GAME 5
Robert Morris (2-3) vs. Duquesne (2-2)
Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
- The Dukes return to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for a two-game homestand as they welcome Robert Morris on Monday, Nov. 25 for a non-conference contest, with the opening tip scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

- The Duquesne women's basketball team is coming off its lowest shooting performance in the early going this season, dropping an 81-61 decision at Kent State last Wednesday night. Two Dukes finished in double figures on the evening.

- Senior Megan McConnell posted her second double-double of the season and 27th of her career, with 19 points and 10 rebounds. McConnell netted 12 of her 19 in the first half while leading the team with three steals and collecting three assists.

-  Junior Jerni Kiaku was the second player in double figures, ending with 10 points, three rebounds, and one steal. Junior Andjela Matic recorded a team-high five assists and four rebounds while freshman Mackenzie Blackford grabbed a season-best five boards.

- Both teams struggled to find their mark in the opening quarter, combining 11-of-38 from the field. Junior Jerni Kiaku started the scoring for Duquesne with consecutive layups before the Golden Flashes registered eight straight points. Senior Megan McConnell stopped the bleeding with a triple before freshman Mackenzie Blackford gave the Dukes a 10-8 advantage with a long ball.

- Kent State countered with five straight points to take a 13-10 lead before McConnell found the bottom of the net with her second three of the quarter. The two teams traded baskets as it was knotted at 15-all after one.

- The Golden Flashes would take a 22-19 lead in the second quarter before a layup from graduate student Gabby Hutcherson and a bucket from McConnell gave the Dukes a 23-22 lead. Later in the quarter, Kent State used a 12-4 run to grab its largest lead of the first half as they took a 36-29 advantage into the break.

- Duquesne will be off for Thanksgiving break before returning to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse to host Saint Francis on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2:00 p.m.

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

The Series vs. Robert Morris – It'll be the first meeting since the 2014-15 campaign and the 46^th meeting overall in the all-time series come Monday night. The Dukes hold a commanding lead in the series, posting a 32-13 record, including five straight wins against the Colonials and a 71-57 victory last meeting. April Robinson scored 18 points and Jose-Ann Johnson added a career-high 17 as Deva'Nyar Workman recorded her second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while adding five assists. After Robert Morris opened up the game with back-to-back 3-pointers, Duquesne responded with a 14-0 run over the next 4:46 forcing a Colonials timeout. A three-pointer from Emilie Gronas at 12:49 gave the Dukes its first 10-point lead of the game at 19-8. Robinson's 10th point of the half put the Dukes up by 14 at 24-10 at the midway point of the half. Duquesne dominated in the paint, outscoring Robert Morris 44-16 and out rebounding RMU 44-35 - the Dukes had 24 points off turnovers and 16 on the fast break.

Scouting The Colonials – A member of the Horizon League, Robert Morris comes into Monday night on a two-game skid, posting a 2-3 overall record. The Colonials most recently dropped a 64-51 decision at Pitt on Saturday. RMU is driven by new leadership as Chandler McCabe was announced the seventh head coach in program history last March. McCabe joins RMU after spending the 2023-24 season at University of Central Florida (UCF) in its first season in the Big 12 as an assistant to the head coach. … Noa Givon leads the Colonials by averaging 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest. She's recorded four straight contests in double figures while leading the team in minutes played (35.0). Danielle Vuletich sits second on the squad carding 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Kent State Remains - Duquesne was unable to find its rhythm in the second half, especially in the third quarter as it shot just 5-of-19 from the floor. The Dukes struggles continued in the fourth, shooting just 4-of-16 from the field. Kent State (2-3) opened the third on a 9-4 stint, hitting 4-of-7 shots from the field and taking the first double digit lead of the night. The Dukes continued to battle as they responded by scoring nine of the next 11 points to trim the deficit to single digits (47-41). Senior Kiandra Browne connected on a three while freshman Nadia Moore hit a jumper as the Dukes went 4-of-5 from the charity stripe the rest of the run. Kent State countered with an 8-3 stint as its lead swelled back to 11 with just under two minutes to go in the third stanza. Duquesne would cut the lead to eight but the Golden Flashes took a 57-47 lead into the final frame.

The Consistency Code – A pair of Dukes continue to be the scoring leader's night in and night out in the early going of the season. Senior Megan McConnell and junior Jerni Kiaku have produced double digit scoring outings the first four games of the season. McConnell leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 19.8 points per contest while sitting second in field goal percentage at 57.4 percent. She's posted a pair of double-doubles this season which sit second in the conference while scoring a career-high 24 points against Princeton to begin the season. Kiaku sits 12^th in the league with 14.3 points per game while ranking fifth in field goal percentage at 51.1 percent. She netted a season-high and a Duquesne high 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the floor in a victory over Niagara. The duo has scored 136 of the Dukes 320 total points to begin the season.

Living Beyond the Arc – As a team, Duquesne has no problem letting it fly from long range as they currently lead the league and sit ninth in the nation in three-point attempts (31.3). The Dukes also rank 11^th in the country in triples made, burying 10.0 per game. Duquesne has connected on 10+ long balls in three of their last four contests while shooting 32.0 percent from behind the arc, ranking seventh in the conference. Megan McConnell leads the team with nine long balls while graduate student Gabby Hutcherson and freshman Mackenzie Blackford sit second with six each. Freshman Nadia Moore and redshirt junior Kaitlyn Ammons rank tied for third on the squad with five apiece.

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