PITTSBURGH – Coming off a thrilling win over George Mason, the Duquesne women's basketball team is set to play in its first-ever game at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Thursday night against Rhode Island. The matchup between the Dukes (3-8, 2-5) and Rams (8-6, 8-3) is slated for a 6:00 p.m. tip in the Steel City.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

• The game is not open to the general public. The team will distribute a small number of tickets family and friends.

• The first women's basketball game on campus in 712 days will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
• Live stats are available on goduquesne.com.
• Follow @DuqWBB on Twitter and Instagram for in-game updates. 

GAME PROGRAM


THE SERIES

• The two long-time Atlantic 10 foes will be meeting for the 58^th time, as Duquesne leads the series by a mark of 36-21.
• Duquesne has won five consecutive meetings against the Rams and 15 of the past 17 contests since 2008.
• Head Coach Dan Burt is 12-2 against the Rams since becoming head coach in 2013-14.
• Last season the Dukes defeated URI twice, with its first-ever win at PPG Paints Arena on 2/18/20 by a score of 72-62, and followed that win with a 70-53 victory over the Rams in the Atlantic 10 Championship First Round at La Roche University.

STAT CHECK

• The Dukes snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 55-49 win over George Mason on Sunday.
• 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.    
• Playing in just her third game this season, Libby Bazelak led the Dukes with 18 points. The Atlantic 10 Preseason First Team selection led Duquesne in scoring (13.2 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), assists (3.9 apg), steals (1.3 spg), 3-point field goal percentage (.444) and free throw percentage (.758) a season ago. She has made 55 percent of her field goal attempts since returning this season.
• Megan McConnell continues to shine during her freshman season, ranking 37^th in the country in assist/turnover ratio (2.43). She leads all freshman in the nation in the category.
• Over the last five games, the Dukes have been led in scoring by McConnell (10.2 ppg) and Tess Myers (10.0 ppg).

SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND

• The Rams (8-6, 8-3) are much improved in 2020-21 in Tami Reiss's second season as head coach after posting an 8-21, 3-13 record in 2019-20. The Rams seek their first winning season in Atlantic 10 play for the first time in 25 years (1995-96). After falling to 0-4 to start its season, URI opened the new year winning eight of its past 10 games, with its lonely losses coming against Fordham.
• Missouri transfer Emmanuelle Tahane leads the Rams in scoring with 14.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest. She has posted eight-consecutive double-doubles and leads the Atlantic 10 with 4.4 offensive rebounds per contest.
• Marie-Paule Foppossi (11.3 ppg) and Catherine Cairns (10.1 ppg) also average double-figures in scoring.

UP NEXT

• As announced on Wednesday, Duquesne will head to Olean, N.Y. to face St. Bonaventure on Monday night at 6:00 p.m. This matchup was previously scheduled for Feb. 7.