February 11, 2009 by Patrick Gill | A10CollegeHoops

The Richmond Spiders and Duquesne Dukes came into Wednesday nights’ Atlantic 10 conference match-up as teams headed in opposite directions. The Dukes came in oozing confidence, having won 10 of their last 13 and fresh off a victory over perennial conference powerhouse, Xavier. The Spiders had lost four in a row, six of eight, and were still nursing wounds from a triple overtime defeat at the hands of St. Louis on Sunday.

The combination seemed to provide a perfect storm for the Dukes at the outset of the game. Duquesne jumped on Richmond early, reeling off the games’ first 12 points with relative ease. They dominated all facets of the game, converting turnovers into dunks, half court possession into open three point attempts, and missed shots into put backs. On the other hand, the Spiders early performance might have caused Dr. James Naismith to turn a 360 in his grave. They showed minimal effort on defense, lacked movement on the offensive end, and threw the ball around with reckless abandon. Richmond coach Chris Mooney said of the start, “I think Everybody’s worse nightmare was having a slow start after Sunday’s game and that certainly came true.”

The early onslaught certainly did not hint towards the 71-67 victory the Spiders would gut out in front of a delighted Robins Center crowd. Mooney was able to ride out the eye of the storm by inserting Cedric Francis-Martel, Kevin Hovde, and Justin Harper off the bench. However, the strong play of Duquesne’s Bill Hall tossed Richmond back into the squall, and they still trailed by 15 with 3:29 remaining in the first stanza. Harper, who did not start because of an ankle injury, responded by sparking a 7-0 run that enabled the Spiders to envision a happy destination heading into halftime. “That was huge to get the lead down to eight, psychologically it seems much more manageable,” stated Mooney.

At the start of the second half the home team turned to David Gonzalvez to lead them into safer waters. Richmond’s leading scorer hit a trio of shots from well beyond the arc to erase a lead the Dukes had earned over the games first twenty minutes. Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart said of the comeback, “A lot of that had to with Richmond just coming back and playing well. I thought we did a real good job in every aspect tonight.” After Francis-Martel knotted the game at 40 with 14:53 remaining, the lead switched hands several times. With Duquesne up 54-51 and 9:39 remaining, Ryan Butler (11 points) went on a personal 6-0 run, by hitting back to back 3s, to give the Spiders a lead they would never relinquish.

However, the Spiders had not reached land yet. When the Dukes cut the lead to 61-60 with 2:53 remaining, point guard Kevin Anderson took the wheel and brought the Spiders home. On three straight possessions the Spiders point guard, Kevin Anderson, was able to get into the lane and hit tough pull ups. Anderson’s final bucket, a high arching fade away, put the Spiders up 67-65 with 1:08 remaining. “I just thought he controlled the game late. We had no answer for him,” stated Everhart.

After the teams exchanged turnovers, Francis-Martel blocked a Melquan Bolding three point attempt, allowing the Spiders to regain possession. Anderson was subsequently fouled, and sank two foul shots with 19 seconds remaining to give Richmond a four point advantage. After a Duquense put back cut the Spiders lead back to two with 2.6 seconds remaining, David Gonzalvez broke long on the inbounds play and laid it in at the buzzer to provide the final score.

Anderson finished with 14 points and his backcourt mate Gonzalvez added a game-high 16. Harper (13 points), Butler (11 points) and Jarhon Giddings (11 points) also notched double figures. The Dukes were paced by Damian Saunders and Aaron Jackson who each scored 14 points.

Following losses in several close games in which they played well, the win is something Anderson thinks the Spiders can build on. “A lot of games we have lost when it is close. We took a step forward tonight because we closed the game out.”

January 31, 2009 | AP Press

PITTSBURGH, PA – Aaron Jackson scored 19 points and Duquesne capitalized on 31 turnovers to rally past St. Bonaventure 74-68 Saturday.

