TULSA, Okla. – The Dukes were knocked off 77-62 at Tulsa Thursday evening at the Reynolds Center in a non-conference game.
 
Duquesne (0-2) was led for a second-straight game by Tess Myers (Lower Burrell, Pa./North Catholic). Myers posted 17 points, including 4-of-5 from long range, and chipped in four rebounds. Precious Johnson (Helsinborg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola) added 12 points despite playing in foul trouble for most of the night. Johnson was perfect on six attempts from the free-throw line.
 
A bucket by Snezhana Serafimoska (Gostivar, Macedonia/Nebraska City) tied the game at 6-6 four minutes into the contest. The Dukes enjoyed their first lead of the evening at 7-6 when Serafimoska split two free throws, but the Golden Hurricanes (1-0) answered with a 12-5 spurt to put Duquesne in an 18-12 hole with 1:18 to play in the first quarter.
 
The Dukes managed to close the gap to two, 18-16, at the end of the quarter behind a pair of Johnson free throws and the first points of the season from Laia Sole (Igualada, Spain/IES Joaquim Blume).
 
Myers knocked down a trey to put the Dukes ahead 19-18 one minute into the second frame. The Dukes trailed 23-20 when Johnson was charged with her second and third fouls within thirty seconds at the 6:50-mark of the second quarter. With Johnson on the bench, Tulsa closed out the first half on a 16-2 run to put the Dukes in a 39-22 deficit at halftime.
 
The Golden Hurricanes pushed their lead to as many as 24, 46-22, before Duquesne made a run to tighten the game up. The Dukes went on a 17-8 run, capped off by back-to-back treys by Megan McConnell (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and Myers, to make the score 54-39 with 1:14 left in the third quarter.
 
After entering the fourth quarter down 58-41, the Dukes managed to get within 12, 65-53, at the six-minute mark. Tulsa did not allow Duquesne to get any closer and closed out the game with a double-digit cushion to give first-year Head Coach Angie Nelp a victory in her Golden Tornado debut.
 
Tulsa finished with a 34 to 14 advantage in points in the paint. The Dukes were 20 of 26 at the charity stripe, compared to the 10 of 12 posted by the Golden Tornadoes.
 
Tulsa was led by a game-high 23 points from Temira Poindexter in the win. Maya Mayberry chipped in 20.
 
The Dukes will return to Pittsburgh for their home-opener on Sunday, Nov. 14 when they host Lafayette at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The game is set for 2 p.m. and will broadcast on ESPN+.