PITTSBURGH – Led by a career-high 23 points from Tess Myers (Lower Burrell, Pa./North Catholic), the Duquesne women's basketball team collected a 70-61 win over Saint Francis U Saturday afternoon in a non-conference game at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
 
Myers led the Dukes (5-6) while shooting 6-of-13, including 4-of-7 from long range, entirely in the second half. She scored 12 of the team's 17 points in the third quarter and half of Duquesne's 22 fourth-quarter points.
 
Three other Dukes scored in double figures. Libby Bazelak (Kettering, Ohio/Bishop Alter) posted 14 points, a team-high seven rebounds and four assists, while both Megan McConnell (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and Fatou Pouye (Kaolack, Senegal/Glasgow Christian) each finished with 10 apiece. McConnell added a career-high five steals to her final line.
 
Both teams struggled to find rhythm early in the contest. The Dukes held Saint Francis (0-9) without a point through the first five minutes of the game, but only led 5-4 by the four-minute mark of the opening period.
 
With the game tied at 12 after 10 minutes, Saint Francis took its first lead of the game, 14-12, on the first possession of the second quarter. The Dukes trailed 17-14 with 7:20 to play in the first half, when they went on a 10-0 run that spanned three minutes, capped off by a Halle Bovell (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Mary's) jumper, to make the score 24-17. Duquesne took its largest-lead of the first half at 30-22 in the final minute of the quarter, but a pair of buckets, including a buzzer-beating trey, had the Red Flash back within 31-27 entering halftime.
 
Myers, who was held scoreless in the first half, came out of the break and scored nine-straight points to help the Dukes take their biggest lead of the evening at 40-27 two minutes into the third quarter. Saint Francis chipped away at the lead throughout the quarter, eventually trimming the Duquesne lead down to 48-44 by the end of the period.
 
The Dukes got off to another fast start in the fourth quarter. Duquesne opened the frame with a 10-2 spurt, capped off by a Bazelak trey, that made the score 58-46 with 7:17 to play in the game. Saint Francis stormed back with eight-straight points to draw back within four, 58-54, before Myers knocked down another three pointer to push the Dukes' lead back to seven with three minutes left on the clock. Duquesne knocked down seven of eight at the free-throw line over the final 90 seconds of play to put the game away.
 
The Dukes shot 25 of 53 (47 percent) from the field as a team, including a 9-of-18 (50 percent) showing from beyond-the-arc. Saint Francis ended the evening shooting 22 of 51 (43 percent) and 7-of-19 (37 percent) from deep.
 
Both teams shot under 70 percent from the free-throw line. Duquesne was 11 of 16 (69 percent), while Saint Francis converted 10 of 19 (53 percent) from the charity stripe.
 
Duquesne held the lead for over 33 minutes of clock time, compared to the one minute, 39 seconds in which the Red Flash possessed the lead.

Myers' previous career-high was a 20-point performance versus VCU on Jan. 8, 2021.
 
Saint Francis' Jada Dapaa registered a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Red Flash.
 
The Dukes have a week off until it returns to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse hardwood on Saturday, Dec. 18 to take on Penn State. The game will tip at 2 p.m. and broadcast on ESPN+.