Duquesne men's basketball team still stranded on bus after road win
Micah Mason scored 23 points to lead Duquesne to an 86-75 win Friday over George Mason in a men's basketball game in Fairfax, Va.
The team celebrated coach Jim Ferry's 300th victory, and were headed home on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
They've been stuck there ever since.
Duquesne's bus was one of the many unfortunate motorists stuck in the monster storm pounding the mid-Atlantic states this weekend. Members of the Temple women's gymnastics team were also reported to be stuck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The stranded passengers put on brave faces as their situation crossed over into a second 24-hour period.
"The bathroom is not that bad. It could be worse," said Dave Saba, a spokesman for Duquesne's men's basketball team. "It's not what you would expect from 31 men on a bus. We try to keep it clean."
It is becoming increasingly unlikely that #DUQMBB will be able to leave the Turnpike tonight. Preparing for another night on the bus.
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
We have now reached 24 total hours on the bus. Jack Bauer has not yet rescued #DUQMBB pic.twitter.com/i9EXMTMKn6
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
With bus still stuck, Joel and Scott drove a vehicle to nearby Bedford grocery store to help #DUQMBB load up on hot food and snacks
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
The players mostly got by on leftover pizza and Gatorade and watched movies including "Invincible." And it was difficult for some of the players, who were quite tall, to sleep on the bus.
The Dukes pulled out of Fairfax at 4:30 p.m. on Friday -- the game had been moved up from Saturday due to weather concerns -- thinking they had a shot to make it back to the campus of the private university in Pittsburgh ahead of the worst of the storm.
.@DuqMBB traveling safely | of course it's hard not to be safe when your bus hasn't moved in 4 hours #stuck #PATurnpike
— Duquesne Athletics (@GoDuquesne) January 23, 2016
Nick Foschia: known for three-pointer celebrations, Cleveland sports knowledge, and now snow angels #DUQSurvivor pic.twitter.com/o3g4OgyAhe
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
.@DuqMBB @GoDuquesne First: Glad everyone is safe. Second: Ask Foschia if he knows the year when we were last snowed out. No Google.
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) January 23, 2016
@Indians @DuqMBB @GoDuquesne The last snow out was in 2007 vs. the Mariners and I had tickets to the game that I got for my birthday
— Nick Foschia (@NFosch) January 23, 2016
@Indians @DuqMBB @GoDuquesne The games got moved to Milwaukee and Slider went down the slide after a Kelly Shoppach home run
— Nick Foschia (@NFosch) January 23, 2016
Uh, make that five hours ... Same spot @DuqMBB left Fairfax, VA at 4:30p #PATurnpike #Dukesonabus
— Duquesne Athletics (@GoDuquesne) January 23, 2016
#DUQMBB nearing 5 hours without moving on @PA_Turnpike. Sources say this is the longest @dcolter1 has ever gone without getting shots up.
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
.@DuqMBB taking team bonding to a new level ... Six hours ... Same spot ... #stuck #PATurnpike #Dukesonabus
— Duquesne Athletics (@GoDuquesne) January 23, 2016
#DUQMBB stuck in traffic on the PA Turnpike. Manager Alex Kwong keeping the Dukes entertained with charades pic.twitter.com/qahihkUQE8
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
Hey @GoDuquesne - the @PANationalGuard is on the way to help @DuqMBB and the other drivers on the #PATurnpike. #WPXIStorm
— Mike Oliveira WPXI (@MikeOliveira) January 23, 2016
Desperate times call for desperate measures. #DUQMBB must vote someone off the bus. Who should it be? #DUQSurvivor
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
Just stepped off the bus | at least 18" of snow outside the door pic.twitter.com/F0aSPZFbWK
— Duquesne Athletics (@GoDuquesne) January 23, 2016
Sending lots of good vibes and 'warm' wishes to @DuqMBB who have been stuck in the snow....get home safe, guys!
— Duquesne WBB (@DuqWBB) January 23, 2016
For those asking, yes, this will be the last time we take our weather advice from @IAmSteveHarvey
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
#DUQMBB vs basketball teams: 13-7 #DUQMBB vs snowstorms: 0-1
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
We're not in this alone! Dukes hanging out with middle schoolers from Iowa on the bus stuck next to us pic.twitter.com/8vBWa1x68c
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 23, 2016
Walking to HOPEFULLY have dominos drop off pizza from an overpass. 3/4 mile in 2+ feet of snow pic.twitter.com/tMfuT1d89K
— Duquesne Equipment (@DuqEquipment) January 23, 2016
That ambition was dashed once traffic bogged down on the Pennsylvania Turnpike behind tractor trailers struggling to handle inclines. The Duquesne bus came to a halt at about 9:15 p.m. -- at least 90 minutes southeast of home under even the best of conditions.
The bus has heat and power, so comfort and safety while they're parked isn't an issue. However, Ferry said mid-morning Saturday that his players are running out of the leftover pizza they bought on the way home.
"We're getting pretty hungry," he said. "We hope it starts moving pretty soon."
The recent standard for blizzard-related travel inconvenience was set in November 2014 by Niagara University. The women's basketball team was stuck on a bus south of Buffalo for 24 hours before police could reach them and transport players to nearby shelters.
Going on 18 hrs #NUWBBstrandedonbus pic.twitter.com/5JXS8DOSyv
— L O A D I N G..... (@sylvoslice24) November 18, 2014
That episode gave us this memorable image:
@DuqMBB how you guys feeling over there? pic.twitter.com/O3pj5GvXs8
— TEMPLE GYMNASTICS (@TUWG) January 23, 2016
As for Temple, gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley said the team was about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh after having departed Philadelphia at about 2 p.m. Friday to try to beat the storm.
