PITTSBURGH – For the 38th time, the Duquesne women's basketball team will battle rival Pitt in the annual City Game on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The Dukes look to win their fourth consecutive road contest and seek a victory over its Steel City rival for the ninth time in 11 seasons.
HOW TO FOLLOW: Fans can watch the Dukes battle rival Pitt online on ACC Network Extra. Live stats are also available on pittsburghpanthers.com. For tickets, click here.
THE SERIES: While Pitt leads the City Game series by 21-16 margin, the Dukes have won eight of the last 10 meetings and is 5-3 all-time against the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt halted a four-game win streak in the series for the Dukes last season with a 66-58 win at the Palumbo Center.
LAST TIME OUT: Junior guard Amanda Kalin knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer with less than five seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, as Duquesne outscored Lafayette 16-8 in the extra period to come away with its third consecutive road victory, 73-65, on Sunday afternoon at the Kirby Sports Center. Kalin supplied a team-high 15 points, which included going a perfect 8-for-8 on free throws. Libby Bazelak totaled 13 points, with seven coming in overtime alone. Anie-Pier Samson totaled a career-best nine points, while Paige Cannon and Laia Solè each added eight points. It was a balanced offensive performance for Duquesne, as all nine Dukes that played recorded at least three points. The Dukes outscored the Leopards 34-17 in the fourth quarter and overtime to pull off the comeback.
KUDOS TO KALIN: Kalin was named the Atlantic 10's Player of the Week after a near triple double performance against Iona and helping spark the comeback victory over Lafayette. Kalin averaged 15 points, 8.5 rebounds 6.5 assists, and turned the ball over just three times in 81 minutes of action for a 4.3 assist to turnover ratio on the week. The Gibsonia native excelled from the free throw line, knocking down all 17 attempts that she earned. The honor is the first time a Duke has been named A-10 Player of the Week since Chassidy Omogrosso earned the accolade on Jan. 22, 2018. Kalin leads the team in rebounds (5.8 rpg), assists (5.2 apg).
BALLIN' BAZELAK: Libby Bazelak has continued to impress during her junior campaign, shooting 53.2 percent from the field, while draining 14-of-26 of attempts from 3-point land. She has posted at least 11 points in all five games this season. She leads the team with 14.8 points per game this season.
SUCCESS FROM THE STRIPE: When the Dukes have struggled shooting this season, they have been able to put points on the scoreboard from the charity-stripe. Duquesne ranks third of 348 teams in Division I in free throws made (88 FT) and sixth in the country in free throw attempts (127 FT attempted). The Dukes have attempted at least 17 free throws in each game this season, and earned a season-high 36 attempts in its latest effort against Lafayette.
… BUT THEY GRADUATED 5,000+ POINTS: Despite graduating three of the top-19 scorers in program history the offense has not skipped a beat, averaging 74.4 points per game which is second-best mark in the Atlantic 10 and is 91st in the nation. Duquesne averaged 65.3 points per game a season ago.
BACK IN THE 'BURGH: The Dukes close out their season-long five-game road trip in the City Game on Saturday, after making two separate trips to New York City and Eastern Pa. Since falling to Temple on Nov. 8, the Dukes have earned three consecutive wins on the road at Manhattan, Iona and Lafayette. The Dukes are averaging 75 points per game in that span. The Dukes will close out non-conference play with five of its final eight games in non-conference play taking place in the Steel City.
SCOUTING PITT: The Panthers enter the contest with a 2-2 record, defeating Central Connecticut State and Farleigh Dickinson, while falling to UCF and Georgetown. Aysia Bugg is the lone double-digit scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game through four contests. Bugg posted 17-plus points in every game so far, and dropped a season-best 26 points (6-for-12 3PT) in a win over CCSU.
