If someone flashed you the score line, gave you a sneak peek of what was about to happen -- solely from a final score standpoint -- as you were walking into the Mellon Arena last night, it would all be believable.

If someone pulled you aside and said, "Pssst, come here, I got something to show you. I can look into the future -- Pitt is going to win, 67-58," many Pittsburghers, regardless of what portion of Fifth Avenue their loyalty lies, would probably come to a consensus, nod in agreement and offer something along the lines of: "Sure, sounds about right. That's the way this game will most likely end."

After all, for the past decade or so, since a Pitt resurgence has taken place and guys by the names of Blair, Young, Knight -- Brandin not Billy -- Krauser and the such have worn Pitt uniforms, this City Game has tilted strongly one way. Pitt had won eight in a row before last night.

But after the first 23 minutes last night, it was all different, it was all slipping away from Pitt.

And it was right there for Duquesne.

Some might even say it was Duquesne's basketball game to lose when the Dukes went ahead, 40-24, on a free throw from B.J. Monteiro just after the teams came out of the locker rooms after halftime.

If you were a Duquesne fan, those final 17 minutes of college basketball existence inside a building that opened in 1961 were supposed to be one big countdown, a big going-away party with the Dukes killing the clock and dribbling out the end of the game, finally getting one over on the big boys from the big conference.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

But when you are your own worst enemy, crazy things happen.

Chances evaporate, especially when your starting backcourt -- the three-guard system of Monteiro, Jason Duty and Eric Evans -- goes 7 of 34 from the floor and 2 of 15 from 3-point range.

Chances vanish when you have the ball at the end of regulation and your point guard, Evans, fumbles the basketball away without getting a shot off and instead of heading toward the basket, he heads for the sideline in attempt to save the ball -- about 45 feet from the basket -- from going out of bounds.

Chances slide away when, at the end of overtime, you have a fleeting chance to get a shot off, but instead of getting it to a speedy guard to try to make a mad dash up the floor, the 6-foot-8 Rodrigo Peggau throws up a desperation heave from halfcourt.

Chances slip away when Pitt goes into a zone and you don't know what to do against it, looking lost beyond belief.

"They got into a zone," Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said. "And we just kind of looked like a deer in the headlights."

Chances slide away from you when your bench is thin and three guys -- Damian Saunders, Monteiro and Peggau -- foul out with Saunders being held to more than 10 points below his average.

"I thought our kids gave a great effort," Everhart said. "I didn't think we were the most intelligent team in the world, but our kids gave a great effort ... as frustrating as it was, I thought we played hard."

The Dukes played more than hard; they played well enough to win.

And the truth is, they let it slip away as much as Pitt took it from them.

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