PITTSBURGH – In a defensive battle in the North Hills, the Duquesne women's basketball posted a strong first half offensively to overcome a sluggish second half, downing Saint Joseph's, 53-42, on Sunday afternoon at La Roche University. The win lifted the Dukes (16-7, 6-4) to their third-consecutive and sixth victory over its past eight games, while the Hawks (8-15, 2-9) have now dropped five-straight matchups.

Libby Bazelak recorded a game-high 19 points, draining five 3-pointers on just seven attempts. The five triples is a career-high for Bazelak and matches a Duquesne season-best with Paige Cannon's five treys against Akron. The junior from Kettering, Ohio added five rebounds, a pair of assists and just two turnovers in 39:23 of action.

Laia Solé also reached double-figures with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, earning four rebounds and posted three steals for the second consecutive game.

Angela Staffileno and Amaya Hamilton led the charge off the glass with six rebounds each, while Amanda Kalin distributed five assists against the Hawks.

FIRST QUARTER

• It didn't take long for the Duquesne offense to start clicking, reeling off a 12-3 run to begin the contest.
• After Duquesne increased its advantage to 14 points at 19-5, SJU's Katie Jekot drained a 3-pointer with 41 seconds in the quarter to cut the deficit to 11 at 19-8.
• Bazelak scored seven points in the first quarter and grabbed three caroms off the glass to lead the Dukes.
• The Dukes sunk 8-of-16 attempts from the floor during the first 10 minutes, while the Duquesne defense allowed SJU to shoot just 3-of-14 shots to be converted.
• Duquesne led 12-2 in points in the paint in the first quarter.  

SECOND QUARTER

• After SJU cut the Duquesne lead to single digits after a 5-0 run, the Dukes countered with a pivotal 15-1 sprint to grab a 35-15 advantage.
• SJU closed out the half on a 4-0 sprint, as Duquesne entered the locker room with a 35-19 lead.
• Bazelak posted 13 points in the first half, sinking 3-of-4 attempts from 3-point land.
• Staffileno grabbed five boards in just 6:37 of action to lead Duquesne.

THIRD QUARTER

• SJU buckled down defensively in the third period, holding Duquesne to shoot 1-of-11 from the floor in the quarter.
• The Hawks outscored Duquesne 12-6 in the third, as Duquesne led 41-31 after three quarters.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Duquesne extended its lead to 14 to begin the fourth, before the Hawks cut the deficit to single digits at 47-38 and 49-40.
• After the media timeout, the two teams traded points, as the Dukes would hold on to sweep the Hawks, 53-42.
• Bazelak (6) and Solé (6) combined to score all 12 points in the final quarter for the Dukes.

• The Dukes have now swept SJU in back-to-back seasons for four consecutive victories and have earned wins in six of the last seven games against the Hawks.
• Duquesne head coach Dan Burt now has 149 career wins.
• Bazelak has reached double-figures in five consecutive games and in eight of her past nine contests. She is averaging 16.3 ppg game over her past six and 19 ppg over her past three.
• Kalin now has 499 career points.

UP NEXT

• The Dukes are back on the road for a pair of contests next week at Richmond (Feb. 12) and Davidson (Feb. 16).
• Duquesne will then begin a season-long three-game homestead, hosting Rhode Island (Feb. 19 – PPG Paints Arena), George Washington (Feb. 22 – La Roche University) and Fordham (Feb. 25 – Robert Morris) to wrap up the regular season home schedule.
• The Dukes will head to Olean, N.Y. to battle St. Bonaventure in the regular-season finale on Feb. 29.