PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne women's basketball team led for over 38 minutes tonight on the way to a 68-63 victory over the visiting Saint Louis Billikens at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
 
Duquesne improves to 13-6 (3-3 A-10) while Saint Louis falls to 6-15 (2-4 A-10).
 
Duquesne was up by as many as 27 points in the second half, but a furious Saint Louis rally made it a three-point game late in the fourth quarter. Despite the pressure put on by the Billikens, the Dukes held on for the win.
 
The Dukes rode a 21-1 run in the first quarter to the very end of the game tonight, splitting a 10-0 and 11-0 run.
 
Sophomore guard Megan McConnell led the Dukes with 16 points and 10 rebounds, securing her ninth double-double of the season. She also tied a career high with a trio of three-pointers made.
 
Sophomore guard Tess Myers also made three treys and scored 13 points. Sophomore guard Naelle Bernard and junior guard Amaya Hamilton were also in double digits with 11 points scored each.
 
In addition to the 11 points, Hamilton grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists.
 
Junior center Precious Johnson grabbed eight rebounds and protected the rim all night, blocking a season-high four shots.
 
Duquesne shot 43.1 percent from the field compared to 28.8 percent by the Billikens. From three-point range, the Dukes shot 36.4 percent while Saint Louis hit only 22.2 percent of its threes.
 
Saint Louis out-rebounded Duquesne 49-40, grabbing 25 offensive rebounds along the way. The Dukes totaled 15 assists compared to the Billikens' 13, but the visitors had one less turnover than Duquesne (15-14).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Johnson opened the scoring for Duquesne off of a nice pass from Hamilton, then Hamilton followed that with four points of her own. The Dukes led 8-2 after just a few minutes.
 
Missed shots from both sides continued for a couple minutes until a three-pointer by Myers fell to put Duquesne up by nine.
 
Myers made another layup, then Bernard scored five-straight, including making a circus shot fall while getting fouled. With 1:47 left in the first, the Dukes had an 18-point advantage thanks to a 21-1 run.
 
The floodgates stayed open as the Dukes sank three more shots and went into the second quarter up 26-9.
 
Junior forward Ayanna Townsend opened the second quarter with four-straight points to put the Dukes up by 20, then Myers' second three of the night put them up 23. Another three-pointer, this time by Hamilton, capped off a 10-0 run by Duquesne.
 
McConnell hit her second three-pointer of the night as the Dukes continued the first half scoring barrage.
 
Early on in the second half, Myers hit another three-pointer – her third of the night – to extend the lead to 24 points.
 
Saint Louis then went on a 12-0 run to get the Dukes' lead down to 15 points, but Townsend finally ended it with a finish under the rim. Three free throws by Hamilton made it a 20-point game once again.
 
Although the Dukes were up for the entirety of the first three quarters, Saint Louis chipped the lead down to just 13 points headed into the fourth quarter. After scoring the first two points in the fourth, it was just an 11-point game.
 
After a three-pointer by the Billikens, Duquesne's lead was down to eight points at 54-46. Saint Louis was relentless, making shot after shot to shrink Duquesne's lead. 
 
Eventually the Billikens got within three points, but two clutch free throws by Myers shut the door for good as Duquesne walked away with a win. The Dukes' final six points all came from the free throw line. 

GAME NOTES

• Hamilton notched a career-high four steals tonight.
• Johnson blocked a season-high four shots.
• McConnell scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds, which makes tonight her ninth double-double of the year.
• With 10 rebounds today, McConnell notched her 11th double-digit rebounding effort of the year.
• McConnell also tied a career high with three three-pointers tonight.
• Myers made also three three-pointers tonight, giving her multiple threes in 16 out of 19 games this season.
• Tonight was Myers' 12^th game with 10 or more points.
• The Dukes have held their opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field in all but three games this year. SLU shot 28.8 percent today.
• Duquesne is now 11-1 at home this season.
• The Dukes began the game on a 21-1 run from 9:07 to 1:47 in the first quarter.

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