GAME 25
Duquesne (15-9, 10-3 A-10) at St. Bonaventure (4-19, 1-11 A-10)
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
St. Bonaventure, N.Y.| Reilly Center (5,480)
Stream: ESPN+ with Nathan Solomon (pxp) & Stephen Scheppner (color)
 
GAME DAY LINKS
Video (ESPN+)
Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
St. Bonaventure Game Notes

OPENING TIP
- The Duquesne University women's basketball team opens a two-game road swing Wednesday, Feb. 14, when it travels to St. Bonaventure in Olean, N.Y., inside the Reilly Center.

- The Dukes extended its winning streak to three consecutive games last Saturday, capturing a 57-52 victory over La Salle. With the win, Duquesne has now won five straight contests on its home floor and eight of the last nine.

- The Dukes registered 25 points from their bench this afternoon, 15 coming from Precious Johnson. She recorded her third double-double of the season and ninth of her career while collecting 12 rebounds, five on the offensive.

- Johnson finished 5-of-9 from the field and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe while tallying a pair of blocks. Lauren Wasylson ended with eight points, on 3-of-6 shooting including a pair of threes. She collected three boards and three assists in 20 minutes of action.

- Naelle Bernard finished with 13 points and three triples while dishing out a pair of assists. Megan McConnell fell shy of a double-double with 11 rebounds and nine points. She distributed a pair of assists while collecting a pair of steals and finished 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.

- Ayanna Townsend ended with six points while Amaya Hamilton and Tess Myers finished with four boards and three assists each. Despite the slow pace, the Dukes assisted on 17 of its 19 field goals while scoring 15 points off 10 La Salle turnovers.

- It was a hot start for Duquesne as it jumped out to an early 11-5 lead after hitting five of its first seven shots to begin the game. Junior Naelle Bernard paced the way with five points while senior Ayanna Townsend chipped in four.

- La Salle would respond by ending the quarter on a 9-2 stint to take a 14-13 lead after the opening stanza. Neither team would shoot the ball well in the second quarter, with each squad connecting on just three field goals.

- The Dukes opened the frame by scoring six straight points before both teams combined for seven points over the next three and a half minutes. The Dukes and Explorers traded the final 10 points of the quarter, with Duquesne holding a 28-22 advantage at the break. The Dukes scored eight of its 15 points in the quarter from the charity stripe (8-of-10).

- Duquesne will close out its two-game road swing on Saturday, Feb. 17, when it travels to Saint Louis to battle the Billikens for an A-10 matchup.

The Series vs. St. Bonaventure – Come Wednesday night, it'll be the 69^th meeting between the Dukes and Bonnies as Duquesne holds a 47-21 record in the all-time series. The Dukes have dominated the series, winning 13 of the last 14 meetings, including the last five. Duquesne will look to sweep the season series as it captured a 76-67 victory earlier this season (1/17). Four Dukes finished in double-digits, led by Megan McConnell, who posted her 18th career double-double and fifth of the season. She posted 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting while collecting 13 boards, two blocks, one steal, and dishing out six assists. Ayanna Townsend carded a season-high 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting while securing six rebounds and two blocks. Amaya Hamilton recorded an all-around performance, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds, and a season-best six assists. Hamilton posted 12 of her 14 in the second half while shooting 4-for-7 from the field. Tess Myers was the final Duke in double-figures, tallying 11 points with three triples, four assists, and three rebounds.

Scouting the Bonnies – St. Bonaventure comes into Wednesday on an 11-game losing streak, most recently falling at VCU, 54-40. Dani Haskell finished with a game-high 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including four threes. Payton Fields tallied seven points and five rebounds while Tamar voor de Poort played a career-high 18 minutes off the bench. As a team, the Bonnies collected 10 steals while forcing 24 VCU turnovers.

St. Bonaventure features three players averaging double-figures, paced by Dani Haskell. She's averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per contests. Haskell has netted double-figures in 17 games this season while accomplishing that feature in three of the las four games. Nadechka Laccen is averaging 10.2 points and 4.6 boards while shooting over .445 percent from the field. She's recorded 13 games in double-digits while Isabellah Middleton is the third Bonnie to average double-figures, recording 10.1 points and leading the team with 5.6 caroms. She's posted 15 games with five-plus boards while tallying 10-plus points in 11 contests. In conference play, Haskell is averaging 13.0 points while Middleton and Laccen are both over 9.0 points.

La Salle Remains - In the second half, both squads continued to struggle shooting it from the floor as they combined 5-of-14 in the opening four minutes. Duquesne stretched its lead to 38-29 and forced a La Salle timeout with 5:12 remaining, thanks to a pair of threes from Bernard and redshirt senior Lauren Wasylson. After going scoreless for over two and half minutes, the Explorers would trim the Dukes advantage and trailed 41-33 after three. A layup from senior Precious Johnson started the fourth quarter before another triple from Wasylson secured the largest lead for the Dukes on the afternoon (46-33). La Salle would score eight of the next 12 points, thanks to a pair of triples, to cut the lead to single digits. A free-throw from McConnell would push the lead back to 10, 51-41, before the Explorers put together a 9-4 stint to trim the deficit (55-50) with 2:31 remaining. A layup from Nicole Melious would cut the Dukes lead to three with 34 second remaining, before McConnell buried a pair at the charity stripe to secure the win.

Did You Know? – Duquesne features an achievement that only four other teams in the country can say, and that's having five players surpass 1,000 career points in the same season. Amaya Hamilton, Tess Myers, Ayanna Townsend, Megan McConnell, and Naelle Bernard have all surpassed the milestone and did it in a two-week span. Louisville, Mississippi State, Kansas and Baylor are the other four schools that have conquered the threshold. Coincidentally enough, these five Dukes have been the main starting lineup this season. This group has posted an 11-8 record as the starting five while recording an 8-3 mark over the last 11 contests. Hamilton (1,058) and Myers (1,032) were the first pair to surpass the honor as they captured the plaudit in a 66-59 road victory at Davidson. Townsend (1,020) was the third Duke to be added to the list after she tallied the milestone in a 73-57 victory over Loyola Chicago. McConnell (1,019) and Bernard (1,015) most recently joined the club, when they each passed the threshold in a 79-62 rout at UMass.

Three Amigos – Senior Amaya Hamilton and juniors Megan McConnell and Naelle Bernard are the only members of the Dukes to start in each of Duquesne's 24 games this season. Earlier this year, the Dukes had used three different starting lineups before using the same starting five the past 11 contests. Entering Wednesday's matchup at St. Bonaventure, Hamilton and McConnell are the teams' active leaders in consecutive games and consecutive starting assignments (55). Hamilton has appeared in 131 career games, which is tied for fifth all-time in program history. She is just three appearances away from playing in the most games in Duquesne women's basketball history.

Rise Of Reserves – Since the beginning of the new year, the Duquesne bench has outscored its opponents 222-151. The Dukes have averaged over 20.2 points per contest in its last 11 games, including 25 in a victory over La Salle and 37 points in a triumph at UMass. Senior Precious Johnson is the leader off the bench, averaging 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game since the beginning of January. Johnson has finished in double figures in four of those 11 contests while producing a pair of double-doubles. Sophomore Jerni Kiaku continues to give the Dukes a spark as she is averaging just under 6.0 points a game while collecting 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists since the beginning of 2024. She's shooting over 86.6 percent from the charity stripe (13-for-15) and has tallied six total steals. After being cleared to begin in January, redshirt Lauren Wasylson continues to fire from long range, shooting over .400 percent from behind the arc. She's connected on 12 triples while chipping in over 4.2 points a game. Wasylson has buried two-plus treys in four contests this season.