Pittsburgh, Pa. - Coming off a 19-win season, its highest win total since the 2019-20 season, the Duquesne University women's basketball team is set to begin its 51st season on Monday night at Princeton.

The Dukes return nine players, including all five primary starters, and added four newcomers. All seven of its top scorers from last season are back on the roster including double-digit scorers Tess Myers (11.7 ppg), Megan McConnell (11.2 ppg), Amaya Hamilton (10.6 ppg), Ayanna Townsend (10.4 ppg), and Precious Johnson (10.3 ppg), while Nae Bernard charted 9.4 ppg. Myers, McConnell, and Hamilton all averaged over 30 minutes per game.

Jerni Kiaku and Kiandra Browne are a pair of transfers, then freshmen Raymi Couëta and Gabby Grantham-Medley round out the roster. Kiaku arrives on the Bluff after a standout freshman season at N.C. Central a year ago, where she garnered MEAC Rookie of the Year honors and was a six-time rookie of the week selection. Browne battled an injury last season, which limited her to seven games, at Indiana. In her first two seasons at IU, Browne shot .585 from the field over 51 games.
 
"We are very excited to see how we perform throughout the year ... The expectations are very high," said head coach Dan Burt, who enters his 11th season at the helm of the program.

Burt became the all-time winningest coach in program history last season and enters the 2023-24 campaign with 188 wins.

Megan McConnell is coming off a Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and All-Academic Team selection in 2022-23. Entering this season, she was named to the 2024 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watch List. She was one of two players in Division I last season, and the first Duke ever to record multiple triple doubles, with two. McConnell, a junior point guard, set a new single-season rebounding record with 303 in 2022-23, while averaging the second-most rebounds per game in the conference (9.8). The Pittsburgh native had a slash line of 11.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. The assists were good for a league-best total. "Everyone pretty much knows how talented Meg is and what she did last year speaks to her value as a player for us and also within the Atlantic 10," said Burt.

Junior shooting guard Tess Myers enters the season fifth all-time on the DU leader board in made three pointers with 205 after posting her second straight season with 90 makes from beyond the arc, which was good for second in the Atlantic 10 and her average of 2.90 per game was 12th nationally. "She's only gotten better as a basketball player and is not just a shooter. We're excited about seeing what she does defensively and also rebounding the ball."

The center position is seemingly locked up by seniors Ayanna Townsend and Precious Johnson, who both averaged over 10 points and five rebounds per game. Johnson is the leading returning shot blocker in the A-10 averaging 1.5 per game last season, while Townsend also averaged a block a game.

"A lot of what we do starts with Amaya Hamilton, who we will play at point guard much more than we have in the past," noted Burt. Hamilton averaged 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and was second on the team with 90 assists and 29 steals a year ago. She heads into her fifth season having played in all 107 games over the past four seasons.

Junior guard Nae Bernard will be back for her second season with the Dukes after transferring from Salt Lake City CC. Bernard averaged 9.4 points over 26.2 minutes in her first year on the Bluff a year ago. Redshirt senior guard Lauren Wasylson returns for her third season at DU after transferring from Xavier. Wasylson averaged just under 18 minutes per game and started five of the last six games in 2022-23.

Also among the returners are a pair of redshirt sophomores Kaitlyn Ammons and Selma Kulo, who redshirted last year but both have collegiate playing experience. Ammons, a 6-3 forward, spent a year at DePaul playing 12 games as a freshman before suffering a season-ending injury. Kulo, a 6-4 center, played two seasons at Western Kentucky before transferring to Duquesne last season.

"When you return that kind of firepower and you add a Rookie of the Year from the MEAC, in Jerni Kiaku, and two former top-100 post players, in Indiana transfer Kiandra Browne and DePaul transfer Kaitlyn Ammons, you know that you've got some real firepower," said Coach Burt.

Fans can expect to see the newcomers making an impact right away. Jerni Kiaku averaged 10.7 points, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in her standout rookie season at N.C. Central. "Jerni is an explosive, downhill guard. Probably the most athletic, fast-twitch athlete that we've had in my 17 years at Duquesne," said Burt.

Kiandra Browne and Ammons were both top-100 recruits out of high school and have battled injuries while competing with promise over the fall. "They both have played at high levels and are very good players," added Burt.

Late signee Raymi Couëta, from the French Guiana, has impressed Burt and the staff as a true freshman. "She is just a great defensive player both on ball and off ball. We're really excited about what she is going to bring to the team," said Burt. "In a program that doesn't play freshman often she is going to be one that is going to be targeted to play meaningful minutes." 

Gabby Grantham-Medley was a multiple time first team all-county selection from Hagerstown, Md. She posted prolific career numbers and led all Washington County Public Schools in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game in 2021-22.

The Dukes schedule starts on the road for the first three games, the longest away stretch to start the season since four in a row began the 2017-18 campaign, then will tip off for the first time inside the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on November 18 against Pitt for the City Game. Duquesne will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network on January 7 at home against George Mason and on January 21 at Davidson, while nearly every other game will be available on ESPN+. A total of 11 games will be broadcasted on Sports Net Pittsburgh, as part of a recently announced partnership.

Burt also made two changes to his staff this off-season. Aurielle Anderson, a Western Michigan alumnus, was hired as an assistant coach, coming from Long Island University where she spent the past two seasons. "Auri joins us from Long Island where she was very good with technology and strength and conditioning. I was very intrigued by her while spending time with her at the WBCA National Convention and we're excited about her addition," said Coach Burt.

Then, RJ Bell was elevated to assistant coach after spending the past two years as a graduate assistant with the program. "RJ is a solution-based young man who has really caught the eye of a lot of people in a very short time. We're very excited about what RJ's future looks like and we're hoping to be able to retain him for many years to come, as his basketball X's-and-O's knowledge is outstanding and his work ethic is even better."

SEASON OPENER INFO
November 6, 2023 | 7 PM | Jadwin Gymnasium (Princeton, N.J.)
Duquesne Dukes: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Princeton Tigers: Roster | Schedule | Stats

GAMEDAY LINKS 
Watch Live on ESPN+ | Follow Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes | Princeton Game Notes

THE SERIES - vs. PRINCETON

• Princeton leads 3-2
• In Princeton: tied 1-1
• Last meeting: L, 66-94 on 11/15/2015 at Princeton
• Streak: Princeton W2
• Under Coach Burt: 0-2
• Three of the five meetings have been within five points ... Princeton leads 2-1 in games decided by five or less.
• The sides met once before to open the season, a 79-62 Princeton victory in the 2014-15 opener in Pittsburgh.

DUKES IN SEASON OPENERS

• Duquesne is 25-25 in season openers over its 50-year history.
• The Dukes snapped a six-game losing streak in openers last season with a 94-47 win over Point Park inside the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
• Under Coach Burt, DU is 3-7 in season openers.
• This season will mark seven of the last nine beginning with a road game.
• Duquesne has not won a road game to begin the season since 2015 at Saint Peters (0-5 since).

UP NEXT
Duquesne will continue a three-game road trip to start the season with a matchup at Niagara on Saturday at 1 pm.

TICKETS ON SALE
Duquesne women's basketball opens its home season on Nov. 18 at 2 pm against crosstown rival Pitt for the City Game. Tickets for the home opener, as well as every home game this season are available now by clicking here.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and updates for Duquesne women's basketball, follow @DuqWBB on Twitter (X) and Instagram all season.