PHILADELPHIA – Trailing 41-39 entering the fourth quarter, the Duquesne women's basketball team outscored Saint Joseph's 19-10 in the final period to earn a 58-51 victory over the Hawks at Hagan Arena on Saturday afternoon. Paige Cannon scored nine of her game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, as the Dukes (12-6, 2-3) overcame an 11-point second half deficit to down the Hawks (7-10, 1-4) by seven points.
Cannon's big day featured a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line, as the Dukes went to the charity-stripe 26 times and converted 19 of those attempts. Libby Bazelak neared a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. The junior supplied a pair of assists and also earned three steals.
Amanda Kalin registered eight points and seven rebounds, while Amaya Hamilton also contributed eight points. Precious Johnson posted seven points and seven rebounds in the balanced Duquesne offense.
FIRST QUARTER
- Duquesne took an early 9-5 lead, before the Hawks embarked on a 12-2 sprint to take a 17-11 lead with a minute left in the opening frame.
- Hamilton drained a jumper at the buzzer to trim the SJU lead to 17-13 after one quarter.
- Duquesne outrebounded the Hawks 16-10 in the first quarter.
- Cannon had five points to lead Duquesne in the period.
SECOND QUARTER
- SJU started the second quarter strong, inscreasing its lead 10 points at 23-13 after scoring the first six points to begin the half.
- Duquesne fought back to within one point of the Hawks at 25-24 after an impressive 11-2 surge by the Dukes.
- A Hawks jumper in the paint lifted SJU to a 27-24 halftime score.
THIRD QUARTER
- Saint Joseph's also began the third quarter strong, extending its lead to a game-high 11 at 38-27, beginning the second half on an 11-3 sprint.
- The Dukes slowly trimmed the deficit to a single point, firing off a 9-1 one to make it a 39-38 game with less than half a minute in the quarter.
- Saint Joseph's swished a layup with just 15 seconds left in the third, but Nina Aho would knock down a free throw to make it just a two point SJU lead at 41-39 after three quarters.
FOURTH QUARTER
- Aho connected on a triple to open the fourth quarter scoring, as the Dukes earned a 42-41 lead; their lead since it was 9-7 with 5:47 left in the first quarter.
- After a Cannon jumper in the paint, SJU would reclaim the lead at 46-45 after a 3-pointer.
- The two teams would trade leads until the Dukes took a 51-49 after two Cannon free throws. The senior followed that with a 3-pointer in the corner to extend the Dukes' lead to five at 54-49.
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- SJU would not get any closer than five points, as the Dukes defeated Saint Joseph's, 58-51 for their first A-10 road win of the season.
- Cannon posted nine points in the quarter to spark the comeback.
UP NEXT
- The Dukes return home to La Roche University on Wednesday night to battle George Mason. The opening tip in the North Hills is set for 7:00 p.m.
