GAME 26
Duquesne (16-9, 11-3 A-10) at Saint Louis (11-15, 6-7 A-10)
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 | 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT
Saint Louis, Mo. | Chaifetz Arena (10,600)
Stream: ESPN+ with Colin Suhre (pxp)
 
GAME DAY LINKS
Video (ESPN+)
Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
Saint Louis Game Notes

OPENING TIP
-The Duquesne University women's basketball team looks to extend its winning streak while wrapping up its two-game road swing, traveling to Saint Louis on Saturday, Feb. 17, inside Chaifetz Arena.

- The Dukes stretched its winning streak to four straight games this past Wednesday, downing St. Bonaventure, 66-50 inside the Reilly Center. Three Dukes finished in double figures, led by Megan McConnell as she posted her seventh double-double of the season.

- She finished with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor while tying her career-high with five triples. McConnell netted 18 of her 20 points in the first half, finishing 5-of-8 from the floor and 5-for-5 from behind the arc. She collected 13 rebounds while dishing out five assists and four steals in the win.

- Precious Johnson chipped in 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field while Jerni Kiaku ended with 10 points, four rebounds, one steal, and one block.

- It was a stale opening four minutes for both squads as they combined 1-for-11 from the field and Duquesne had four turnovers. St. Bonaventure (4-20, 1-12 A-10) would jump out to an early 7-1 lead before the Dukes scored 10 consecutive points to gain its first lead of the contest, 11-7.

- Junior Megan McConnell paced the charge with eight of Duquesne's 10 points. She buried a pair of free-throws to begin the run before sophomore Jerni Kiaku connected on a bucket. McConnell would cap the stint with back-to-back triples before the Dukes held an 11-9 lead after one.

- Amaya Hamilton, Gabby Grantham-Medley, and Lauren Wasylson all finished with five points as Grantham-Medley tallied five rebounds and five assists.

- Duquesne used its size advantage and dominated on the glass, collecting a 46-25 advantage on the glass. The Dukes corralled 14 offensive rebounds while recording 34 bench points.

- Duquesne will return to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Feb. 21, when it looks for the season sweep over George Washington inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The contests against the Revolutionaries will be Education Day presented by UPMC Health Plan.

The Series vs. Saint Louis – It'll be just the 22^nd meeting between the Dukes and Billikens come Saturday night as Duquesne holds a 14-7 record in the all-time series. The Dukes have won three of the last four meetings, including a 68-63 victory last season in Pittsburgh. Duquesne was up by as many as 27 points in the second half, but a furious Saint Louis rally made it a three-point game late in the fourth quarter. Despite the pressure put on by the Billikens, the Dukes held on for the win. The Dukes rode a 21-1 run in the first quarter to the very end of the game, splitting a 10-0 and 11-0 stint. Megan McConnell led the Dukes with 16 points and 10 rebounds, securing her ninth double-double of the season. Tess Myers also made three treys and scored 13 points, while Naelle Bernard and Amaya Hamilton were also in double digits with 11 points scored each. In addition to the 11 points, Hamilton grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists. Precious Johnson grabbed eight rebounds and protected the rim all night, blocking a season-high four shots.

Scouting the Billikens – The defending Atlantic 10 champs come into Saturday's contest on a two-game winning streak, most recently downing Loyola Chicago 77-68 on Wednesday. Brooklyn Gray paced the way with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Peyton Kennedy finished with 16 points, four boards, and a pair of triples while Kyla McCmakin was the third Billiken in double figures tallying 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Julia Martinez registered a team-high nine rebounds and five steals in the win. As a team, Saint Louis shot 50.0 percent for the contest and 43.8 percent from deep.

Saint Louis comes in as the third best scoring team in the conference, averaging 71.7 points per contest. The Billikens feature three players averaging double figures, led by Kyla McMakin. She currently ranks third in the league with 16.3 points per game while shooting 81.1 percent from the charity stripe. McMakin has registered double-digits in 25 of 26 games this season. Peyton Kennedy ranks eighth in the conference with 14.8 points per contest while collecting 4.6 boards and 1.3 steals a game. Brooklyn Gray is the third player averaging double figures, netting 11.7 points and shooting 47.2 percent from the free-throw line. Julia Martinez is currently leading the A-10 in assists (132), assists per game (6.0), steals (56), and steals per contest (2.5).

St. Bonaventure Leftovers - Duquesne flipped the script in the second quarter, shooting an impressive 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the field while going 4-of-5 (80.0 percent) from long range. In the opening four minutes, the Dukes went on a 12-4 run, nine coming from McConnell. She connected on three straight triples to stretch the lead to 20-13 before freshman Gabby Grantham-Medley went coast to coast and finished a three-point play to cap the stint. Later in the quarter, Duquesne kept the momentum rolling, putting together an 11-0 spurt over a three-minute span. Senior Precious Johnson sparked the stint with consecutive jumpers before five points from redshirt senior Lauren Wasylson and a driving layup from Kiaku pushed the Dukes lead to 34-13. Duquesne would take a 36-16 advantage into the break. The Dukes would hold the Bonnies to just 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) from the field while holding them without a field goal for the remaining seven minutes of the half.

Oh Precious, My Precious - Arguably one of the most consistent members of the Dukes in recent weeks has been senior center Precious Johnson, who enters Saturday's game at Saint Louis having scored in double figures in four of the last six contests. During that stretch, Johnson is averaging 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 65.1 percent (28-for-43) from the field. The Sweden native continues to protect the paint for the Dukes, totaling nine blocks and averaging 1.5 per game. In a 73-57 triumph over Loyola Chicago, Johnson paced the Dukes with her second double-double of the season, posting a season-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor while collecting 11 boards (five offensive), four blocks, and three assists. Just a coupe games later, Johnson registered her third double-double of the year in a 57-52 victory over La Salle. She finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds (five offensive) while going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. The senior center collected a pair of blocks, her either game this season with two-plus rejections. Duquesne is 6-1 (.857) when Johnson scores in double figures.

Chalk Talk – 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 12-8 record as the starting five while recording an 9-3 mark over the last 12 contests. Hamilton (1,063) and Myers (1,035) were the first pair to surpass the honor as they captured the plaudit in a 66-59 road victory at Davidson. Townsend (1,022) was the third Duke to be added to the list after she tallied the milestone in a 73-57 victory over Loyola Chicago. McConnell (1,039) and Bernard (1,017) most recently joined the club, when they each passed the threshold in a 79-62 rout at UMass.