Bill Clark scored 17 points, Eric Evans added 14 and Damian Saunders 11 for Duquesne (14-6, 5-2 Atlantic 10), which is off to its best overall and conference start since the 1980-81 season.

The 1981 Dukes opened 14-6 and 5-2 on the way to a 20-10 record and 10-3 finish, which was good enough for a tie for the Eastern 8 title.

Andrew Nicholson shot 13-for-18 and finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds for St. Bonaventure (12-9, 2-6), which committed three crucial turnovers in the final 2:30. Chris Matthews added 12 points, and Jonathan Hall had 12 rebounds and 11 points.

The Bonnies led by a point, 40-39, at the break and held a five-point lead, 63-58, with 5:29 remaining.

Duquesne went on a 8-3 run to tie the score at 66 with 3:15 left, and the teams tied again at 68 with 2:07 remaining before the Dukes broke loose.

Evans dropped in a layup, Saunders added two free throws, and Evans added another pair in Duquesne’s decisive 6-0 run in the final minutes.

January 21, 2009 | AP Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Idris Hilliard tapped in a missed shot at the buzzer to give Saint Joseph’s a 99-98 overtime win over Duquesne on Wednesday.

Ahmad Nivins had a career-high 34 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and Hilliard added 20 points for Saint Joseph’s (10-7, 4-0 Atlantic 10), which won its fifth in a row.

Jason Duty had a career-high 20 points and Damian Saunders also had 20 for the Dukes (12-6, 3-2), who had six players in double figures.

Nivins hit two free throws with 30 seconds left in OT to give the Hawks a 97-96 lead. But Duty hit a 3-point shot with 8 seconds to go for a 98-97 Duquesne advantage before Hilliard tipped in the game winner.

Duquesne rallied with a 24-4 run to move ahead 76-71 with 4:23 to play and the Dukes led 88-82 with 45 seconds to go in regulation. But Nivins scored 6 straight points and his two foul shots with 14.4 remaining sent the game into overtime.

January 17, 2009 | AP Press

PITTSBURGH, PA – Rob Lowery scored 16 points and directed a 12-point run that started late in the first half and carried into the second, helping Dayton end Duquesne’s seven-game winning streak with a 78-69 victory Saturday night.

Bill Clark scored 19, Aaron Jackson 18 and Damian Saunders 13, but Duquesne (12-5, 3-1 in Atlantic 10) was denied its first eight-game winning streak since the 1971-72 season.

The Flyers (16-2, 2-1) trailed 38-35 before going on the run, which made it 47-38 after Luke Fabrizius’ 3-pointer with 16:56 remaining. Dayton, which shot 58 percent (29-of-50), never led by fewer than three points after that while relying on a defense that limited Duquesne to 42.6 percent shooting (26-of-61).

Charles Wright scored 15, Marcus Johnson and Fabrizius had 11 each and Chris Johnson scored 10 for the Flyers, who were upset by Duquesne the last two seasons.

With Duquesne applying full-court pressure to try to come back, Dayton broke the press to dunk for three consecutive baskets in a 90-second stretch — by Chris Johnson, Wright and Little — to make it 74-63 with 2:02 to play. The Flyers’ seven dunks gave them 61 for the season, matching a school record with 13 games remaining.

January 14, 2009 | AP Press

PITTSBURGH, PA – Freshman Melquan Bolding scored a career-high 26 points, Bill Clark and Aaron Jackson had 14 points, and Duquesne rallied to beat George Washington 88-83 on Wednesday night for its seventh straight victory.

Eric Evans scored 13 points and Damian Saunders added 11 for Duquesne (12-4), which is 3-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference for the first time in the school’s history.

Duquesne, which trailed by 13 points in the first half, went ahead 80-77 on a 3-pointer by Saunders with 2:49 remaining. The Dukes had 13 3-pointers, including four from Bolding.

Rob Diggs had 25 points for George Washington (6-8, 0-2), which lost its sixth straight.

Reserve Noel Wilmore added 14 points for the Colonials, who shot 64 percent from the field and made eight of 10 3-pointers.

