FAIRFAX, Va. – Playing in just her third game since returning from injury, Libby Bazelak sparked the Duquesne women's basketball team with a game-high 18 points, as the Dukes downed George Mason, 55-49, on Sunday afternoon at EagleBank Arena. The win halted a seven-game losing streak for the Dukes (3-8, 2-5), who last won on Dec. 11 against St. Bonaventure. The Patriots fall to 3-15 and 0-12 in Atlantic 10 play with the loss.

The Patriots held a 47-46 lead with 5:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Dukes clamped down defensively, holding George Mason to one made field goal the rest of the way, as Duquesne finished the contest on a 9-2 sprint.    

Bazelak, an Atlantic 10 Preseason First Team selection, shot 6-of-11 from the floor including 3-of-6 from 3-point land. She grabbed five rebounds and distributed a pair of assists to lead the Dukes offensively. With the Dukes up by just a single point at 50-49, Bazelak drained a triple off an inbound pass with 1:52 to put the Duquesne up by two possessions.

Ny Langley reached double-figures in scoring for the first-time as a Duke, pouring in 11 points off the bench. Megan McConnell drained 3-of-4 shots from beyond to arc to finish the game with nine points. The Steel City native also grabbed six rebounds.

Laia Sole neared a double-double, recording eight points and cleaned the glass with a career-best 13 rebounds. Sole also led the Dukes in assists, with three dimes on the afternoon.

Rachel Balzer led the Patriots with 14 points in the loss. Marika Korpinen added nine points.

FIRST QUARTER

• Mason scored the first five points of the contest before the Dukes got on the scoreboard after a Sole layup. The Patriots gained distance after a 10-3 run lifted George Mason to a game-high eight-point lead at 17-9. The Dukes ended the first quarter with four-consecutive points to trim its deficit to just four points at 17-13.
• Bazelak had five points in the opening period, while Korpinen posted seven points in nine minutes for Mason.

SECOND QUARTER

• Duquesne continued its momentum, slowly building a four-point lead at 25-21 with 5:58 left until halftime. Mason countered with three unanswered triples to take a five-point advantage. Sole halted the 9-0 run with a layup. McConnell closed the first half scoring with a trey with 1:33 remaining, as the Dukes and Patriots entered the locker room with the score knotted at 30-30.  
• Lanley shined in the second quarter, with six points on an efficient 3-of-4 shooting.

THIRD QUARTER

• McConnell opened the third quarter with a triple to give the Dukes the lead, as Duquesne would slowly build a game-high seven point advantage at 43-46 with 2:08 to go in the period. Amaya Hamilton added four points in a 6-0 run. The Patriots settled down and knocked down a pair of triples in the final two minutes, as the Dukes held a 43-42 lead after three quarters.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Mason kept momentum for the time being, as a trey gave the Patriots its first lead of the second half at 45-43. McConnell's timely triple would gift the Dukes back the lead at 46-45. After a Mason free-throw gave the Patriots a slim 47-46 advantage with 5:12 to go, Duquesne clamped down defensively, allowing Mason to convert just one of its final seven attempts from the field. The 9-2 sprint to end the game proved to be enough, as the Dukes earned its first victory since Dec. 11.

NOTES: Sole's 13 rebounds are the most by a Duke since Paige Cannon grabbed 15 against Fordham on Feb. 25, 2020 … Duquesne controlled the paint, holding significant advantages in rebounds (43-34), offensive rebounds (18-8), second chance points (16-6) and points in the paint (30-16) … The Dukes were playing in just its second game after a 25-day layoff due to COVID-19 protocols … After appearing in her first game on Jan. 17 against La Salle, Bazelak has led the Dukes in scoring each of the past two games. The Kettering, Ohio native is now averaging 9.7 points per game on the season.

QUOTABLE: "To not play as long as we have and to have all the other assortment of interesting adventures along our journey this year, it's good to have a win. It's good for our players in that locker room to feel what winning is again and not coming up a little short, like we've had a lot this year. We're hoping this win will propel us forward. Obviously Libby Bazelak is our go-to and our engine and she's looking better and better, but she's still not 100 percent. But I'm really happy with how Libby played today how she led our team. Laia Sole we played a lot in the first half and she was excellent scoring the ball, rebounding the ball and passing the ball, more than anything. Ny Langley came off the bench and played her best game as a Duquesne Duke and I couldn't be more happy for Ny. Ny has had a lot of adversity the last two years, with her injury and some other things. I think we're starting to see what she can provide, because what she did today, she's been doing in practice for the last couple weeks. She looks like she's getting better and better, step-by-step, so we're happy to get the win today. We'll celebrate this [win] till midnight and then we'll begin to focus on Rhode Island and our senior day." - Head Coach Dan Burt

UP NEXT

The Dukes will host Rhode Island in its first-ever game at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Thursday, Feb. 18.