GAME 3
Niagara (0-3) vs. Duquesne (1-1)
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

2024-25 Roster | 2024-25 Schedule | 2024-25 Statistics | Media Center

NOTHING BUT NYLON
- The Duquesne University women's basketball team returns to Pittsburgh when it welcomes Niagara on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7:00 p.m. for a non-conference game inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

- The Dukes are coming off its first road test of the season when they dropped a 92-83 decision at Penn State last Sunday (Nov. 10). Three players finished in double digits, led by senior guard Megan McConnell.

- She fell just short of a triple-double, registered 21 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists while shooting .692 percent (9-of-13) from the floor. With her sixth assist in the third quarter, McConnell surpassed 500 assists for her career.

- Graduate student Gabby Hutcherson finished with a career-high 16 points, on 4-of-6 shooting (.667 percent) from behind the arc. She tallied three rebounds and two steals on Sunday. Jerni Kiaku was the final Dukes in double digits, ending with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting (.556) while collecting a rebound, assist, and a steal. The trio combined to go 6-of-12 from long range for the Dukes.

- Senior Kiandra Browne, junior Andjela Matic, and freshman Nadia Moore all chipped in six points each while Browne and Matic each tallied a pair of steals. Duquesne forced Penn State into 26 turnovers while scoring 26 points off those miscues. The Lady Lions used its size to its advantage, out rebounding the Dukes 42-27, especially on the offensive glass (15-8).

- It was a blistering start for Duquesne as it jumped out to an early 12-4 lead just two-minutes into the contest, thanks to three triples from three different Dukes. After a two-minute scoring drought from both teams, Duquesne stretched its lead to 23-10 with 3:55 to go in the opening quarter.

-  Jerni Kiaku sparked the run with a layup, followed by a triple from freshman Nadia Moore. After the Lady Lions buried a long ball, graduate student Gabby Hutcherson answered with a triple of her own before a steal by Kiaku and three-pointer from freshman Mackenzie Blackford capped the run.

- Duquesne ended the quarter on a 7-4 to hold a 30-15 advantage after the opening stanza. Penn State opened the second quarter on a 10-5 stint to trim the deficit, 35-25 before sophomore Reina Green connected on a long ball to push the lead back to 13.

- Over the next three-minutes, the Lady Lions strung together a 12-0 run which trimmed the deficit 38-37 with just over four-minutes left in the half. A triple by Gabby Elliot would knot the score at 43-all before Megan McConnell went one-of-two from the line to give Duquesne a 44-43 advantage at the break.

- Duquesne will hit the road once again when it travels to Kent, Ohio to battle the Golden Flashes on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7:00 p.m. inside Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.

GAME DAY LINKS
Watch (ESPN+)
Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
Niagara Game Notes

The Series vs. Niagara – It'll be the 15^th meeting between the Dukes and Purple Eagles on Saturday as Duquesne holds a 12-2 record in the all-time series, winning seven straight contests. The Dukes are a perfect 7-0 at home when facing Niagara while securing an 82-79 victory last season in New York. Saige Glover converted in the paint to tie the game, 68-68, with 4:40 to play, but guard Tess Myers came up big for the Dukes. She canned a three-pointer to push Duquesne on top, and after Shelby Fiddler knotted the game for the seventh time with her own triple, Myers answered with her fifth three-pointer of the game on a feed from guard Megan McConnell to give the Dukes the lead for good. Aaliyah Parker helped trim the deficit for the Purple Eagles to 74-73 with a layup, but Duquesne was able to keep Niagara at bay in a game that featured 14 lead changes. Amaya Hamilton drove the lane to answer the layup from Parker, and Gabby Grantham-Medley would extend the lead for Duquesne to 78-73 with a pair at the free-throw line with just over two minutes left. Hamilton visited the stripe six times in the final 1:21 of action, converting four, including a pair with 35 seconds to go that kept the lead for Duquesne at three, 82-79.

Scouting The Purple Eagles – A member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Niagara comes into Saturday losing its first three contests of the year, all against Power 5 opponents. The Purple Eagles opened the year at Syracuse before traveling to #16 West Virginia last Saturday. They are currently coming off a 101-45 lose at Penn State on Thursday. Niagara is led by Amelia Strong, who's averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Talia Dial is the second Purple Eagle averaging double figures, posting 10.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per contest. She shooting .500 percent (9-of-19) from behind the arc, recently going 5-of-13 from long range at Penn State. As a team, Niagara is forcing its opponents into 25.0 turnovers a game, leading the MAAC. They most recently forced the Lady Lions into 29 miscues before opening the year and forcing Syracuse into 30.

Penn State Remains - A pair of free-throws in the third quarter from senior Kiandra Browne knotted the score at 53-53 before another pair at the chalk from Browne gave the Dukes a two-point advantage with 3:30 remaining. Penn State (3-0) responded with a 13-6 stint to end the quarter (66-61), thanks to three triples in the final three-minutes. A jumper by Kiaku in the lane and a free-throw from the junior started the fourth but the Lady Lions netted 13 of the next 15 points as their lead swelled to its largest of the game, 79-66. Duquesne would cut the Penn State lead to seven (81-74) on a long ball from McConnell but that's as close as the Dukes would get. The Lady Lions shot an impressive .636 percent (7-for-11) from behind the arc in the second half after shooting 6-of-14 in the opening 20 minutes. Penn State finished the game shooting .500 percent (29-of-58) from the floor while going 13-for-25 (.520 percent) from long range.

500 Dimes – Senior guard Megan McConnell continues to climb in the record books as she conquered another milestone against the Lady Lions. With her sixth assist at the 2:35 mark in the third quarter, McConnell eclipsed 500 assists for her career. She became just the sixth player in program history to reach the plateau and currently sits with 501 dimes for her career. The Pittsburgh native sits just 27 helpers shy of cracking the top-5 for most assists in a career, chasing Becky Oglevee (528). McConnell is averaging 4.5 assists for her career, which currently ranks seventh all-time in program history. She has recorded over 100+ assists in her last three seasons and is currently averaging 6.0 assists after two contests this season.

Offensive Glow – In a Duquesne uniform for just the second time, graduate student Gabby Hutcherson carded a career day against Penn State. She finished with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting (.600 percent) from the floor, including 4-of-6 (.667 percent) from behind the arc. Hutcherson also recorded three rebounds, two steals, and a block for the Dukes. It was the 10^th career double-digit scoring game for her while being the third game in her career where she's hit three-plus triples. Junior Jerni Kiaku is the second player averaging double figures for Duquesne, posting 11.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting .500 percent from the floor. Kiaku has registered consecutive double digit scoring outings, totaling 13 points on .556 percent (5-of-9) shooting from the field against the Lady Lions. She totaled one block, one assist, and one rebound in 25 minutes of action. It was the 26^th game in her career where she's carded double figures which ranks second on the team.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and updates for Duquesne women's basketball, follow @DuqWBB on Twitter (X) and Instagram all season.