January 6, 2009  by WH | A10CollegeHoops

Here are my final noncon rankings and comments. Per usual, I am unlikely to post again until the end of league play once conference games begin.

Even though some teams have outperformed or underperformed my expectations, I can’t say any team has truly surprised me with the exception of GW (just terrible lately). I didn’t anticipate such a slow start for Charlotte, and UMass struggled more than I expected, but both teams had obvious question marks before the season began.

As of now, we only have two schools that look like NCAA teams, but Rhody has a decent chance and I expect another team to make a big run in league play (Temple with a full roster?). I would be thrilled to get three teams in given the so-so noncon performance.

Speaking of which, looks like I will finish 5 games below my noncon forecast. Ironically, this is the first year in awhile that I did not automatically deduct five wins from my combined forecast. Had I done so, I might be perfect! (not that it would be a good thing). Too many damned near misses and blown leads late in games.

VALEDICTORIANS

1)XAVIER (unchanged). The Muskies (11-2). The Musketeers bounced back from a two-game losing skid with convincing wins over Robert Morris and at Virginia. Frosh PG Terrell Holloway has taken over the starting position, allowing Dante Jackson to play more at his natural position of off-guard. Two other touted frosh, Kenny Frease and long-range gunner Brad Redford, have come on strong. Upperclassmen Derrick Brown and BJ Raymond have also stepped up. If Holloway continues to mature rapidly, the Musketeers have to be considered the clear league favorite.

2)DAYTON (unchanged). The Flyers (13-1) have beaten all the teams they are supposed to beat and have a marquee win over Marquette to put themselves in line for an NCAA bid. Dayton does struggle at times to put the ball in the basket, but the team is very athletic and plays topnotch defense. With just a little better shooting and scoring, the Flyers have all the tools to battle archrival Xavier for the league title.

HONOR ROLL

3)RHODE ISLAND (+1). The Rams (10-4) are a few points away – agonizingly close losses at Duke and Oklahoma State – from being locked in for an at-large bid. The team is still well positioned, but URI needs to rack up 11 or 12 wins in conference play and advance deep into the league tourney to merit consideration. Seven-foot sophomore Will Martell has been a surprise contributor while Jimmy Baron Jr. and Keith Cothran have performed like All-Conference players. The defense is still a bit unreliable, but the Rams are deep and athletic and have the talent to make a run for the conference championship.

AVERAGE STUDENTS

4)CHARLOTTE (+1). The 49ers (5-7) might be playing the best ball of any A-10 team outside of Xavier, Dayton and URI, but a rash of injuries has further depleted an already-thin roster. Sophomore forward An’juan Wilderness is out for a few weeks and sophomore Charles Dewhurst was lost for the year to a knee injury. Charlotte has no backup point guard and needs a few of its healthier players to step up. Hard to believe a 5-7 team might be the fourth best squad in the A-10, but every program in the conference has significant flaws.

5)RICHMOND (+1). The Spiders (8-6) are one of the most disappointing teams in the league despite eight wins. The team blew a late lead at Virginia Military Institute and has lost to all three in-state rivals (ODU and VCU are the others) even though the Spiders arguably have the most talent of the bunch. The defense has been soft and the offense mistake prone. Yet Richmond still has the size, athleticism and backcourt play to finish in the conference’s top four if the players learn how to close out games.

6) TEMPLE (-3). After beating Tennessee, the Owls (6-6) stumbled badly with three straight losses, including a whopper at Long Beach State. Temple rebounded Monday night with a win over Kent State. Sophomore forward Craig Williams had a career game (16 points) and touted Argentine PG Juan Fernandez (8 points, 4 assists) wowed the crowd in his debut. Temple’s problems have stemmed from poor point play – a concern of mine in my preseason review – and lethargic play among bigmen Lavoy Allen and Sergio Olmos. The addition of Fernandez and further contributions from Williams could make the Owls a big factor in conference play, however.

