GAME 14
Duquesne (7-6, 2-0 A-10) vs George Mason (10-3, 1-1 A-10)
Sunday, Jan. 7, 2023 | 12:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)
Stream: CBS Sports Network with Fran Charles (pxp) & Isis Young (analyst)

GAME DAY LINKS
Video
Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
George Mason Game Notes

OPENING TIP
-The Dukes return to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for the first time since the second week of December, when they host George Mason on Sunday, Jan. 7 for an Atlantic 10 contest on CBS Sports Network.

- The Duquesne women's basketball team is coming off a dominating performance at Dayton, where they routed the Flyers, 70-42 inside UD Arena in conference play. A trio of Dukes finished in double-figures, led by junior 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. Sophomore 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 senior 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.

- 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.

- Duquesne continued to dominate in the second half, outscoring the Flyers 36-23 while shooting 50.0 percent (14-of-28) from the floor. 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.

- After battling the Patriots, the Dukes hit the road for a pair of conference road games. They'll travel to George Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 10 before battling Saint Joseph's (1/13) in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Series vs. George Mason – Come Sunday afternoon, it'll be the 15^th meeting when the Dukes and Patriots square off, with Duquesne holding an 11-3 record in the all-time series. The Dukes had won 10 consecutive in the series before George Mason grabbed a 61-45 win last January. It was an inefficient shooting effort that held Duquesne back as it shot just 28.3 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three-point range. George Mason was up by as many as 18 before Duquesne fought back in the second half to make it a three-point game with 2:27 left in the third quarter. The Dukes went on a 13-0 run after being down by 17. Nae Bernard led Duquesne with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field while going 2-of-5 from deep. Megan McConnell tallied 12 rebounds (four offensive) to lead the Dukes while also recording eight points. Tess Myers finished with 11 points and hit two three-pointers while Amaya Hamilton collected eight rebounds and three assists.

Scouting the Patriots – George Mason was selected eighth in the preseason poll and holds a 10-3 overall record behind a 1-1 mark in league play. The Patriots are coming off a 70-68 defeat at preseason favorite Rhode Island on Tuesday night (1/2). Sonia Smith paced George Mason with 20 points while collecting four boards and a steal. Zahirah Walton registered 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. Walton tallied seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in 18 minutes off the bench.

The Patriots are one of the top scoring teams in the conference, averaging 74.2 points per game, which sits second in the A-10. They've passed that mark nine times this season while ranking third in margin of victory (14.8). George Mason is one of the top rebounding teams in the country, sitting 12^th in offensive rebounds per game (16.8) and ranking 16^th in total rebounds (44.83). The Patriots are led by Smith, who's averaging 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Smith has carded double-digits 11 times while posting three 20-point performances this season. Walton is the second player to average double-figures, producing 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per contest. Walton has netted double-digits in three straight contests while recording seven games in double-figures.

Dayton Remains - 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. It was an even second quarter, as each squad netted 12 points, with the Dukes holding a 34-19 lead heading to the break.

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.

Floor General – Junior Megan McConnell continues to be a tremendous all-around asset for the Dukes as the main floor general. In 13 games, she's led Duquesne in rebounds eight times while posting four games as the top scoring leader. McConnell continues to sit at the top of the statistical leaderboard as her 3.15 assist to turnover ratio ranks first in the A-10 while ranking 18^th in the country. She currently leads the NCAA in minutes played (38.31) while her 32 total steals and 2.5 steals per contest rank first and second in the league. The Pittsburgh native is averaging 4.7 assists per game while totaling 61 this season, both in which rank third in the conference. McConnell is one of five Dukes who are currently chasing 1,000 career points as she sits at 885 points so far. She is averaging 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.5 steals this season, all in which are leading Duquesne.

The Eraser – Through 13 contests, the Dukes continue to do a good job of protecting the rim and using their height to its advantage. Their 5.31 blocks per game sits second in the conference while ranking 18^th in the country. Duquesne has totaled 69 rejections this season, including 33 in the past five games. The Dukes registered a season-high nine blocks against Longwood, followed by eight more at Vermont. Duquesne then registered seven rejections in back-to-back contests against Little Rock and at Dayton. Senior Precious Johnson continues to be the main shot blocker for the Dukes, carding 1.5 blocks per game and 19 for the season, both rank third in the A-10. She's recorded a block in seven games this season while posting a career-high eight rejections at Howard earlier this season. Classmate Ayanna Townsend has erased 13 total shots while posting 1.0 block a game. She has tallied a rejection in six straight games while registering a season-best three blocks against Longwood and at Dayton.

Did You Know? – Duquesne has no hesitation from letting it fly from behind the arc and it's for good reason. Their 9.2 triples per contest sit second in the league and 18^th in the country while their 26.0 attempts lead the conference and sit 20^th in the NCAA. Junior Tess Myers continues to be a sharpshooter from behind the arc as her 3.17 threes per game ranks 13^th in the country. Myers has totaled 38 triples this season while shooting .409 from deep. Her 243 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 Nae Bernard is also a threat from long range as she is averaging 2.85 threes a game while shooting .385 from behind the arc, both in which ranks third in the league. Bernard has buried a triple in 11 games this season while connecting on three or more in eight contests.

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