GAME 19
Duquesne (10-8, 5-2 A-10) vs Richmond (17-3, 7-0 A-10)
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)
Stream: ESPN+ with Alex Panormios (pxp), Rachel Zimmerman (color), Tad Maurey (color)

GAME DAY LINKS
Video (ESPN+)
Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
Richmond Game Notes

OPENING TIP
-The Duquesne University women's basketball team opens a two-game homestand on Wednesday night, hosting conference leading Richmond inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

- The Dukes are coming off a pair of wins last week, securing a 76-67 victory over St. Bonaventure (1/17) before claiming a 66-59 road win at Davidson this past Sunday (1/21). Against the Wildcats, Senior Amaya Hamilton and junior Tess Myers eclipsed the 1,000-career point plateau to become the 33^rd and 34^th player in program history to concur the honor.

 - Senior Ayanna Townsend paced the Dukes with a season-high 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting. She netted 12 of her 18 in the first half, where she was 6-of-6 from the field. Townsend also secured seven rebounds and a block in the win.

-  Megan McConnell registered 14 points, seven boards, two assists, and one steal for the Dukes. She carded seven of her 14 in the fourth quarter where she was 50.0 percent from the floor, with a triple. The quartet of Townsend, McConnell, Hamilton, and Myers combined for 55 of the Dukes 66 points.

- In a game that featured 14 ties and 14 lead changes, the two squads traded the opening 18 points in the first four minutes of the stanza. Davidson would take a 14-11 advantage before Myers buried a triple to knot the score at 14-all, with 2:31 remaining.

- The Dukes would end the quarter on a 7-0 run, where they hit three straight shots to take a 21-18 lead after one. Myers, Hamilton, and senior Precious Johnson all registered a bucket. It was a slow start to the second quarter as both teams combined for six points in the first four minutes.

- After a triple by junior Megan McConnell, the Wildcats netted nine consecutive points to take a 30-26 lead, with over 3:30 remaining. Senior Ayanna Townsend sparked an 8-2 run by herself, converting a pair of layups and a pair of jumpers to give Duquesne a 34-32 advantage. Davidson would convert a three-point play to end the half and take a 35-34 lead at the break.

- Duquesne will return home on Sunday, Jan. 28, when it welcomes Loyola Chicago for the Hall of Fame Game, inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Atlantic 10 action.

The Series vs. Richmond – Come Wednesday night, it'll be the 30^th meeting between the Dukes and Spiders as Richmond holds a 15-14 edge in the all-time series. Duquesne has been victories in its previous two meetings, capturing an 83-69 win last season. Guard Megan McConnell had the best game of her career, scoring a career-high 23 points, grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds and hitting a career-high five three-pointers, while dishing out eight assists. Center Precious Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in 29 minutes. Amaya Hamilton had 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had a career-high eight assists. Lauren Wasylson netted 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting while knocking down three triples. Naelle Bernard was the final Duke in double-figures, posting 10 points, with a pair of threes and two boards. The Dukes shot an impressive 57.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from long range. Duquesne outrebounded Richmond 42-23, but the turnovers were lopsided in the Spiders' favor – Duquesne had 15 and Richmond had six.

Scouting the Spiders – Richmond comes into Wednesday night riding an eight-game winning streak while sitting at the top of the conference. They currently hold a 17-3 overall mark while being a perfect 7-0 in league play. The Spiders most recently received votes in the latest Associated Press (AP) Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll. Richmond is coming off a 72-39 route over Dayton this past Saturday (1/20). The Spiders had four players finish in double-digits, led by Maggie Doogan. She finished with 21 points, five rebounds, and three triples, while Addie Budnik ended with 16 points, four blocks, and three long balls. Rachel Ullstrom tallied 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench while Grace Townsend finished with 10 points, six boards, and two steals.

As a team, Richmond leads the A-10 while ranking nationally in multiple statistical categories. The Spiders rank 11^th in the country in blocks per game (5.7) while sitting 15^th in triples per game (9.0). Richmond is shooting at a high clip from behind the arc (37.1 percent), ranking 18^th in the NCAA while shooting over 47.0 percent from the field, sitting 21^st in the country. Addie Budnik is one of the top shot blockers in the country, ranking 13^th in total blocks (47) and 18^th in blocks per game (2.35). Doogan sits fifth in the conference in scoring (16.3) while sitting fourth in field goal percentage (.521). Townsend is averaging 12.7 points a game while ranking second in assists per game (4.7) and fourth in assist to turnover ratio (2.0). Townsend is also the fourth best foul shooter in the league (.885) and shooting .482 from the field, good for ninth.

Davidson Leftovers - After a stagnant third quarter that led the Wildcats to hold a 47-45 lead, the Dukes made key defensive stops down the stretch. Duquesne held Davidson to just 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from the floor and 0-of-5 from behind the arc in the final quarter. After a scoreless two minutes, the Dukes mounted a 7-2 spurt, to take a 52-49 lead. Hamilton registered five points during the run while Townsend found the bottom of the net. The Wildcats would take the lead after four straight free-throws before Hamilton sparked another 7-2 stint for the Dukes. She led the way with four points while McConnell netted the rest. After consecutive empty positions by Davidson, McConnell connected on a long ball to stretch the Dukes lead (62-55) with 2:05 remaining. The Wildcats answered with a layup before McConnell converted a driving layup with 1:19 remaining. Davidson wouldn't have an answer as Myers buried a pair of free-throws to seal the deal.

Welcome To The Club – In the victory at Davidson, a pair of Dukes stamped themselves into the record book by surpassing 1,000 career points. Senior Amaya Hamilton and junior Tess Myers became the 33^rd and 34^th player in program history to eclipse the milestone. Myers was the first to achieve the honor when she buried a straight on triple at the 8:00 minute mark in the third quarter. Myers finished the afternoon with 11 points on 3-of-6 from deep while collecting five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. She now has 1,002 career points while continuing to climb the ladder in three-point field goals as her 252 career triples ranks second in program history. Hamilton concurred the honor in the fourth quarter at the 7:15 mark, where her driving layup that turned into a three-point play surpassed the milestone. She recorded 13 points, three rebounds, and one assist after playing all 40 minutes. She now has 1,006 career points while scoring in double-figures in five straight games.

Tying Dawn – With his 99^th Atlantic 10 victory at Davidson, head coach Dan Burt has tied the great Dawn Staley to move into the top 10 in Atlantic 10 history in league wins. In his 11 seasons leading the Dukes, Burt has compiled a 99-63 (.611) record in the Atlantic 10 while posting eight or more wins in the conference in the last 10 seasons. The Pennsylvania native is also just two wins shy of capturing his 200^th career victory. He has led the Dukes to the third most wins in the Atlantic 10 with 198 and became the all-time winningest coach at Duquesne last season. It took only 149 games for Burt to claim his 100th career victory, the 15th fastest to that feat in NCAA women's basketball history.

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