Dayton, Ohio – The Duquesne women's basketball team snapped a three-game skid on Saturday night, routing Dayton, 70-42 in conference play at UD Arena. With the win, the Dukes improve to 7-6 overall with a 2-0 mark in league play. Meanwhile, the Flyers fall to 6-7 this season with a 0-2 record in A-10 action.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
After a slow opening two minutes of the contest, Duquesne cliqued on all cylinders, mounting an 11-2 early lead. Senior
Ayanna Townsend and junior
Nae Bernard controlled the run as Townsend netted six points and Bernard tallied five during the stint. Out of the media timeout, the Dukes would score 11 of the next 16 points, to hold a 22-7 advantage after one. Senior
Precious Johnson sparked the run with a layup before sophomore
Jerni Kiaku registered five straight points for Duquesne. Townsend converted another layup as freshman
Gabby Grantham-Medley converted a score as time expired. It was an even second quarter, as each squad netted 12 points, with the Dukes holding a 34-19 lead heading to the break.
PUT IT ON'EM
Duquesne continued to dominate in the second half, outscoring the Flyers 36-23 while shooting 50.0 percent (14-of-28) from the floor. The Dukes opened the third quarter on a 10-4 run, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor during the stint. Senior
Amaya Hamilton started the run with a score before Bernard scored four straight points for Duquesne. Johnson converted a layup before a jumper by Hamilton capped the run. Out of the media timeout, the Dukes netted six consecutive points, four coming from Hamilton and Kiaku before redshirt senior
Lauren Wasylson buried a triple, 51-23 Duquesne. Over the opening seven minutes of the second half, the Dukes held Dayton to 2-for-7 from the floor while forcing seven turnovers. Duquesne would hold a 54-27 advantage heading to the final frame.
It was an even fourth quarter as Duquesne opened its biggest lead of the contest, off a three-pointer by Bernard, 59-27 with 8:08 remaining. The Dukes would cruise to victory after collecting a pair of steals and registering nine points off the bench in the final 10 minutes.
QUOTABLE
"We executed very well tonight on both sides of the basketball," head coach
Dan Burt said. "Our contributions were many. It was very good to see Jerni and Gabby have good games on both ends of the floor while seeing Lauren getting back to her rhythm and giving us solid minutes," Burt explained. "Ayanna was a big difference maker tonight with her aggressiveness on both sides of the ball. It might have been her best performance as a Duquesne Duke."
TRIPLE THREAT
A trio of Dukes finished in double-figures, led by
Nae Bernard. She finished with a game-high 16 points on 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) shooting from the floor with a pair of three-pointers. Bernard netted nine of her 16 in the second half, where she was 4-for-6 from the field.
Jerni Kiaku finished with a season best 13 points while going 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. Kiaku registered three rebounds and one assist while
Ayanna Townsend was the third Duke to finish in double-digits. She tallied 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting while collecting seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in the victory. The trio ended a combined 16-for-30 from the field to lead the Dukes.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Junior
Megan McConnell put together an all-around performance, with eight boards, seven points, and six assists while
Amaya Hamilton and
Lauren Wasylson finished with six points each. Hamilton finished with three boards and two assists while Wasylson ended with two boards and a pair of threes in her first action this season. Duquesne used its physical presence inside, recording 40 points in the paint while forcing 23 turnovers, scoring 22 points off those miscues.
Freshman
Gabby Grantham-Medley collected a season-best and game-high four steals in the victory. The 42 points is the fewest allowed by the Dukes since the 2020 season when they gave up 42 to Saint Joseph's.
UP NEXT
Duquesne continues A-10 play when it hosts George Mason on Sunday, Jan. 7, inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, with tip-off scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
