PREVIEW: Dukes Host Cornell and Howard to End Non-Conference Play

GAME 12 | DUQUESNE (8-3, 0-0) vs CORNELL (6-4, 0-0)
Mon. Dec. 19, 2022 • 1:00 p.m. ET
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500), Pittsburgh, Pa.
TV: ESPN+

GAME 13 | DUQUESNE (8-3, 0-0) vs HOWARD (3-8, 0-0)
Wed. Dec. 21, 2022 • 11:00 a.m. ET
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500), Pittsburgh, Pa.
TV: ESPN+

The Dukes end non-conference play with two home games against Cornell and Howard on Monday and Wednesday. Monday's game begins at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday's game will be an 11:00 a.m. tip-off, with a men's game following afterwards.

THE SERIES - vs. CORNELL

The Dukes have beaten the Big Red in all five meetings in the series.
The two teams first played in 2004 and most recently played in 2019.
Duquesne is 2-0 at home against Cornell.

SCOUTING CORNELL

Cornell is 6-4 and has not played in 14 days. It is on a three-game win streak.
The Big Red have beaten Hartford, Albany, and Binghampton most recently.
Cornell is a deep scoring team, but Ania McNicholas leads the team with 10.6 points per game.
Summer Parker-Hall is the team's leading rebounder at 6.6 per game.
McNicholas also leads the team with 33 steals.
Cornell was picked to finish sixth in the Ivy League this season.
Dayna Smith is in her 21st season leading the Big Red.

THE SERIES - vs. HOWARD

The Dukes are also 5-0 against the Bisons of Howard.
The two teams first met in 1993 and most recently met in 2015.
Duquesne is 3-0 against Howard in Pittsburgh.

SCOUTING HOWARD

Howard is 3-8 and is coming off of three-straight losses to North Texas, Towson and DePaul.
The Bison played Manhattan, a common opponent, earlier this season, losing 56-54.
Howard has also played two A-10 opponents in LaSalle and George Washington, splitting those games.
Destiny Howell is averaging 14.8 points to lead the team.
Iyanna Warren is the team leader in assists per game (2.7) and steals per game (1.9).
Howard was picked to repeat as MEAC champions this year.
Ty Grace is in her sixth season leading Howard. Her career record is 108-104.

LAST TIME OUT

Duquesne fell on the road to Temple on Friday night, 66-60.
The Dukes were down by as many as 18 in the second half and got all the way back to within four before eventually losing.
Ayanna Townsend led Duquesne with 19 points and was 9-for-11 from the free throw line.
Megan McConnell had eight points, nine rebounds and six assists.
As a team, the Dukes shot 15-for-19 from the free throw line.

STAT CHECK

Megan McConnell is the ONLY player in Division-I - men's or women's - to have two triple-doubles this year. Her 9.0 defensive rebounds per game ranks second in the nation and her 10.6 rebounds per game rank 16th nationally. Her 31 steals are the 14th-most in the country and her63 assists lead the A-10 and rank 13th nationally.
Tess Myers leads the A-10 and ranks 16th in the country with 3.09 three-pointers per game this season. Her 34 three-pointers made are the seventh-most in the country. Her 90 total threes last season led the conference and ranked 14th in the nation.
The Dukes lead the A-10 in rebounds per game (41.7, 55th in nation) and defensive rebounds per game (30.8, 18th in nation). Their field goal percentage defense (35%) ranks first in the conference and 35th nationally.

BEASTS ON THE BOARDS

Megan McConnell leads the A-10 with 10.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 16th nationally. Her 9.0 defensive rebounds per game rank second in the nation.
She led the team with 6.4 rebounds per game last season, which ranked 10th in the conference.
McConnell hauled in at least five rebounds in 22 games last season. She has five or more in all 11 games so far this year, and seven games with double digit rebounds.
Precious Johnson ranks second on the team and 15th in the conference with 6.6 rebounds per game.
Duquesne's 30.8 defensive rebounds per game ranks 18th in the country. The Dukes' 41.7 rebounds per game rank 55th in the country.

PLAYING LIKE A MCCONNELL

In addition to rebounds, Megan McConnell ranks third in the A-10 in steals per game (2.8, 33rd in nation) and assists per game (5.7, 21st in nation).
Last year she led the team in both assists (4.1) and steals (2.6) per game.
She has 31 steals already, recorded five in the season opener and had six in the Marshall game.
McConnell recorded a career-high eight steals versus George Washington on Feb. 9, 2022.
It marked the most steals in a single game by a Dukes player under Head Coach Dan Burt.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

Since taking over as head coach in the 2013-14 season, Dan Burt has led the Dukes to a 93-39 record in home games.
Not including the shortened 2020-21 season (only five home games), the Dukes haven't had a losing record at home since 2006-07 and never have under Burt.
The Dukes went 8-7 at home last season in their first full season at the upgraded UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Duquesne is 6-1 at home this season.

LOCK DOWN D

Duquesne ranks 30th in the country and first in the conference in field goal percentage defense, with opposing teams shooting just 35.0 percent against the Dukes.
The Dukes' scoring defense ranks fourth in the conference as opposing teams have scored just 61.4 points per game.
The Dukes held opponents to under 50 points five times last season and won eight games by double digits. They have won four games by double-digits already this year.
Duquesne held an opponent to under 50 points just once during the previous 2020-21 season (George Mason) and did not win any games in 2020-21 by double digits.

CLUTCH IN CRUNCH TIME

Duquesne was 0-12 last season in games decided by eight points or less, but it is 4-2 this year - a sign that things are different this season in the clutch moments.
The Dukes were also winless in the 12 games in which they trailed heading into the fourth quarter, a streak which was also snapped just two games into this season as they trailed 54-53 against Brown on Nov. 11 after three quarters.
Tess Myers has been clutch late in the game this season. She hit the game-winning three-pointer against Vermont on Dec. 10, scored the last seven points in the six-point win over Kent State on Dec. 7 and scored three of the last four points in the five-point win against Marshall on Nov. 27.
They are 2-3 when trailing after three quarters this year.

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