Feb. 16, 2011

Box Score | Photo Gallery

PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne women's basketball team dropped its second consecutive game after a 79-73 loss to Saint Joseph's on Wednesday night at the Palumbo Center.

Samantha Pollino led the Dukes with 20 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Wumi Agunbiade scored 16 points and grabbed eight boards. Vanessa Abel added 12 for Duquesne who fell to 20-6, 7-4 A-10.

Michelle Baker led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Ashley Prim scored 12 off the bench and Katie Kuester and Kelly Cavallo each scored 10 for the Hawks who won their fourth straight game to improve to 16-9, 6-5 A-10.

With the score tied at 15-15 at the 13:11 mark of the first half, the Dukes went on an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to take its largest lead of the game at nine points, 26-17.

In a span of just over three minutes, SJU answered with an 11-2 run of its own to tie the contest at 28-28 with 7:23 to play in the half.

The score would remain tied until a pair of Prim foul shots with 49 seconds until halftime broke the deadlock. Baker tipped in a Shelby Smith miss at the buzzer to send the Hawks into halftime with a 38-34 lead.

By the midway point of the second half, the game had two ties and four lead changes. With the Dukes up one point, a Baker jumper gave Saint Joseph's which would be the final go-ahead basket, putting the Hawks ahead 57-56.

At the two minute mark, SJU had built a six point lead at 70-64. The Dukes had a chance to make it a one-possession game, but an Agunbiade 3-pointer rolled out with 1:42 to play.

After Abel made 1-of-2 foul shots with 1:08 left, the Dukes trailed by five at 70-65, but Baker hit a spinning jumper with just four second remaining on the shot clock to make it seven point game.

With eight seconds left, Agunbiade hit her second straight 3-pointer to make the score 77-73 with eight seconds to play, but Cavallo would convert both free throws after being fouled on the ensuing possession.

Saint Joseph's shot 56 percent from the floor, hitting 27-of-48 shots, and had 16 assists - led by Prim's eight - to just 12 turnovers.

Jocelyn Floyd had a team-high four assists for the Dukes who committed a season-low 11 turnovers.

Duquesne has one of the toughest challenges of the season on Sunday afternoon when they visit #6 Xavier on Sunday afternoon at the Cintas Center. The game, which will be aired on national television on the CBS College Sports Network, begins at noon.

GAME NOTES

• Pollino's jumper at the 13:11 mark of the first half was her 1,350th career point, which mover her past Loui Hall (2004-07) into sixth place on Duquesne's all-time scoring list
  
  
• Saint Joseph's 56 percent shooting was the highest an opponent has shot against the Dukes this year
  
  
• SJU leads the all-time series 36-5
  
  
• Pollino was a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line, which tied her career-best

Saint Joseph's at Duquesne