Niagara University, N.Y. - The Duquesne University women's basketball team continued a three-game road trip to open its 2023-24 season Saturday, picking up its first win of the year with an 82-79 victory over Niagara at the Gallagher Center.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
Saige Glover converted in the paint to tie the game, 68-68, with 4:40 to play, but junior guard
Tess Myers came up big for the Dukes. She canned a three-pointer to push Duquesne on top, and after Shelby Fiddler knotted the game for the seventh time with her own triple, Myers answered with her fifth three-pointer of the game on a feed from junior guard
Megan McConnell to give the Dukes the lead for good. Aaliyah Parker helped trim the deficit for the Purple Eagles to 74-73 with a layup, but Duquesne was able to keep Niagara at bay in a game that featured 14 lead changes. Senior
Amaya Hamilton drove the lane to answer the layup from Parker, and freshman
Gabby Grantham-Medley would extend the lead for Duquesne to 78-73 with a pair at the free-throw line with just over two minutes left.
SEALING THE DEAL
Hamilton visited the stripe six times in the final 1:21 of action, converting four, including a pair with 35 seconds to go that kept the lead for Duquesne at three, 82-79. Niagara (1-1) called a timeout after the final two free throws from Hamilton, but out of the break a three-point attempt from Destiny Strother was off the mark, with Grantham-Medley securing the rebound and win for the Dukes.
BACK AND FORTH
Duquesne owned its biggest lead in the second quarter at the 4:28 mark, as a layup from
Jerni Kiaku opened up a 37-31 advantage. The bucket from Kiaku capped a 14-3 burst for the Dukes that erased the biggest advantage of the contest for the Purple Eagles, 28-23, after a layup from Amelia Strong. Duquesne eventually owned a 45-40 lead at the break on the strength of a 7-for-15 (45.2%) performance from beyond the arc. Myers and junior guard
Nae Bernard each hit a pair of triples in the first two quarters as five different Dukes connected from beyond the arc in the first half.
MOXIE
Despite Niagara tying the game four times in the final two quarters after trailing at the half, the Purple Eagles were never able to grab a lead in the second half. A three-pointer from McConnell at 1:15 of the third helped the Dukes match their biggest lead of the contest, 60-54, before Niagara made one last charge in the fourth quarter.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Duquesne dominated the glass Saturday, posting a 41-22 advantage in rebounds, including a 13-5 edge on the offensive glass. The performance helped the Dukes own a 16-9 cushion in second-chance opportunities. It marked a key point in the contest, as the two teams combined for 23 three-pointers. Myers paced Duquesne with a 5-for-10 performance from beyond the arc in scoring a team-high 17 points, while Strother went 7-for-11 from downtown in garnering game-high honors with 23 points. Also reaching double figures for the Dukes was McConnell (16) and Hamilton and center
Ayanna Townsend, who each contributed 11 points. McConnell also notched a double-double thanks to 10 boards while compiling five assists and three steals.
UP NEXT
The Dukes conclude their three-game road trip Tuesday, Nov. 11, with a 5:30 p.m. tip in Washington, D.C., against Howard. Duquesne opens the home portion of its 2023-24 slate Saturday, Nov. 18, with the annual City Game against Pitt with a 2:00 p.m. tip from the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Tickets
are on sale now.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and updates for Duquesne women's basketball, follow @DuqWBB on Twitter (X) and Instagram all season.
