PITTSBURGH – The Dukes were defeated 73-68 by Saint Joseph's on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
 
The loss ends the Duquesne women's basketball team's regular-season at 11-17, 6-10 in the Atlantic 10. The Dukes will await the outcome of the final game of the day on Saturday to determine their seed in the upcoming A-10 Championship next week in Wilmington, Delaware. A UMass win over Saint Louis would clinch the No. 10 seed for Duquesne, while a Billikens win would push the Dukes into the No. 11 seed.
 
Precious Johnson (Helsingborg, Sweden/Marks) matched a career high with 20 points in the setback. She also added six rebounds and four blocks to her final line. Fatou Pouye (Kaolack, Senegal/Glasgow Christian) finished with 12 points, while Megan McConnell (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) added 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
 
Pouye tied the game up at 10-10 with her second three pointer of the game at the 6:10-mark of the first quarter, before Saint Joseph's went on a 12-4 run to close out the period with a 22-14 lead.
 
The Hawks led 34-25 at the halfway point of the second quarter. The Dukes answered with nine-straight points, including a game-tying trey by Tess Myers (Lower Burrell, Pa./North Catholic) with 51 seconds to play until halftime. Saint Joseph's responded with a triple of their own on the next possession to send Duquesne into halftime trailing 37-34.
 
The Dukes claimed the lead at 40-39 and eventually held what was its biggest lead of the day at 43-41 with 6:14 to play in the third quarter. Saint Joseph's went on a 15-4 run to take a 56-47 lead over the next four minutes and eventually closed out the quarter enjoying a 62-49 advantage.
 
Saint Joseph's took its largest-lead of the day at 64-49 one minute into the fourth quarter. The Dukes chipped away at the deficit and eventually got it down to five, 69-64, with 37 seconds to play in the game. The Hawks clinched the win by knocking down all four of their free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds of regulation to put the game away.
 
The Dukes shot 29 of 68 (43 percent) from the field, but just 4-of-17 (24 percent) from long range. Saint Joseph's was 24 of 51 (47 percent) and 9-of-19 (47 percent) from three-point range.
 
Saint Joseph's guard Mackenzie Smith led four players in double figures for the Hawks with 26 points, including 18 in the third quarter alone, and seven rebounds.
 
Prior to the opening tip, the Dukes recognized their six final-year players for their contributions to the program. Those players included Pouye, Libby Bazelak (Kettering, Ohio/Alter), Amanda Kalin (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland), Laia Sole (Igualada, Spain/INS Joaquim Blume), Halle Bovell (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Mary's) and Diamond Bragg (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill).
 
Duquesne will either open play at the A-10 Championship on Wednesday, March 2 as the No. 11 seed against George Mason, or take on Saint Joseph's again on Thursday, March 3 as the No. 10 seed at the event. Early round games will all stream on ESPN+.