Dec. 3, 2005
Box Score
The Duquesne women's basketball team used solid shooting from behind the arc and a double figure rebounding advantage to defeat the Akron Zips 72-54 Saturday afternoon.
The Dukes were led by sharpshooter Aiga Bautre (Riga, Latvia/Catholic Central (NY) who poured in 19 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range. The shooting prowess of Bautre and forward Loui Hall (Masontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) - 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting - broke down the zone defense of the Zips and stretched Akron into an uncomfortable man-to-man. As a team, the Dukes finished the game shooting .500 (25-for-50) from the floor including .588 (10-for-17) from beyond the arc.
Duquesne forward Nicole Sinclair (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) was two points from the season's first double-double, posting 16 rebounds and eight points in 31 minutes. Her effort helped give the Dukes a 42-27 rebounding advantage for the game.
Akron held the lead for most of the first half because turnovers were a factor. Duquesne gave the ball away 13 times in the first half, but bounced back with a 7-0 run with three minutes to go. They took a two point halftime lead, 36-34, after Jocelyn Chandler (Uniontown, Pa./Uniontown) was fouled on a last-second three and knocked in all three free throws.
Akron guard Jessie Crooks scored the first 10 points for the Zips but cooled off in the second half. She finished with 15 points and point guard Courtney Stewart ended with 16. Duquesne turned up the defensive pressure and got their hands in the passing lanes, causing 18 Akron turnovers, which led to 24 points. The Dukes held Akron to only 20 points and 21 percent from the floor in the second half.
The Dukes used a 9-0 run to begin the second half, which opened up a lead that they would never relinquish. While Akron relied on its outside game, Duquesne used a balanced attack. The Dukes scored 22 points in the paint to Akron's 12. Duquesne continued the intensity and built the largest lead of the game - 21 points - with under two minutes to play.
Duquesne evened its record to 3-3 on the season. The team is back in action this Tuesday as they travel to Bowling Green for a 7:00 pm non-conference bout.
