahiem Seawright, and a steal by Jones for a layup that had the Rams ahead, 60-54 with 11:33 to go. Baron, a former prep school teammate of Jackson’s, finished with 14 points, and Seawright scored 24, with 17 coming in the second half.

Duquesne began to chip away at the lead, with Jackson leading the charge. He scored 16 of the Dukes’ final 20 points, and his jumper with 2:01 remaining tied the game at 66. Two free throws by Seawright moments later put Rhode Island ahead by two.

But it was James — the younger brother of former Duquesne forward and season blocked shot record holder Shawn James — that delivered what Everhart called, “the biggest shot of the game.” His driving, left-handed hook shot off the glass with 1:11 remaining put the Rams up, 70-66, seemingly putting the game out of reach.

However, Jackson and his mates refused to concede, as he forced a steal off Baron and scored on a layup with 36 seconds to go to pull back within two. Seawright responded with a power move inside for a slam and a four-point Rams’ lead that became five when Cothran converted one of two free throw attempts.

Jackson then let the ensuing inbound pass bounce to half court before picking it up, pulling up at the top of the key and draining a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two with only six seconds to go. Seawright then missed the first of a one-and-one bonus free throw attempt, rebounded by Saunders and giving Duquesne a chance to tie the game or win it with five seconds left.

“I was thinking, this is our chance to win the game,” Jackson said.

Jones, with two Rams’ team fouls to give, made a heady veteran move and fouled immediately to force Duquesne to inbound from the far end of the court with three seconds left. Then, on the ensuing inbound play, he fouled again to force another inbound with 1.5 seconds to go.

Jackson got the inbound pass and got in position to shoot the potential game-winner from the top of the circle, but his three-point attempt fell short, and so did Duquesne’s comeback hopes. 

“We tried to run a back-door screen play for Damian or [Jason] Duty,” Everhart explained, “but they guarded it pretty well and Aaron cut in between them. If we would’ve had another timeout, we probably would’ve used it and tried to do something else.”

Trailing Temple by one game in the A-10 standings, Duquesne has a meeting Wednesday against St. Louis in their home finale and a March 7 meeting with Dayton, needing to likely win both games in order to finish in fourth place and secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

“We tried to get the win today, but we didn’t, so we have to look towards the next game,” Jackson said. “We want to win these last two games and get that bye, so we’re going to get to practicing to get there.”

February 25, 2009 | AP Press

AMHERST, Mass. – Bill Clark’s 22 points led five Duquesne players in double figures as the Dukes defeated Massachusetts 94-77 Wednesday night.

Duquesne (17-9, 8-5 Atlantic 10 Conference) finished the first half on a 15-4 run to take a 46-35 lead at the break. Massachusetts made a late surge and cut its deficit to 10 on a Gary Correia’s 3-pointer with just under six minutes left, but never got closer.

Damian Saunders added 18 points and seven rebounds for Duquesne, while Aaron Jackson had 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Eric Evans scored 14 points and Jason Duty had 10, rounding out double-digit scorers.

Anthony Gurley led Massachusetts (10-16, 5-8 A-10) with 18 points off the bench, Ricky Harris added 14 points and Matt Glass had 12.

The 94 points were the most Massachusetts surrendered this season. The Minutemen lost despite hitting 16 3-pointers, breaking their record for threes in a game.

February 22, 2009 | AP Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Aaron Jackson scored 17 of his 25 points in the first half to lead Duquesne to a 79-68 win over La Salle Sunday.

Damian Saunders added 22 points, matching his career high, for the Dukes (16-9, 7-5 Atlantic 10), who had lost three of their last four.

Rodney Green had 14 points to lead four players in double figures for the Explorers (14-12, 5-7), who dropped their second straight.

The victory guarantees Duquesne its second straight winning season, marking the first time since the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons they will finish above .500 in two straight campaigns.

Jackson got Duquesne off to a strong start, making seven of his first nine shots to finish with 17 points in the first half and help the Dukes to a 44-41 lead at the break. Vernon Goodridge’s layup 13 seconds into the second half brought La Salle within 44-43. But the Dukes scored the next six points and the Explorers never got closer than three the rest of the way.

Eric Evans also reached double figures for Duquesne with 11 points, while Saunders set a career high with 14 rebounds. Kimmani Barrett and Paul Johnson had 12 points apiece for La Salle, and Goodridge finished with 11.

Jason Duty tries to pass against Temple's zone (Photo courtesy: Stacy Gault)

February 15, 2009 by Josh Taylor | A10CollegeHoops  

When considering Duquesne’s last three games, including their upset victory over then ninth-ranked Xavier on February 7, the constant trend is the Dukes have had a hard time maintaining leads and finishing games.

