Box Score Feb. 4, 2009
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PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne women's basketball team held Saint Joseph's to just two field goals in the final 9:45 as the Dukes improved to 13-9, 3-4 on the season after their thrillilng 53-51 victory over the Hawks Wednesday night.
Both teams started out slow in the first half, as they converted only eight of their first 30 field goal attempts. At the 13:58, SJU began an 14-2 run to jump out to an 18-9 lead. DU countered by scoring 14 of the next 20 points in the next 3:21 to take a 25-22 advantage capped by a Keri Pryor jumper with 2:04 left in the half. Saint Joseph's finished the half on an 8-2 run to go into halftime leading 30-27.
SJU's Dominique Bryant's layup midway through the second half gave SJU a 45-40 lead. However, the Hawks would be held scoreless until the 2:12 mark.
Amanda Peck's layup at the 8:37 mark of the second half gave Duquesne a 46-45 lead. Peck finished with nine points and was 3-for-3 from the foul line. DU would increase its lead to six points a the 3:59 mark.
Duquesne held off a late flurry from Saint Joseph's as the Brittany Ford's layup closed the gap to one point with 61 seconds to play. The Hawks had a turnover on the ensuing possession which led to Pryor making the back-half of the double bonus with eight seconds remaining. McDade looked to find Ford on the post, but her pass was deflected as the time ended.
"I couldn't be more proud of our defense and the way we got stops down the stretch," said head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio. "Amanda Peck was huge tonight," added coach Serio. "We were able to go to her inside, she was able to get to the free throw line, she was a real spark off the bench."
Ford, the reigning Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week, recorded a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kristi Little had a team-best 15 points and Pryor added 14 points and eight rebounds. Samantha Pollino pulled down 10 boards.
The Dukes finish their three-game home stand with a pair of wins. Next up is Charlotte for a Saturday afternoon matinee. Tipoff at the Halton Arena will be a 2:00 p.m.
