GAME NOTES: Cross-town rivals collide Friday as the Duquesne Dukes clash with the Pittsburgh Panthers in a non-conference battle at the CONSOL Energy Center.

Duquesne enters the matchup with a 3-1 record this season, but is 1-1 in its last two games. The Dukes were handed their first loss of the season in an 84-81 defeat at home against NJIT, but the team rebounded with an 81-63 win over Howard in the most recent outing.

Pittsburgh hasn't been able to string wins together since season-opening victories over Niagara and Samford. The Panthers are 4-3 on the year, with an 81-69 loss to Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge serving as the most recent decision.

These two programs, both located in Pittsburgh, have met a total of 82 times in their long-standing series history. Pitt holds the 51-31 advantage over the Dukes in a series that began back in the 1932 campaign. The Panthers won, 84-67, last season.

Duquesne used a strong offensive effort to bury Howard early in the team's latest contest. The Dukes held a 41-30 advantage at halftime that they would only continue to build on in the second frame, thanks to a 52.5 percent shooting touch in the win. L.G. Gill scored 17 points to pace the Dukes, adding in a team-best eight rebounds. TySean Powell netted 13 points, Micah Mason contributed 12 points with five assists and Eric James added 11 points for Duquesne. The Dukes held the Bison to just 37.3 percent shooting in the contest, which included a 4-of-15 mark from 3-point distance.

Jordan Stevens has only played in three games for Duquesne, but leads the team in scoring in the time he has spent on the floor, netting 17.3 ppg on 43.2 percent shooting. He's the leader in a group of six double-digit scorers for Duquesne this season, which enters the clash against Pitt averaging 88.8 ppg. Mason chips in with 13.5 ppg, Powell nets 12.8 ppg, Derrick Colter adds 11.5 ppg, Gill checks in next at 10.5 ppg, and James rounds out the lengthy list of double-digit point averages at 10.0 ppg. Mason's 20 assists is a team high, while both James and Jeremiah Jones lead the team in rebounding at 4.8 rpg.

There wasn't much Pittsburgh could do against a surging Indiana team in the program's last outing. The Hoosiers netted 54.1 percent of their shots from the floor in the contest, while Pittsburgh could only manage a 36.1 percent shooting touch, including 7-of-26 from 3-point range. Chris Jones led the Panthers with 18 points, while Josh Newkirk netted 16 with eight assists, and Michael Young chipped in with 13 points. Derrick Randall pulled down a team- best 12 boards in the loss.

Through seven games played, Pittsburgh is averaging 69.7 ppg and giving up 63.6 ppg to opponents. Young leads the Panthers in scoring at 14.4 ppg on an impressive 57.1 percent shooting from the field, adding in a team-best 7.9 rpg average. James Robinson is the only other player to sport a double- digit point average coming into the cross-town rivalry match with 11.1 ppg, throwing in a team-best 40 assists. Pittsburgh needs to develop a better touch to its shooting game, as the Panthers are hitting on just 39.7 percent of their tries from the floor.

Duquesne may be on fire offensively, especially after a 102-81 victory over Abilene Christian. But the quality of opponents for the Dukes hasn't been overwhelming, so running up against Pittsburgh should yield different results. Either way, this city battle will draw a large gathering at the CONSOL Energy Center.