PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne women's basketball team looks to get back to its winning ways on Wednesday morning, when the Dukes (10-4, 0-1 A-10) head to Washington, DC to face the George Washington Colonials (6-8, 0-1 A-10). Duquesne's first road Atlantic 10 matchup is set for an 11:00 a.m. tip at the Charles E. Smith Center.
HOW TO FOLLOW: The contest will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Live stats are available on gwsports.com. Follow @DuqWBB on Twitter and Instagram for updates in game.
THE SERIES: George Washington is Duquesne's most familiar opponent, as the Dukes and Colonials will meet for the 69th time on Wednesday, the most of any foe. Overall GW leads the series 53-15 own a 24-5 record at home. The Dukes have played well at the Charles E. Smith Center in recent memory, posting wins in four of the last trips.
LAST TIME OUT: Trailing by 18 points entering the fourth quarter, the Dukes fell just short of a comeback victory, falling to the UMass, 81-77, on Saturday night at La Roche University. The Dukes outscored UMass 26-12 in the final period, cutting the deficit to as low as five points on four separate occasions, but ultimately could not complete its third consecutive comeback at the Kerr Fitness Center. Four different Dukes reached double-figures in scoring, led by Nina Aho (6-11 FG, 3-6 3PT) and Libby Bazelak's 16 points (5-12 FG, 4-9 3PT). Laia Solé totaled 13 points and six boards, while Paige Cannon added 11 points and six caroms. Duquesne shot excellent from 3-point land, swishing 13-28 attempts (46.4 percent) and came within one triple of tying the school-record of 14 3-pointers.
ROAD WARRIORS: Duquesne is among the best in the country in finding a way to win on an opponent's court, posting six wins in eight opportunities. The Dukes are tied for third in the country with DePaul (6-1), Arizona (6-1), Missouri State (6-2), Rutgers (6-2), William & Mary (6-2), Howard (6-2), North Dakota (6-3) with six road wins this season. Only Cleveland State (8-2) and UConn (7-0) have more victories on the road.
STAT CHECK: Libby Bazelak continues to rank among the nation's best in 3-point efficiency, connecting on exactly 50 percent (31-62) of her attempts from beyond the arc. Only Bazelak and Bowling Green's Madison Parker (44-87, 50.6 percent) have sunk at least half of their attempts this season from long range. Duquesne leads the conference in assists (218), assists per game (15.6), scoring offense (73.5 ppg), while ranking second in field goal percentage (42.7 percent), free throw attempts (276), free throws made (185) and 3-point field goal percentage (35 percent). Since exploding for 38 points against Saint Francis on Dec. 15, Laia Solé is averaging 19.8 points per game, while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor and grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game. Solé leads the Atlantic 10 this season as a 51 percent shooter from the floor, ranking 82nd in the country.
SCOUTING GW: The Colonials have fallen in five consecutive contests since defeating Quinnipiac on Dec. 7. George Mason downed GW 70-60, using a 24-point third quarter to take down the Colonials. GW sports a balanced offense as five different players average between 7.4 to 11.7 points per game. Tori Hyduke is the team's leading scorer, while Sydney Zambrotta also averages double-figures (10.7 ppg). Hyduke ranks 40th nationally and third in the A-10 with a 43.1 3-point field goal percentage. GW is the most efficient team from long-range in the conference, swishing 35.5 percent of its attempts from deep.
