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Mountaineers Look to Right the Ship After Four Straight Losses; At Home Against Duquesne Wednesday

By Paul T. Choate

Tab Hamilton and the Mountaineers look to get back on track following dropping four games straight. Photo by Dave Mayo and courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

Nov. 26, 2012. Appalachian State University men’s basketball is looking to bounce back from a four-game losing streak on Wednesday when they host the Duquesne Dukes of Pittsburgh.

The Mountaineers (1-4) have only dropped back-to-back games once since Jason Capel became the head coach in 2010. Following their 86-64 loss to High Point at home on Nov. 13, they need a win over the Dukes (2-3) to keep that dubious designation at one.

A win over Duquesne would make them 22-23 all-time against current members of the Atlantic 10. The Mountaineers and Dukes have only squared off once before, on a New Year’s Eve game in 2005 where ASU was victorious 71-68.

The Dukes have won two of their last three games, but have been struggling on the offensive end much of the season. They are shooting just .399 from the floor heading into Wednesday’s matchup and the team has been held under 70 points in three of their first five games.

Both teams are sporting multiple players averaging over 10 points per game. The Mountaineers are led by sophomore guard/forward Jay Canty, who is scoring 15.5 points per game and also leading the team in rebounding with 6.8 per game. Other solid scorers include senior forward Nathan Healy (13.5 ppg), sophomore guard Tab Hamilton (11.3 ppg) and junior forward Tevin Baskin (10.8 ppg).

The Dukes are lead by senior guard Sean Johnson, who is putting up 13.4 points per game. Freshman guard Derrick Colters (11.8 ppg) and freshman forward Quevyn Winters (10.8 ppg) have also been solid.

This home stand will be a brief one, as on Dec. 1 the Mountaineers will begin a season-high four-game road trip, first to Missouri.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Holmes Center. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 3-12). All home games are free to ASU students. The game will not be televised nationally, but will streamed live online for subscribers of Go ASU TV at goasu.com.