Pittsburgh, Pa. – Behind a career day from senior guard Megan McConnell, the Duquesne women's basketball team cruised to a 90-66 victory over Canisius in non-conference action on Sunday inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes stretched its winning streak to six straight wins while improving to 8-2 on the season and a perfect 6-0 at home.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
Duquesne entered halftime with a 44-32 lead, but Canisius (1-8) opened the second half on an 11-5 run, cutting the deficit to six (49-43) with 6:18 left in the third quarter. Junior Jerni Kiaku halted the momentum with a step-back jumper, but the Golden Griffins responded with an 8-2 surge to narrow the gap to 53-51 with 3:17 remaining in the period. Duquesne answered decisively, scoring nine of the quarter's final 11 points—all courtesy of McConnell—giving the Dukes a 62-53 advantage heading into the fourth. McConnell wasn't finished, spearheading an 18-2 run to open the final frame, with 15 of those points coming from her, as Duquesne surged to an 80-55 lead with just over six minutes to play. The Dukes cruised to victory, outscoring the Golden Griffins 28-13 in the fourth quarter while shooting an impressive 47.4 percent from the field, including five three-pointers.

BALL HAWKS
Duquesne continues to create havoc for its opponents, and Sunday's contest was no exception. The Dukes forced 30 Canisius turnovers, marking the second time this season they've achieved that feat. Duquesne also recorded 17 steals—reaching double figures for the eighth time this season and the third consecutive game. Canisius committed 14 turnovers in the first half alone, followed by 16 more in the second. Megan McConnell spearheaded the defensive effort with a career-high nine steals, tying for the third-most in program history and the highest total under head coach Dan Burt. Sophomore Reina Green and junior Jerni Kiaku each added two steals, while four other Dukes contributed one takeaway apiece. The defensive dominance translated to 42 points off turnovers and 38 points in the paint, propelling Duquesne to a convincing victory.

QUOTABLE
"Happy to get a win today against Canisius, I don't think that their record is indicative of their team," head coach Dan Burt said. "I think that they are playing better and better, and I think that their head coach is doing a really good job in a tough situation where she came to the program late, and she's got those kids still believing and working hard. "But when you play within this system, at some point there's going to be an avalanche that happens. Whether it's a pair of 7-0 runs or a 15-2 run today, at some point, it's coming, and when it comes, that's the back breaker. "The back breaker today was almost single handedly by Megan McConnell, and she's clearly the best player in mid-major basketball, and no one's going to convince me otherwise. Just an outstanding performance by her. But before that happened, I felt like Kiandra Browne gave us really good minutes and scored the ball early for us when we were sputtering a little bit and not quite separating ourselves as much, but we're excited to be 8-2.  "We'll finish final exams over the next couple days and take a day or two off, and then we'll get ready for Bowling Green on Wednesday."

30-PIECE
Senior Megan McConnell delivered a standout performance, recording the first 30-point game of her career with a career-high 35 points to lead Duquesne. She shot an impressive 14-of-21 (.667) from the field, tying her career-best with five three-pointers. McConnell also notched a career-high nine steals, tying for the third-most in program history, while adding six assists and four rebounds in the victory. The Pittsburgh native was especially dominant in the second half, scoring 24 of her 35 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Over a remarkable seven-minute stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters, McConnell paced a 27-4 run, scoring 24 of the points during that span. Her 35-point effort is tied for the 12th highest single-game total in Duquesne history. McConnell has reached double figures in all 10 games this season and has led the Dukes in scoring in six contests.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Joining McConnell in double figures was Jerni Kiaku and Kiandra Browne. Kiaku ended with 15 points while shooting .625 percent (5-of-8) from the field and collected a pair of steals while Browne registered 11 points, with a pair of triples, three assists, and two rebounds. Graduate student Gabby Hutcherson finished with nine points, four rebounds, and three blocks while sophomore Reina Green ended with eight points, three boards, three assists, two steals, and one block. Duquesne totaled 32 fast break points while getting 20 points from its bench.

UP NEXT
Duquesne wraps up non-conference play on Saturday, Dec. 21, when it takes on Bowling Green as part of a double-header with the men's team inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, with the opening tip scheduled for 12:00 p.m.