GAME 16
Duquesne (8-7, 3-1 A-10) at Saint Joseph's (14-2, 3-1 A-10)
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 | 12:00 p.m.
Philadelphia, Pa.| Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena (4,200)
Stream: ESPN+ with Pat McCarthy (pxp) & Nicki Jones (color)

GAME DAY LINKS
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DUQ Game Notes
Saint Joseph's Game Notes

OPENING TIP
-The Dukes conclude its two game road trip when they travel to Philadelphia, Pa., to battle Saint Joseph's on Saturday, Jan. 13, in league action at Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena.

- The Duquesne women's basketball team is coming off a well-balanced win at George Washington this past Wednesday (1/10), capturing a 71-54 inside Charles E. Smith Center. Four Dukes finished in double-figures, led by freshman Gabby Grantham-Medley.

- 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.

- 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 during the win. 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. Jerni 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.

- 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. Townsend registered eight of the Dukes opening 10 points as Myers hit her first shot of the game.

- 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. Bernard sparked the run with a triple before scores from 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. Grantham-Medley and 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.

- Duquesne returns back to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Jan. 17, when it hosts St. Bonaventure for a conference match, scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

The Series vs. Saint Joseph's – A series that dates back to 1984, it'll be the 61^st meeting when the Dukes and Hawks take the floor on Saturday afternoon. Saint Joseph's holds a 47-13 overall record in the all-time series while winning the last four meetings, including a 64-60 victory last season. Tess Myers and Precious Johnson paced the Dukes with 12 points each as Myers buried four triples, collected five boards, and a steal. Johnson finished with five rebounds, three assists, and a block in 29 minutes off the bench. Ayanna Townsend and Naelle Bernard both finished with nine points while Lauren Wasylson tallied eight points. Bernard and Wasylson combined for 5-of-10 from behind the arc while Megan McConnell paced the team with 12 caroms and three assists. Both teams traded punches for 40 minutes, as neither squad could take a lead larger than nine points. Duquesne held the lead for 55.5 percent of the game, but the Hawks were never out of it. Saint Joseph's grabbed the lead for good in the fourth quarter, and despite Duquesne's late efforts, the Dukes fell short.

Scouting the Hawks – Picked second in the preseason poll earlier this season, Saint Joseph's comes into Saturday's contest as one of the top teams in the league. The Hawks hold a 14-2 overall mark while posting a 3-1 record in A-10 play. They're currently coming off a bounce back win at Saint Louis, capturing a 69-57 victory on Tuesday (1/9). Four different Hawks entered double-figures, led by Laura Ziegler's game-highs in points (18) and rebounds (9). Mackenzie Smith also fell just short of a double-double with an 11-point, nine-rebound performance. Chloe Welch and Talya Brugler scored 15 and 11 points respectively, each dropping a team-high four dimes on the night. Gabby Casey led the bench scoring with eight points.

The Hawks feature a well-balanced offense as they present four players averaging double-figures. Talya Brugler paces the team and sits third in the Atlantic 10 with 16.2 points per game while securing 3.9 boards and 2.4 assists per contest. Brugler has netted double-digits in nine straight games while posting 14 games with 10+ points. The junior is shooting at a .549 percent clip, which is third best in the conference. Laura Ziegler is tied for seventh in the league in points (13.9) while sitting second in rebounds per contest (9.3). She has posted five double-doubles this season while scoring in double-figures in seven straight contests. Chloe Welch (11.9) and Mackenzie Smith (11.6) are the final two Hawks in double-digits while Smith is totaling 4.6 boards, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals this season. All four are shooting over 40.0 percent from long range. As a team, Saint Joseph's is one of the best free-throws shooting teams in the country, converting 80.4 percent which sits 6^th in the NCAA. The Hawks have converted 193-of-240 from the charity stripe in 16 games this season.

George Washington Scraps - 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. GW 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. 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.

Bench Presence - The Dukes have been in search of a consistent presence off the bench and freshman guard Gabby Grantham-Medley and sophomore guard Jerni Kiaku have provided a spark in recent weeks. Grantham-Medley enters Saturday's contest at Saint Joseph's providing a team-high 13 points in a victory at George Washington. She finished 6-of-12 shooting from the floor while netting nine of her 13 in the second half, finishing 4-for-9 from the field. Earlier this season, Grantham-Medley paced the Dukes against Little Rock, tallying 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. She collected three rebounds, one block, and one assist. Kiaku recorded 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. The sophomore guard netted a season-high 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting in a victory at Dayton. She finished 4-of-5 from the charity stripe while securing three boards and one assist.

Chalk Talk - Duquesne has no hesitation from letting it fly from behind the arc and it's for good reason. Their 9.0 triples per contest sit second in the league and 16th in the country while their 26.2 attempts leads the conference and sit 18th in the NCAA. Junior Tess Myers continues to be a sharpshooter from behind the arc as her 2.93 threes per game ranks 18th in the country. Myers has totaled 41 triples this season while shooting .406 from deep. Her 246 career three-pointers rank third all-time in program history as she broke the single game record for most triples with 11 earlier this season against Longwood. Junior Naelle Bernard is also a threat from long range as she is averaging 2.80 threes a game while shooting .382 from behind the arc, both in which ranks third in the league. Bernard has buried a triple in 13 games this season while connecting on three or more in nine contests.

Chasing 1,000 - Duquesne has a rare feature that not many schools in the country have and that's five 1,000-point scorers on the same team. Tess Myers is the closest so far, sitting at 969 while Amaya Hamilton is right behind her at 961. Ayanna Townsend has registered 937 career points while Megan McConnell has totaled 911. Precious Johnson is the last Duke chasing the honor, as she has carded 873 points in her career. Hamilton is averaging 9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals while Townsend sits at 7.2 points, 4.3 boards, and shooting .454 percent from the floor. McConnell leads the Dukes in scoring (12.6), rebounds (8.1), assists (4.7), and steals per contest (2.4) while Johnson ranks third in the A-10 in blocks per game (1.27) and fourth in total rejections (19).