GAME 1
Princeton (0-0) vs. Duquesne (0-0)
Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 | 5:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
- The Duquesne University women's basketball team opens its 2024-25 campaign on Monday evening, welcoming Princeton to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for a 5:00 p.m. opening tip.

- The Dukes are led by the all-time winningest coach in Duquesne women's basketball history, Dan Burt who enters his 12^th season as head coach and 18^th year on staff at the helm. Burt has totaled 209 career victories for the red and blue while posting 107 Atlantic 10 wins for the Dukes.

- A total of six players return for the Dukes in 2024-25, including only one starter from the previous season. Senior Megan McConnell is the lone returner for the Dukes as she earned a trio of postseason accolades a season ago. She was named to the All-Conference First Team while earning a spot on the All-Defensive Team and All-Academic Team.

- Duquesne welcomes eight newcomers to the program, including five freshmen and three transfers. Graduate student Gabby Hutcherson, junior Andjela Matic, and sophomore Reina Green will begin their first season in a Dukes uniform while freshman Faith Walker, Fatou Sane, Mackenzie Blackford, Kellie McConnell, and Nadia Moore will be donning the red and blue this season.

- The Dukes will open its season at home for just the second time in the last 10 years, as they hosted Point Park during the 2022 season. Before welcoming the Pioneers, Duquesne opened their season on the road seven straight times.

- Overall in season openers, Duquesne is 25-26 in its 51-year history. Under Burt, the Dukes are 3-8 in season openers.

- The Dukes will hit the road for the first time after battling Princeton, traveling to State College to take on the Nittany Lions of Penn State on Sunday, Nov. 10 inside the Bryce Jordan Center at 1:00 p.m.

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Princeton Game Notes

The Series vs. Princeton – Come Monday evening, it'll be just the seventh meeting between the Dukes and Tigers and the third time they'll meet in the season opener. Princeton holds a 4-2 overall mark in the series while earning a victory in the last three meetings, including a 65-57 last season. The Dukes took a 52-49 lead into the final 10 minutes, but were outscored 16-5 in the fourth quarter leading to the eight-point loss in a game that featured nine lead changes and four ties. Amaya Hamilton led the Dukes with 18 points and pulled in seven rebounds. Hamilton went a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and 6-for-8 from the floor. The Fishers, Ind. native scored 15 of her points in the Dukes' 28-point third quarter. The sides combined for 51 points in the third quarter. DU rattled off an early 6-0 run to regain the lead less than two-minutes into the second half, then six of the nine lead changes ensued. The Dukes maintained a one-possession lead into the final stanza, but a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter by Princeton put the home squad in full control down the stretch.

Scouting the Tigers – In the latest USA Today women's basketball coaches' poll, Princeton is receiving votes as well as earning tallies in the latest Women's Basketball AP Poll. A member of the Ivy League, The Tigers were selected as the preseason favorite, earning 122 total points and 10 of the 16 first place votes. Princeton is led by Carla Berube, who most recently was named to the 2025 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award Watch List … In four years under Berube, the Tigers have won four Ivy League championships, posting a 53-3 record against Ivy opponents during the regular season. Overall, the Tigers are 100-17 (.854) during Berube's tenure as head coach at Princeton with three Ivy League Tournament Championships and two NCAA Tournament victories. Madison St. Rose is the top returner after being tabbed Second-Team All-Ivy last season while ranking second on the team in scoring (14.8 ppg.). Skye Belker is also back for the Tigers after being just the fifth freshman in program history to start every game. She averaged 8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 2023-24.

Against The Ivy – The Dukes hold a 15-4 record against teams from the Ivy League while winning three of its last four meetings, dating back to 2019. Duquesne featured seven straight wins against Ivy opponents from 2007 to 2017 before Princeton won back-to-back games in 2014 and 2015.

Preseason Accolades – The lone returning starter, senior Megan McConnell earned herself a trio of preseason awards ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. For the second straight season, McConnell was named to the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watchlist while also earning a pair of Atlantic 10 Preseason accolades. She was tabbed to the 2024-25 Preseason All-Conference First Team and the Preseason All-Defensive Team. McConnell was one of two Dukes to participate in all 34 games last season, where she excelled in nearly every statistical category. She not only topped the A-10 but also led the nation in minutes played, averaging 38.6 per game. In total rebounding, she led the league with 294 rebounds and was third in rebounds per game at 8.6. Additionally, she had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference at 2.2, ranking third in both total assists (155) and assists per game (4.6). On the defensive side, McConnell ranked fourth in total steals with 64 and fifth in steals per game at 1.9.

New Ink – This past August, head coach Dan Burt signed a four-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Burt has had unprecedented success in both the Atlantic 10 Conference as well as nationally. He's posted a 209-132 (.613) overall record while tallying a 107-66 (.618) mark in Atlantic 10 action. Since taking over in 2013-14, Burt's 209 wins rank third by any A-10 school, with only Fordham (215) and Dayton (210) acquiring more. His 107 conference victories are third most in the A-10 as he currently sits seventh all-time in league history. In 2023-24, Burt led the Dukes to 21 wins, the sixth most in school history while posting the seventh 20-win campaign under his leadership. Duquesne's 13 conference victories tied the program record for most A-10 wins while being the third time they've reached that mark under Burt.

New Faces On The Bluff – The Dukes will feature three new transfers on the roster this season while adding five new freshmen for the 2024-25 season. Andjela Matic joins the Dukes after spending the last two seasons at Vermont, where she he averaged a career-high 19.8 minutes per game while netting 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists last season. The Serbia native paced the squad with a .480 average (47-for-98) from behind the arc while sitting second on the team with 47 triples made. Gabby Hutcherson comes to the Bluff after spending two seasons at crosstown rival Pitt. She averaged 15.1 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in her two seasons in the Steel City. Reina Green comes to Pittsburgh after playing at Pensacola State, where she averaged 8.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor. Three of the five freshmen joining the Dukes come from the state of Pennsylvania while one comes from Ohio and Senegal. Kellie McConnell is from right here in Pittsburgh while Nadia Moore comes from Washington, Pa. and Faith Walker from York, Pa. Mackenzie Blackford comes across state lines from Solon, Ohio while Fatou Sane joins the Dukes from Senegal.

Duquesne Basketball Palooza - Monday's season opener against Princeton is the first game of a doubleheader at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, with the men's team hosting Lipscomb in an 8:00 p.m. tip. Prior to the doubleheader, fans can take part in a tailgate party from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with food trucks, face painting, games and a live DJ on Magee Street. Activities in the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse include giveaways as well as Happy Hour from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with all drinks 50% off in all concession stands. Fans are encouraged to allow plenty of extra time to navigate to campus and ensure you're on time for both games.

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