7)LASALLE (+2). The Explorers (8-5) beat several mediocre opponents to enter conference action with a three-game winning streak. Ruben Guillandeaux seems to be awaking from a season-long slumber while Rodney Green and Kimmani Barrett have stepped up their games. Defense and rebounding have kept LaSalle in most games, but postseason possibilities rest on whether the offense shows major improvement. The lack of consistent point play and outside shooting have been the team’s undoing.

*8*)ST. BONAVENTURE (unchanged). The Bonnies (7-3) recovered from a blowout loss at home to Niagara by topping Bucknell and Central Arkansas on the road. Granted, the competition wasn’t great, but two road wins of any sort is a big accomplishment for the rapidly recovering program. The 6-10 freshman sensation Andrew Nicholson looks like the program’s biggest recruiting find in a decade or more. Expect the Bonnies to be very competitive in most games, especially at home, and a winning record is by no means out of the question. The team now has enough talent to compete with almost any team in the A-10. Point play is just so-so, however, and the Bonnies lack outside shooting when Chris Matthews is cold.

9)DUQUESNE (+4). The Dukes (9-4) are one of the two big surprises in nonconference play, along with St. Bonaventure. They lost to the four best teams on their sked but have handled all the opponents from lesser conferences. Aaron Jackson, who’s playing like an A-10 First Teamer, is one of four “veterans” who have carried the program while the youngsters mature. Touted frosh Melquan Bolding has come on strong to join PG Eric Evans as top candidates for the league’s All-Rookie team. Shooter Jason Duty, formerly a recruited walk-on, has been a surprisingly big contributor. If only the Dukes had one legit bigman …

10) ST. LOUIS (+2). The Bills (9-5) have won seven of their last eight games against mostly weaker competition, though not without some struggles. Rick Majerus has his young squad playing solid defense and a controlled offense, but points sometimes are hard to come by. Frosh bigman Willie Reed looks like a future all-conference player and two other newcomers, PG Kwamain Mitchell and F Brian Conklin, have impressed. The Bills are a middle-of-the-pack team at best, but they will pull some upsets in league play.

BACK OF THE CLASS

11)ST. JOSEPH’S (-4). The Hawks (6-7) simply don’t have enough Division 1 players. Sophomore forward Idris Hilliard has shown marked improvement, but none of the reserves has contributed significantly. St. Joe’s has to rely on no more than 3-4 players, led by Ahmad Nivins, to do the scoring, but the core group doesn’t have tons of energy leftover for defense at the end of a game. The tank could run dry in late February unless Martelli develops a bench.

12)MASSACHUSETTS (-1). The Minutemen (5-8) followed a four-game win streak with a two-game skid in which the team lost by a combined 56 points to Houston and Vanderbilt. What to make? Impossible to say. Rookie coach Derek Kellogg sure looks green and senior point guard Chris Lowe is struggling mightily to run the new offense. Yet UMass is still capable of beating virtually any team in the A-10, as the win at Kansas attests. The first game in league play vs. Dayton could be telling.

CLASS CLOWNS

13)FORDHAM (+1). The Rams (2-10) have gotten a boost from 6-9 West Virginia transfer Jacob Green, but this team is headed for 20-plus losses. Much too young and much too small (-10 rebounding margin). Coach ain’t all that great, either.

14)GEORGE WASHINGTON (-4). The Colonials (6-6) aren’t worse than Fordham, but while the Rams are getting better, the Colonials have badly regressed. The team lost four straight to Vermont, Hawaii, Coppin State and … Longwood! Travis King is still not his old self, but at least he has an excuse. The same cannot be said for Rob Diggs, Wynton Witherspoon, Damian Hollis – or Karl Hobbs. GW is near the bottom of the league in scoring, shooting, rebounding and assists. Call the Coast Guard.

