GAME 21
Duquesne (12-8, 7-2 A-10) at VCU (17-3, 6-2 A-10)
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 | 11:00 a.m.
Richmond, Va.| Siegel Center (7,500)
Stream: ESPN+ with Joe Deck (pxp) and Jacinda Alston (color)

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

OPENING TIP
-The Duquesne University women's basketball team hits the road when it travels to Richmond, Va., to battle VCU on Wednesday, Jan. 31 in Atlantic 10 action inside the Siegel Center.

- The Dukes extended its winning streak to four consecutive games after securing a 73-57 victory over Loyola Chicago last Sunday (1/28). Senior center Ayanna Townsend became the third Duke this season to surpass 1,000 career points while head coach Dan Burt captured his 200^th career victory.

- Senior Precious Johnson paced four dukes in double-digits with her second double-double of the season. She posted a season-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor while collecting 11 boards (five offensive), four blocks, and three assists.

-  Megan McConnell fell shy of a near triple-double, registering 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in 39 minutes. She netted 10 of her 14 in the second half, going 4-of-7 from the field. Naëlle Bernard was the third Duke in double-figures, ending with 11 points with three triples and two rebounds. Townsend also finished with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, five rebounds, one steal, and one block.

- Tess Myers totaled nine points on three long balls while tallying six rebounds and two assists. As a team, the Dukes dominated the pair, registering 40 points while recording 26 points off the bench. Duquesne held the Ramblers to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor and 26.1 percent from behind the arc.

- It was an up and down first quarter as Loyola Chicago jumped out to an early 10-6 advantage. Duquesne would answer as they closed the opening quarter on a 14-2 spurt to hold a 20-12 lead. Johnson and redshirt senior Lauren Wasylosn paced the run as Johnson recorded seven points and was 3-of-3 from the field. Wasylosn registered five points during the stint, connecting on a pair of baskets.

- In the second quarter, the Dukes grabbed a 29-18 lead with 5:10 to go in the half. Out of the media timeout, the Rambles trimmed the deficit by scoring six of the next nine points, to trail 32-24 with just under three minutes remaining.

- Townsend and junior Naëlle Bernard would score the final seven points for Duquesne as it held a 39-29 lead at the break. The Dukes opened the second half by scoring seven of the opening 10 points, to extend its lead 44-31. Junior Megan McConnell sparked the spurt with a triple and a layup before Johnson capped it with a bucket.

- In the final frame, junior Tess Myers would bury a long ball to give the Dukes its biggest lead of the afternoon (64-43) as they held the Ramblers to just 29.4 percent shooting in the quarter.

The Series vs. VCU – Come Wednesday morning, it'll be the 17^th meeting between the Dukes and Rams as Duquesne holds a 12-4 overall mark on the all-time series. The Dukes snapped a two-game skid against VCU last season, capturing a 66-63 win In Pittsburgh. Duquesne took the lead for good with 7:41 left in the third quarter and never looked back. A 12-0 run in the same quarter put them up by 13, which proved to be a large-enough cushion despite the late VCU rally. Duquesne had four players with 14 or more points – Naelle Bernard (17), Megan McConnell (16), forward Ayanna Townsend (15) and guard Tess Myers (14). Bernard set a new career high with eight rebounds and shot 5-for-10 from three-point range. Amaya Hamilton led the team with nine rebounds. As a team, Duquesne grabbed 46 rebounds compared to VCU's 31, and set a new season high with 19 offensive rebounds.

Scouting the Rams – VCU comes in as one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10, mounting a 17-3 overall record while posting a 6-2 mark in conference play. The Rams had its five-game winning streak snapped, falling at George Mason, 60-47 on Sunday afternoon. VCU struggled to find a rhythm offensively, posting their lowest shooting percentage of the season, and George Mason used a 16-2 run in the third quarter to pull away for the win. Sarah Te-Biasu led the Rams with 19 points while collecting five boards and three assists. Timaya Lewis-Eutsey had eight points and a team-high nine rebounds in the loss.

Entering Wednesday's contest, VCU is one of the best defensive teams in the country, sitting second in the NCAA in scoring defense (51.3 points). Out of 20 games, the Rams have held their opponent to 55 points or less, all resulting in a victory. VCU sits third in the nation in three-point defense (22.6 percent) while ranking eighth in rebound margin (11.5). Overall, the Rams are led by a trio of players who are averaging double-figures. Sarah Te-Biasu ranks seventh in the A-10 in scoring (14.6) while leading the league in foul shooting (88.4 percent). She's averaging 3.0 rebounds a game while shooting 34.4 percent from behind the arc. Timaya Lewis-Eutsey is averaging 13.3 points per contest and collecting 5.4 caroms per game. She's shooting 49.0 percent from the floor and has registered 15 double-figure games. Mary-Anna Asare is the third Ram in double-digits, netting 11.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. Asare is shooting over 40.0 percent from the field and has recorded 13 games in double-figures.

Loyola Chicago Leftover – Duquesne continued its stifling defense against the Ramblers, holding them to 31.6 percent (18-of-57) from the floor and 6-for-23 (26.1 percent) from behind the arc. The Dukes were stellar on the defensive end in the second and fourth quarter as they held Loyola Chicago to 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) shooting before the half. Duquesne closed the game holding the Ramblers to five field goals in the final 10 minutes, limiting them to just 26.4 percent (5-of-17) from the floor.  

Surpassing the Milestone – Going into Sunday's contest, senior Ayanna Townsend was just 10-points shy of joining the 1,000-point club. With a foul line jumper at the 1:14 mark in the second quarter against the Ramblers, Townsend surpassed the milestone. She became the 35^th player in program history and the third Duke this season to concur the honor. The senior center has tallied over 475 points in her two seasons with the Dukes and enters Wednesday's game with 1,001 career points. Prior to her stint at Duquesne, Townsend spent four seasons at Xavier, where she netted 526 points, averaged 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds a game. The Pittsburgh native is averaging 8.6 points, 4.5 boards, and 1.o blocks per game while sitting fourth in the league in field goal percentage (51.4 percent).

200 Units – Already the winningest head coach in program history, Dan Burt has become the first coach in the program to eclipse 200 career wins at Duquesne. Just last week, Burt captured his 100th Atlantic 10 victory with a 72-59 win over Richmond to move into the top 10 in conference history. He holds an all-time record of 200-127 (.612) in his 11 seasons as a head coach while posting a 101-63 (.624) mark in conference games. As a head and assistant coach, Burt has compiled an all-time record of 323-195 (.624). Burt became the all-time wins leader in Duquesne women's basketball history last season, with a 56-54 victory over Vermont inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. His historic victory sent him past former head coach Dan Durkin, who had 176 wins on the Bluff.