PITTSBURGH – Trailing by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, the Duquesne women's basketball team outscored Rhode Island 41-22 in the second half to get back in the win column by a score of 72-62 on Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena. The victory marked the 150th win in head coach Dan Burt's career.

The Dukes (17-9, 6-6) snap a two-game losing skid with the win, while the Rams (13-12, 6-7) drop behind Duquesne in the A-10 standings with the loss.

Libby Bazelak posted her sixth career double-double and her fifth of the season, registering 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Kettering, Ohio native also distributed six assists and earned two steals on the night in a complete 40 minutes of action on the floor.

Paige Cannon reached double-figures in scoring for the fourth time in five games, sinking 5-of-9 shots from the floor, including 3-of-4 attempts from 3-point land. She grabbed five caroms on the night.

In just 12 minutes of action, Precious Johnson gave the Dukes a much needed spark, recording all 12 of her points in the second half on a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor and 2of-2 from the stripe. Overall, Johnson cleaned the glass with six rebounds and denied four Rams shots.  Classmate Amaya Hamilton added eight points on 4-of-6 shooting, as the freshmen duo sparked the comeback win with scoring with a combined 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting off the bench.

FIRST QUARTER

• Neither team led by more than a possession in the opening quarter until a 6-0 sprint from URI gave the Rams a 16-10 advantage.
• Angela Staffileno cut the deficit to three points with a triple, as the teams traded points the rest of the way. Rhode Island led 21-17 after 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER

• The Rams increased its advantage to nine at 30-21, but a trey and a jumper from Bazelak whittled the deficit to just four at 30-26.
• After points were traded on the scoreboard, the Rams closed the half on a 5-0 run to take a 40-31 lead into the third quarter.
• Bazelak neared double-double territory in the first half with 12 points and seven rebounds.

THIRD QUARTER

• After Rhode Island led 44-34 with 7:55 left in the third, the Dukes stormed back into the game with a 10-0 run to tie the game at 44-44.
• URI would hold onto the lead temporarily, until a Johnson layup with 14 seconds remaining gave Duquesne its first lead since 10-8 at 50-48.
• The Dukes outscored the Rams 19-8 in the third frame, holding URI to shoot just 1-of-10 from the floor.

• Now holding momentum, Duquesne continued to score and play well defensively, as a the Dukes began the fourth quarter on a 18-8 surge to take its biggest lead of the contest at 68-56.
• The Rams would cut the Duquesne to single digits and as low as six points at 68-62, but behind eight of Johnson's points in the fourth quarter, the Dukes held on to defeat the Rams.
• Duquesne outscored the Rams 22-14 in the fourth frame, including 14-8 from inside the paint.

NOTES

• The Dukes shutdown one of the best scorers in the conference, Nicole Jorgenson, who entered the contest ranking third in the A-10 with 16.2 points per game. Jorgenson was held without a field goal (0-4), while earning a single point from the free throw line. Jorgenson is the A-10's leading rebounder, and was limited to just five in the contest (averaged 8.79). She was limited to just over 12 minutes of action on the floor, due to foul trouble.
• While Jorgenson was held in check, Davida Dale provided 27 points, seven rebounds four assists and three steals for the Rams.
• The win marked the fifth time this season that Duquesne has come-from-behind by more than 10 points and earned a victory.
• Burt is one of two coaches to reach the 150-win milestone in program history, becoming the fastest to ever do it (150-76, 226 games).
• Despite not having a true home arena on campus, the Dukes are now 10-2 in home games.
• The win marked the first victory for Duquesne at the home of Pittsburgh Penguins since the Dukes downed Steel City rival Pitt in the City Game on Feb. 5, 1998. The win was the first in two opportunities at PPG Paints Arena.
• The Dukes now lead the all-time series over URI by a mark of 34-21, including victories four consecutive and 16 of the past 18 meetings.

UP NEXT

• The Dukes continue its Pittsburgh-area tour on Saturday, when Duquesne hosts George Washington on Saturday night at La Roche University. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
• In its final home regular season game on Tues., Feb. 25, the Dukes will honor their seniors against Fordham at Robert Morris' UPMC Events Center in Moon Township.
• Duquesne will hit the road one final time in the regular, closing the campaign out at St. Bonaventure on Feb. 29.