ALL-CONFERENCE PROJECTIONS (based on current performance)

POY

Dionte Christmas

FIRST TEAM

Dionte Christmas, Temple
Ahmad Nivins, St. Joseph’s
Derrick Brown, Xavier
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Chris Wright, Dayton

SECOND TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Jimmy Baron Jr., Rhode Island
Damian Saunders, Duquesne
Ricky Harris, UMass
Keith Cothran, Rhode Island

THIRD TEAM

Jonathan Hall, St. Bonaventure
David Gonzalvez, Richmond
Tommie Liddell, St. Louis
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Dijuan Harris, Charlotte

DEFENSIVE POY

Tony Gaffney, UMass

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Garrett Williamson, St. Josephs
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Ahmad Nivins, St. Josephs

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Eric Evans, Duquesne
Terrell Holloway, Xavier
Jio Fontan, Fordham
Brian Conklin, St. Louis

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Tony Gaffney

December 31, 2008 | AP Press

PITTSBURGH, PA – Bill Clark scored 21 points and led a 9-0 run that gave Duquesne the lead for good midway through the second half of a 76-65 victory over Bowling Green on Wednesday.

Clark hit a driving layup and a 3-pointer — he was 4-of-5 beyond the arc — on successive possessions as Duquesne (9-4) turned a 41-35 deficit into a 44-41 lead. Damian Saunders finished the run with a layup and had 16 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

Aaron Jackson added 15 points and nine assists and had three baskets during a later 11-0 run that made it 64-49 with 4:30 remaining. Duquesne won its fourth in a row, outrebounding the Falcons 37-27.

Darryl Clements scored 20 points, Joe Jakubowski had 12 and Otis Polk had 10 for Bowling Green (6-6), which had won three of its previous four.

The Dukes have won nine games by the end of December for the second successive season after not previously doing so since the 1968-69 season.

December 28, 2008 | AP Press

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. — Aaron Jackson scored 18 points and Melquan Bolding added 16 to lead Duquesne to an 88-62 victory over Robert Morris on Sunday.

Damian Saunders scored 14 points, and Bill Clark and Jason Duty each added 11 for Duquesne (8-4), which built a 45-24 lead by the break.

Jeremy Chappell led Robert Morris (6-6) with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Mezie Nwigwe made all 10 of his free throws and finished with 14 points.

The loss snapped the Colonials’ two-game winning streak.

December 22, 2008 | AP Press

PITTSBURGH, PA — Aaron Jackson scored 20 points, Eric Evans had a career-high 19 and Duquesne opened an 18-point lead midway through the first half in defeating winless North Carolina Central 97-79 on Monday night.

Damian Saunders added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Dukes (7-4), who raced to a 30-12 lead before taking a 54-32 advantage at halftime. Jason Duty and Bill Clark added 12 points each.

Evans, a freshman point guard, played only 23 minutes but made 10 of 12 free throws and had five steals. The Dukes won their second in a row after dropping four of five.

Jamar Briscoe, also a freshman guard, made 15 of 18 from the foul line while scoring a game-high 34 points for North Carolina Central. The Eagles have played only two home games while going 0-14.

December 20, 2008 | AP Press

PITTSBURGH, PA – Aaron Jackson scored 16 points and freshman Melquan Bolding had a career-high 14 as Duquesne pulled away in the second half to beat Rice, 80-64 on Saturday.

Damian Saunders added 13 points, freshman Eric Evans had 11 and Jason Duty 10 for the Dukes (6-4), who had lost their previous two and four of five while playing a rugged schedule that includes Pittsburgh, Duke and West Virginia.

The Dukes shot 53.2 percent (25-of-47) and their pressure defense bothered the Owls (4-6), who trailed by six at the half but never got going in the second half. Rice, led by Lucas Kuipers’ 16 points, shot 42.9 percent (21-of-49).

Duquesne was coming off a 26-point home court loss to Old Dominion.

Suleiman Braimoh scored 12 and Cory Pflieger had 11 for Rice, which had won two in a row. The Owls play No. 4 Oklahoma at home Monday night.