Washington, D.C. – Behind four Dukes in double-figures and a well-balanced effort, the Duquesne women's basketball team captured a 71-54 victory at George Washington on Wednesday evening in the Charles E. Smith Center in conference action. With the win, the Dukes improve to 8-7 overall while posting a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 action.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
It was a hot start for Duquesne as it netted its first four shots of the contest before grabbing a 10-5 lead with 5:53 remaining in the opening stanza. Senior
Ayanna Townsend registered eight of the Dukes opening 10 points as junior
Tess Myers hit her first shot of the game. The two offenses would go silent for over three minutes before George Washington (7-8 / 0-3 A-10) went on a 9-2 run to claim a 14-12 lead. The Dukes would score the final four points of the quarter as sophomore
Jerni Kiaku went coast to coast as time expired to give Duquesne a 16-14 advantage after one. In the second quarter, the Dukes scored seven of the first 11 points to stretch its leads, 23-18. Junior Naelle Bernard sparked the run with a triple before scores from senior
Amaya Hamilton and Kiaku capped the stint.
Later in the quarter after a pair of free-throws from Nya Lok, Duquesne mounted an 11-4 spurt to push its lead to double-digits. Freshman
Gabby Grantham-Medley and junior
Megan McConnell paced the run with four points each as the Dukes shot 5-of-7 from the field during that span. George Washington wouldn't go away quietly over the final three minutes, as the Revolutionaries would score eight of the final nine points to trail 35-32 at the break.
SECOND HALF SPARK
After a layup from George Washington began the second half, the Dukes rattled off three consecutive long balls and forced a Revolutionaries timeout just two minutes into the final 20 minutes. Bernard, McConnell, and Myers all found the bottom of the net during the run. George Washington responded once again, mounting seven straight points to trim the deficit, 44-41. After a triple from Nya Robinson cut the Dukes lead to two, Grantham-Medley recorded three straight buckets for Duquesne, expanding its lead (54-46) heading to the final stanza. The Dukes turned up the defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, holding the Revolutionaries to 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from the floor while forcing six turnovers. Duquesne expanded its lead to double-figures in the opening five minutes of the final quarter before mounting a 10-6 run to close the game.
QUOTABLE
"It was a complete game and we played very well," head coach
Dan Burt said. "Very much a complete game with many contributions from the entire roster. You can't say enough about our leading scorer
Gabby Grantham-Medley being 6-for-12 from the floor while being aggressive and a scorer and we certainly needed that," Burt continued. "
Amaya Hamilton finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds, she played really under control which was outstanding and she's a matchup nightmare but a complete game for our team."
NEXT UP MENTALITY
Gabby Grantham-Medley and
Jerni Kiaku provided valuable minutes off the bench for the Dukes. Grantham-Medley led Duquesne for the second time this season, registering 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. She netted nine of her 13 in the second half, shooting 4-for-9 from the field. The freshman totaled three boards and a triple in 22 minutes. Kiaku registered seven points on 3-of-5 shooting while collecting two assists, one rebound, and one block. She buried her only triple of the evening in 20 minutes off the bench.
QUOTABLE
"That's what we're looking for from the people off the bench," Burt explained. "Jerni has explosiveness and speed that not many people in the league can match. Very few do and she's a matchup nightmare. Gabby causes problems as well for opponents because she's a player who is strong and can play in the air while squaring her shoulders to the basket and make jump shots. Both of them were outstanding on both ends of the floor tonight."
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Other than Grantham-Medley, three other Dukes finished in double-figures.
Amaya Hamilton,
Megan McConnell, and
Ayanna Townsend all finished with 12 points each. Hamilton recorded her sixth career double-double and first of the season, with 11 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. She also tallied four assists, two steals, and a block for the Dukes. Townsend finished with seven rebounds (four offensive) and a block while McConnell recorded six boards, three steals, two blocks, and two assists.
Tess Myers registered eight points and a pair of triples while
Naëlle Bernard ended with six points on two long balls.
As a team, Duquesne tallied 26 points off 20 turnovers while using its size advantage and registered 32 points in the paint. The Dukes held the Revolutionaries to just 28.6 percent (8-for-28) from the field in the second half while outscoring them 36-22 in the final 20 minutes.
UP NEXT
Duquesne continues its road trip when it travels to Saint Joseph's on Saturday, Jan. 13, for an Atlantic 10 match, beginning at 12:00 p.m. inside Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena.
