GAME 9
Carnegie Mellon (5-4) vs. Duquesne (6-2)
Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
-The Dukes continue their five-game homestand on Tuesday night, hosting Bucknell for a non-conference contest inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, with the opening tip scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

- The Duquesne women's basketball team featured five players in double figures as it cruised to a 98-58 victory over Carnegie Mellon Sunday afternoon in non-conference action inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

- Senior Megan McConnell paced the way with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting (.500 percent) while tallying seven rebounds, six steals, and five assists. Junior Jerni Kiaku ended with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting (.538 percent) from the floor and tallied three rebounds and two steals.

-  Kiandra Browne posted a career-high 14 points. She shot .833 percent (5-of-6) from the field while collecting five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block.

- Andjela Matic and Nadia Moore each posted 11 points as Matic dished out four assists and two steals while Moore totaled two rebounds and two steals. The quintet carded 10 of the Dukes 13 triples as McConnell and Matic each buried three.

- Duquesne jumped out to an early 13-2 lead after hitting six of its first seven shots to begin the contest. Senior Kiandra Browne and junior Jerni Kiaku paced the early stint. Out of a Tartans timeout, the Dukes strung together a 10-3 run, boosting their lead 23-5 with 3:27 remaining.

- Sophomore Raymi Coueta sparked the run with a layup, followed by a triple from senior Megan McConnell. After a Tartans basket, Kiaku converted a driving layup while freshman Kellie McConnell knocked down a left corner three-pointer to cap the stint.

- Duquesne would end the quarter on a 9-5 run to hold a 32-10 lead after the opening stanza. Freshman Faith Walker carded four points during the run. The Dukes lead swelled to 39-17 midway through the second quarter before Carnegie Mellon mounted a 7-2 stint over the next minute and a half to cut the deficit, 41-24. After a free-throw from Browne, Kiaku and McConnell led a 7-3 stint to end the half as the Dukes held a 49-27 advantage at the break.

- Duquesne will continue its non-conference slate and play its third straight home game when it welcomes Canisius on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2:00 p.m.

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Bucknell Game Notes

The Series vs. Bucknell – It'll be the sixth meeting between the Dukes and Bison come Tuesday night and the first since the 1998 season, where Duquesne captured a 72-58 victory at a neutral site in Baltimore, Md. The Dukes hold a 3-2 edge in the all-time series while holding a 1-1 record at home. The last time the two squads squared off in Pittsburgh was in 1989, where Bucknell captured a 67-59 victory.

Scouting The Bison – A member of the Patriot League, Bucknell comes into Tuesday night on a five-game winning streak, most recently securing a 53-50 victory over Datmouth last Friday. The Bison began its season dropping its first four contests before winning its last five games. Ashley Sofilkanich leads the Bison as she's averaging 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. She's tallied 2.7 blocks and 1.7 assists while shooting just under .500 from the floor. Tuana Coskun sits second on the team with 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds while Isabella King is chipping in 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game for the Bison. As a team, Bucknell is one of the top shot blocking teams in the country, leading the Patriot League and sitting 11^th in NCAA Division I (5.8 blocks). Sofilkanich leads the team and ranks ninth in the nation in total blocks (24) while sitting 22^nd in double-doubles (4).

Carnegie Mellon Remains - Duquesne featured two quarters where they shot over .600 percent as a team. The Dukes opened the contest shooting an incredible .737 percent (14-of-19) from the floor while knocking down 11-of-18 (.611 percent) shots from the field in the third quarter. Duquesne opened the second half on a 17-5 stint, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field and stretching its lead to 66-32. McConnell buried a pair at the chalk while junior Andjela Matic connected on a long ball. After a Tartans bucket, Matic registered a bucket followed by a layup from Browne and a triple from McConnell. Sophomore Reina Green recorded a layup while Matic capped the stint with a long ball. The two traded the next 10 points before going scoreless over the next two minutes. Duquesne would take a 77-42 lead into the final quarter.

Arc Angels – Continuing to lead the league in scoring and ranking 29^th in the county at 81.6 points per game, Duquesne has no problem letting it fly from long range. The Dukes are averaging 33.4 three-point attempts per contest while connecting on 11.0 of them, both in which sit second in NCAA Division I. Duquesne has posted double digit treys in six of its last eight contests while shooting a season best .433 against Carnegie Mellon on Sunday. Senior guard Megan McConnell leads the Atlantic 10 with 2.8 triples per game while freshmen Nadia Moore (1.7) and Mackenzie Blackford (1.5) rank in the top 20 of the conference. McConnell leads the team with 22 long balls this season while Moore and Blackford each have 12. Junior guard Andjela Matic sits fourth in the team with 11 connections from behind the arc.

Depth Delivers Victory - With the new and up-tempo style of play Duquesne is playing this season, the Dukes have looked to its bench for a spark and they have produced. As a team, Duquesne leads the Atlantic 10 in bench points at 26.1 points per game. Freshmen Nadia Moore and Mackenzie Blackford have led the charge in the early going as Moore is averaging 8.7 points while shooting .571 percent from behind the arc. She carded a season-high 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from long range in a victory over Robert Morris this season. Blackford is posting 6.0 points while ranking second on the team in three-pointers made (12). She most recently recorded her second double digit scoring game after posting 10 points with two triples and three steals in a win over Saint Francis. Blackford scored a season-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, with three long balls in a victory over Niagara earlier this season. Duquesne has produced 20+ bench points in six of its first eight contests, including a season-high 44 against Niagara.

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