New Orleans, La. – The Duquesne women's basketball team kicked off the Tulane Holiday Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, dropping an 80-72 decision to Maine at the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans, La. With the loss, the Dukes fall to 6-5 this season.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The two squads traded the opening 10 points before junior Nae Bernard connected on a jumper from behind the arc to give Duquesne an 8-5 advantage. Maine (7-5) would respond by scoring seven consecutive points before both teams traded the next 10 points. After a successful jumper from junior Kiandra Browne, the Black Bears mounted a 5-2 stint to end the first quarter and lead 22-17. The Dukes came out firing on all cylinders to begin the second frame, burying its first three shots to start the quarter. Junior Megan McConnell sparked the run with back-to-back jumpers before sophomore Jerni Kiaku found the bottom of the net, 23-22 Duquesne. The Black Bears answered with a 6-0 run of their own before the team's traded threes as Maine held a 34-28 lead at the 4:44 mark. Later in the quarter, there was a two-minute scoring drought before the Black Bears scored 10 of the next 14 points to end the half and held a 44-32 advantage heading to the break.

SECOND HALF SNIPERS
The Dukes started to find its groove in the second half, shooting 60.0 percent (15-for-25) from the floor and 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from behind the arc. Duquesne started the third stanza by scoring eight straight points to trim the deficit 44-40. Junior Tess Myers drilled consecutive triples before a jumper from senior Ayanna Townsend capped the stint. Later in the quarter, the Dukes cut the Black Bears lead to two (47-45) after McConnell converted a pair of free-throws and Bernard drilled a jumper from long range. Maine answered once again, mounting a 10-2 run to extend its lead with less than a minute remaining. An old fashion three-point play from McConnell and a layup by Townsend trimmed the deficit, 57-52 after three.

Neither team could grab an advantage in the final quarter as they traded the opening 16 points. Both teams shot 3-of-4 form the floor, with a pair of threes for each squad. Out of the media timeout, McConnell continued to stay consistent, drilling consecutive jumpers to cut the Black Bears lead to four (68-64) with 3:34 remaining. Unfortunately, Maine remained steady in the final three minutes of the contest, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe while hitting a pair of triples.

LEAD THE WAY
A trio of Dukes finished in double-figures, led by Megan McConnell. She finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor while dishing out nine assists, grabbing five boards, and recording a block and a steal. Nae Bernard ended with 15 points, all coming from long range as she finished 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from deep while collecting three rebounds. Ayanna Townsend was the final Duke in double-digits, netting 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including five rebounds, one block, and a steal. The trio combined for 45 of Duquesne's 72 points while shooting 56.3 percent (18-for-32) from the field.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Tess Myers finished with nine points, all coming off three triples while dishing out three assists. Amaya Hamilton registered eight points, six rebounds, three assists, and a steal against the Black Bears. The Dukes used its size advantage inside, recording 34 points in the paint compared to Maine's 24. A big factor in the contest was points off the bench, as Jaycie Christopher finished 7-of-13 from deep for 21 points for the Black Bears. Maine finished with 32 bench points and 16 second chance points off 12 offensive rebounds.

UP NEXT
Duquesne looks to bounce back in the holiday tournament as they battle Little Rock on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 12:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. CT.