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Fresh off its first win of the season over Manhattan and a 382 mile-plus bus trip back home, the Dukes returned to the Bluff late that Sunday night.
Just as soon as they got back to the Steel City, it seemed like they were on their way back to the Empire State.
In a very similar trip, the Dukes, who had played in Philadelphia against Temple on Friday, Nov. 8 and Manhattan on Sunday, Nov. 10, would head back to New York on Thursday, Nov. 14 to play Iona the following night and would then head south to Easton, Pa. to face Lafayette on Sunday, Nov. 17.
As a comparison, Manhattan College and Iona College are separated by less than 11 miles. Temple University and Lafayette College are just 75 miles away. Would similar territory bring similar results?
Instead of bussing the entire trip, the Dukes flew to La Guardia that Thursday prior to the Friday night contest with the Gaels, and would bus to Lehigh Valley the following morning and then head home to Pittsburgh after the Sunday afternoon tilt.
Duquesne sought its second consecutive win against a MAAC foe in New York and would also play one of the first games in the newly renovated Hynes Center. It marked the second consecutive game for Duquesne that its opponent was playing its home opener, and its second-ever trip to New Rochelle. The Dukes earned a hard-fought 61-58 victory at the Hynes Center during early on in the 2016-17 season.
The Hynes Center facelift included LED scoreboards around every corner, a new playing surface along with several other aesthetical improvements around the building.
It's never easy winning on the road. A team tasked with playing all 29 regular season games off campus, would have to adjust quickly in hopes of a successful season in non-conference play.
From the tip in New Rochelle, it looked like the Dukes had not missed a beat on the offensive end. Duquesne dropped 21 points in the first quarter, followed by 19 points in the second. The Gaels responded strong in its home debut at the renovated facility with 20 points in the first, but the second quarter did not go its way. The Dukes' defense came up big in a single quarter for the second consecutive game.
Iona could only muster two field goals on 10 attempts in the period, while the Dukes continued to sink more than shots than it missed. Overall, Duquesne built a 40-25 halftime advantage, after allowing just five second-quarter points while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point land.
Duquesne had built significant leads against Kent State and Manhattan, before both teams rallied to get back in the game. This game would be no different.
Iona fired off a 22-8 run in the third quarter, as the Dukes were holding desperately on to a two-point lead at 50-48. Duquesne settled down, and would not relinquish the advantage on the scoreboard, as a 10-0 run to end the third frame lifted the Dukes to a 60-48 advantage after three quarters.
This game of runs was far from over. The explosive fourth quarter featured a combined 42 points.
An 18-10 scoring surge brought the win-hungry Iona squad within a single point at 70-69 and would tie the contest at 74-74 after Gaels' Morgan Rachu sunk her fifth triple of the evening with just 18 seconds left. Rachu would finish the season fifth in the nation with 3.3 3-pointers per contest.
With 18 seconds left, the Dukes held possession without a shot clock. After an attempted 3-pointer bounced off the rim, Laia Sole grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled after attempting a shot.
With 1.1 seconds remaining, Sole knocked down both attempts from the stripe, and then blocked the ensuing desperation shot, as the Dukes earned its second consecutive victory in dramatic fashion.
Sole's clutch free throws proved to be a highlight, but a few other performances stood out.
Playing in just her fourth collegiate contest, Amaya Hamilton led Duquesne with 17 points, swishing seven field goals on 13 attempts, which included three from beyond the arc.
Amanda Kalin shined, especially from the charity-stripe, converting all nine of her attempts for 15 points. The Gibsonia native flirted with a triple-double, grabbing nine caroms and distributing eight assists against the Gaels.
It looked as if the Dukes would have several key contributors, with the potential for anyone on the team to step up on any given night.
The win marked Duquesne's 11th straight and 19th win of 21 total games against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Up next for Duquesne that weekend was a trip to Easton, Pennsylvania and a matchup with the Lafayette Leopards.
The Dukes were still finding an identity. Now with an even .500 record with four games in the books, it was time to overcome another challenge: fatigue.
Duquesne was about to play its fifth game of the season in just a 12-day span, with its fourth consecutive road game by a distance of at least 300 miles away from campus. The depth of the team was starting to take its toll. Halle Bovell would not appear in a game the entire season due to an ACL tear. Nina Aho would miss both the Iona and Lafayette games due to injury.
Lafayette got off to a fast start, outscoring Duquesne 18-11 in the opening quarter at the Kirby Sports Center. Duquesne shot just 2-of-16 from the floor during the first 10 minutes, but made 7-of-10 from the free throw line to stay within striking distance.
For the first time of the season, it was the offensive end that was not flourishing.
With the shots not initially falling, the Dukes had to turn to defense. Lafayette was limited to shoot 4-of-11 from the floor in the second period, as Duquesne entered the locker room down just four points at 29-25.
As the halftime neared, it looked like the slim deficit was the last thing on the mind of the Dukes.
Anie-Pier Samson made her second consecutive start in-place of Aho. Samson was having a career-game in the first half, with career-highs of nine points and nine rebounds in just 15 minutes on the floor. With just under a minute left until halftime, the redshirt-junior grabbed a loose-ball on the defensive end, landing awkwardly on her right foot. The gruesome injury looked serious, and would sideline Samson the rest of the season. In just an instant, the depth of the Dukes just got smaller.
As Aho and Duquesne manager Dillon Penix helped a visually-distressed Samson to the locker room, the Dukes had to time to process what just happened in the locker room.
Lafayette outscored Duquesne 19-14 in the third quarter, to lengthen its advantage to 48-39.
Down nine points entering the fourth quarter, the Dukes needed a spark.
A fast 11-3 run trimmed the Leopards lead to just a single pointn at 51-50. Lafayette responded with a 3-pointer.
With Lafayette leading 57-54 with a pair of made free throws, Duquesne took possession with 23 seconds left. Kalin held possession at mid-court, dribbled to her right and passed the ball to Libby Bazelak. Bazelak was double-teamed, as an unguarded Kalin found an opening in the corner and received a pass from Bazelak. Kalin threw up a shot in the corner and buried it.
The contest headed to overtime.
Riding the momentum of Kalin's trifecta, the Dukes fired off a 14-4 run in the extra overtime, as the Dukes escaped Easton with a victory.
Duquesne headed home on another long bus-ride, winning its third consecutive contest. It wasn't a pretty win, but that didn't matter. The Dukes have found its winning way once again, with a recharged identity.
Kalin's 3-pointer punctuated an incredible weekend performance, as she led the Dukes against the Leopards with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The junior was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, averaging 15 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists in the two games, while turning the ball over just three times in 81 minutes of action on the floor. Kalin was perfect from the free-throw line, knocking down all 17 attempts during the two games.
After back-to-back lengthy road trips, Duquesne would have a week to rest up before embarking on a much shorter journey. A non-conference clash with Steel City rival Pitt was next on the docket.
