FAIRFAX, Va. – The Duquesne women's basketball team fell to George Mason on the road on Sunday afternoon, losing 61-45.
 
Duquesne falls to 11-5 (1-2 A-10) while Mason improves to 9-7 (2-1 A-10).
 
It was an inefficient shooting effort that held Duquesne back today, as it shot just 28.3 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three-point range.
 
On the boards, Mason was able to outrebound the Dukes 48-34 and 17-9 offensively. In the paint and off of turnovers, the Patriots outpaced Duquesne 20-14.
 
George Mason was up by as many as 18, but Duquesne fought back in the second half to make it a three-point game with 2:27 left in the third quarter. They went on a 13-0 run after being down by 17. 
 
Sophomore guard Naelle Bernard led Duquesne with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field. She was 2-for-5 from deep.
 
Sophomore guard Megan McConnell grabbed 12 rebounds (four offensive) to lead Duquesne today while also tallying eight points on 3-of-9 shooting.
 
Sophomore guard Tess Myers was second on the team with 11 points and hit two three-pointers. Junior guard Amaya Hamilton, despite not getting on the scoreboard, grabbed eight rebounds for Duquesne.
 
Junior forward Ayanna Townsend didn't shoot much today, but when she did, she was effective. She scored six points on 3-of-6 shooting and pitched in with two rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Once again, Bernard came to play early. She scored seven of Duquesne's first nine points as the Dukes jumped out to an early 9-2 lead.
 
After grabbing the early lead, Duquesne's offense went cold for nearly four minutes until Myers made a free throw to make it 10-7. The shooting woes continued for the Dukes as they ended the first quarter on the wrong end of a 10-1 run. After one quarter, Duquesne trailed 12-10.
 
A three-pointer by McConnell ended Duquesne's scoring drought, but unfortunately, George Mason continued to hit its shots. At the second quarter media timeout, Mason led 23-13.
 
Two-straight makes by Myers, including a three-pointer, got Duquesne within eight points, then she made another three a few minutes later to bring the Dukes within seven points.
 
Despite some pushback from the Dukes, the Patriots would not let up, and Mason would go into halftime leading by 10 points. It wasn't a great shooting half for either side, but Mason had a 25-18 rebounding advantage.
 
Mason immediately went on a 7-0 run out of the break, putting Duquesne in a 17-point hole. The Dukes would fight back before the third quarter media timeout and get back within five with 4:51 left in the third thanks to a McConnell layup and free throws by Bernard.
 
Things changed from then on, and the Dukes found some life.
 
A layup by Townsend brought the Dukes back within 10, then four free throws by Myers and Bernard made it a six-point game just like that, capping off a 10-0 Duquesne run.
 
Duquesne wasn't done quite yet, as McConnell hit a three-pointer to make it a 13-0 run, but Mason came back with five points to take its lead back up to eight. After three quarters, Duquesne trailed by seven points.
 
Duquesne had its chances to make it a one- or two-possession game, but the shots from deep just weren't falling in the fourth. Mason extended its lead to 13 points with about four minutes remaining, and the Dukes couldn't get any closer than 11 points.
 
When time ran out in the game, Mason found itself victorious, taking down the Dukes, 61-45.

GAME NOTES

• With a team-leading 15 points today, Bernard has now scored 11 or more points in three-straight games.
• McConnell led the team with 12 rebounds today, marking her ninth double-digit rebounding effort of the year.
• Myers made two three-pointers today, giving her multiple three-pointers in 14 out of 16 games this season.
• The Dukes have held their opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field in all but two games this year. Mason shot 35.5 percent today.

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