That was the recurring sentiment among the team after falling to Temple, 78-73, in a Sunday matinee at the A.J. Palumbo Center in which they led by as much as eight points midway through the first half. They held the Owls’ talented senior guard, Dionte Christmas, to 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting, but could not overcome a late second-half collapse, combined with the clutch shooting of Ryan Brooks and freshman Juan Fernandez.

“I thought our kids really did a great job on Christmas today,” Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart said at the postgame press conference, “and I thought our game plan worked out really, really well. It was unfortunate because they got a lot of production out of the other two [guard] spots.”

Temple got out to an early 9-5 lead in the first half, but then Duquesne scored seven consecutive points on a three-point play by Bill Clark, a steal and breakaway slam by Damian Saunders, and a pair of free throws by Aaron Jackson to make it 12-9. 

The Dukes maintained the lead through the end of the half, but missed a handful of opportunities to extend it, and an 18-7 run by the Owls in the last seven minutes of the half put Duquesne up by only one at the break, despite 11 points from Saunders and 10 from Jackson.

“When we have a lead, we need to take decent shots because we could have been up by 10 or 12 at halftime,” said Jackson, who finished with a game-high 21 points. “But we took poor shots and we didn’t shoot the ball as well.”

The second half was no more promising, as Christmas knocked down a three-pointer and a jump shot to put Temple up by four within the first two minutes. But Duquesne responded with a 9-0 run, capped off on a no-look pass from B.J. Monteiro to a cutting Saunders for a layup with 15:40 remaining.

After four ties and seven lead-changes in the second half, Temple took a 62-58 lead on a Brooks three-pointer. He shot 3-for-4 from behind the arc and finished with 11 points. Clark, the Dukes’ top outside shooter, second in the conference in three-point percentage, answered with a three of his own, and Duquesne was back within one.

The next three possessions for the Dukes would embody the struggles they have faced in their last three contests, including going nearly the final eight minutes in the win over Xavier without a field goal. Freshman point guard Eric Evans missed two open three-point attempts, and then Jackson missed on a driving layup opportunity. Two layups by 6′9″ sophomore Lavoy Allen sandwiched around a made free throw, plus two free throws by Christmas gave Temple the seven-point surge they needed to grab a firm hold on the lead and keep it the rest of the way.

“We had three straight possessions where Evans missed two wide open three’s — and I mean they were wide open,” Everhart said, “and then Jackson comes down the lane, and that same layup that he made against [George Washington] and against Charlotte… he missed it.

“Those three possessions really hurt us because they had the dribble-drive with Allen, and Christmas got fouled on the dribble-drive and made two free throws.”

A layup by Jackson, followed by two free throws and another pair from Clark cut the deficit to four, but a nice spin and layup on a post-up move by Fernandez on Jason Duty broke the Dukes’ back with 41 seconds left. An Argentina native having enrolled in only December, Fernandez shot 7-of-9, including 2-for-4 from three-point range for 19 points, and his performance was not lost on the host team.

“I was impressed watching him a couple of weeks ago,” Jackson said of Fernandez. “I saw him on TV and I thought he was going to be a really good point guard in this league. He runs the team really well, he’s a phenomenal passer, and he’s really poised to be a freshman.”

Sophomore forwards Bill Clark and Damian Saunders have had to assume veteran roles due to Duquesne's young roster (Photo courtesy: Stacy Gault)

Speaking of youth, Everhart refused to blame the loss on his roster’s lack of experience. Having eight scholarship freshman and only one scholarship upperclassman, Duquesne has one of the youngest rosters in the country based on average age.

“I wish we had better depth, especially up front,” Everhart said, “but we have what we have. I think Clark and Saunders are giving us everything they’ve got, but in our backcourt, we’ve got to have one of our guards step up off the bench and be more productive for us.”

“It’s always tough when you get a loss, or you’re going on a two-game losing streak, but I think it’s just that we’ve got to come together, have a meeting or something, and get everybody on the same page,” Saunders said. “We have guys going off, being wild, and trying to play their game, but it’s really a team effort.”

The Dukes have five games remaining on their schedule, including a week off before visiting LaSalle and Massachusetts in a three-day span. One win in those last five games will secure a winning season for the Dukes, the second in Everhart’s three years as head coach and the program’s first consecutive winning run since the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.

“I know it’s getting old, but we’ve got to learn from our mistakes,” Jackson said. “We need to just dig in and say, ‘enough is enough.’ We’ve got to start pulling out these wins.”