The message from Duquesne's coaches came through loud and clear to the players in the locker room at halftime.

"He [coach Ron Everhart] told us we were playing like prima donnas, which we were," said Damian Saunders, a 6-foot-7 junior, who stuffed the statistic sheet with 17 points, a career-high 19 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. "We came out and showed what kind of team we're going to be this season."

Duquesne outscored Nicholls State, 52-26, in the second half to erase a 3-point halftime deficit for an 85-62 victory at the Palumbo Center last night in the season opener for both teams.

"We took the game pretty much lightly," said Duquesne's 6-5 junior Bill Clark, who scored all his 19 points in the second half. "The coaches were yelling a us. We laid back in the first half."

What were Everhart's words of wisdom?

"The G-rated version of my message is that we're not competing," he said. "It was like we're going down to the rec and just playing. I had some real concerns what I saw in the first half."

The Dukes were playing their first game without Aaron Jackson, the heart and soul of a 21-win team that lost to Virginia Tech in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament last season.

"We're not dependent on one person to do everything," Clark said. "Everybody was able to show what we have."

Melquan Bolding, a 6-4 sophomore, displayed a flashy game as he slashed to the basket for most of his game-high 25 points, one below his career best.

"I don't force a lot of shots," he said. "The coaches were definitely getting on us at halftime. We just have to continue to play hard and listen to the coaches."

The first half was a choppy performance by the Dukes, who saw a 30-16 lead evaporate under the weight of turnovers as the Colonels went on a 20-3 run in the final 6:51 to go to the locker room with a 36-33 advantage.

Everhart decided not to substitute in the second half, keeping all five starters in the game until the final 90 seconds.

"We just had a rhythm," he said. "Every time I looked down the bench during a timeout and asked the guys, 'Are you okay?' they said yes. I didn't feel compelled to substitute."

Duquesne broke open the game midway through the second half with a 19-0 tear that turned a 48-47 deficit into a 66-48 lead that grew to as high as 85-60.

One of the keys to the turnaround was Clark's defense on 6-6 Anatoly Bose, who worked hard for his 23 points on 7 of 20 from the field.

"They made us grind it out defensively," Everhart said of the Colonels, who return three starters from a team that is picked to win the Southland Conference championships.

"Our defensive effort led to the transition game which won it for us."

NOTES -- Duquesne 6-5 sophomore B.J. Monteiro was not in uniform because he was serving the second of a two-game suspension for violating team rules ... Duquesne plays at Iowa Monday to start a four-game road trip and returns to the Palumbo Center for a game against Radford Nov. 29.

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