GAME 27
Duquesne (17-9, 12-3 A-10) vs George Washington (10-16, 3-11 A-10)
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 | 11:00 a.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)
Stream: ESPN+ with Alex Panormios (pxp) & Rachel Zimmerman (color)
 
GAME DAY LINKS
Video (ESPN+)
Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
George Washington Game Notes

OPENING TIP
- The Duquesne University women's basketball team returns to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse when it hosts George Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 21, for its Education Day.

- The Dukes are coming off its fifth consecutive victory, capturing an 82-65 win at Saint Louis this past Saturday (2/17). It was a balanced scoring effort from the Dukes, as five players finished in double figures for the third time this season.

- Naelle Bernard led the way with 13 points and three triples. She collected a season-high eight rebounds while tallying a block and a steal. Tess Myers, Ayanna Townsend, and Precious Johnson all finished with 12 points each while Myers went 4-of-8 from the deep and corralled six rebounds.

- Townsend registered six rebounds and two steals while Johnson went 4-of-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Megan McConnell was the final Duke in double digits, posting 10 points, five rebounds, and three steals during the win.

- Lauren Wasylson chipped in nine points, with a pair of triples while Amaya Hamiton tallied eight points, five boards, five assists, and a block. Jerni Kiaku rounded out the scoring with six points and three caroms. Duquesne showed its dominance inside, registering 44 points in the paint while collecting 22 points off 15 Billikens turnovers.

- It was a blistering start for Duquesne, as it hit six of their first seven shots to begin the contest, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Bernard and Myers started the run with consecutive triples before Townsend found the bottom of the net.

- After a Saint Louis bucket, Bernard knocked down her second triple of the quarter. A driving layup by and a three-point play by senior Precious Johnson gave the Dukes an early 16-8 lead. Later in the quarter, Duquesne would continue to stay consistent, ending the first 10 minutes on an 8-1 stint.

- Redshirt senior Lauren Wasylson sparked the run with an ole fashion three-point play before Townsend converted a layup. Myers would cap the stint with a triple to give the Dukes a 24-13 lead after one.

- It was a stagnant second quarter as both teams shot under 30.0 percent. The Dukes jumped out to a 31-17 lead before the Billikens scored six of the next nine points over a two-minute span to trim the deficit, 43-23 with 2:14 remaining. Townsend would net back-to-back buckets as Duquesne held a 38-26 advantage at the break.

The Series vs. George Washington – Come Wednesday morning, it'll be the 76^th time the Dukes and Revolutionaries meet on the hardwood. George Washington holds a 59-16 mark in the all-time series but Duquesne is looking for the season sweep after securing a 71-54 victory earlier this season. Gabby Grantham-Medley and Jerni Kiaku provided valuable minutes off the bench for the Dukes. Grantham-Medley led Duquesne for the second time this season, registering 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. She netted nine of her 13 in the second half, shooting 4-for-9 from the field. The freshman totaled three boards and a triple in 22 minutes. Kiaku registered seven points on 3-of-5 shooting while collecting two assists, one rebound, and one block. She buried her only triple of the evening in 20 minutes off the bench.

Other than Grantham-Medley, three other Dukes finished in double figures. Amaya Hamilton, Megan McConnell, and Ayanna Townsend all finished with 12 points each. Hamilton recorded her sixth career double-double and first of the season, with 11 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. She also tallied four assists, two steals, and a block for the Dukes. Townsend finished with seven rebounds (four offensive) and a block while McConnell recorded six boards, three steals, two blocks, and two assists. Tess Myers registered eight points and a pair of triples while Naelle Bernard ended with six points on two long balls.

Scouting the Revolutionaries – George Washington comes into Wednesday with a 10-16 overall mark while posting a 3-11 record in A-10 action. The Revolutionaries are coming off a 60-57 defeat at George Mason this past Saturday. Four players finished in double digits, led by Mayowa Taiwo, with 14 points and 15 rebounds. She finished 6-of-6 from the field while collecting five offensive rebounds in 37 minutes. Nya Robertson ended with 11 points and three triples while Nya Lok finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and one steal.

George Washington is led by a duo in double figures, paced by Nya Robertson. She currently sits fourth in the conference in points per game (15.4) while knocking down 2.5 triples per contest, which also sits fourth. Robertson has netted double-figures 16 times this season and has reached that mark in the last three games. She is currently averaging 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Revolutionaries. Nya Lok is the second player averaging double-figures, netting 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Lok leads the team in three-point field goal percentage (.339) while sitting second in total triples made (39). Mayowa Taiwo paces the team with 6.6 rebounds a game while sitting fifth all-time in program history with 966 career rebounds.

Saint Louis Remains - Saint Louis came into the contest as the third highest scoring team in the league at 71.7 and the Dukes gave them problems. Duquesne held the Billikens to just 16.7 percent (3-for-18) in the second quarter while holding them to just 33.3 percent (6-of-18) in the third stanza. The Dukes began the second half on a 9-2 stint, where four different players found the bottom of the net. Saint Louis responded by scoring six straight points to cut the Dukes lead (47-34), with 4:53 remaining in the quarter. The two squads traded the next 14 points before layups from Johnson and Townsend gave the Dukes a 58-44 lead after three. Duquesne would cruise in the final stanza, shooting over 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the floor while grabbing its largest lead of the contests, 74-54. Seven different Dukes registered a bucket in the final frame while as a team, they shot 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) from the charity stripe.

On A Heater – Duquesne continues to be one of the hottest teams in the conference right now, winning nine of its last 10 contests, including the last five games. In that 10-game span, the Dukes are averaging over 69.0 points per contest while holding its opponents to just 59.6 points. Duquesne is shooting it at a 45.2 percent clip (255-of-564) from the floor while holding its competitors to just 35.4 percent (215-for-608). As a team, the Dukes continue to protect the paint, averaging just under 4.0 blocks (3.9) in that timeframe. Junior Megan McConnell has continued to pace Duquesne, averaging a double-double during the stretch, averaging 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds.

She has registered three double-doubles during that period while leading the team in rebounding in seven of the 10 contests. McConnell is shooting over .450 percent (43-of-95) from the field and .400 percent from long distance (18-of-45), while collecting 18 steals. Senior Amaya Hamilton sits behind McConnell at 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game in that timeframe. She has netted double-figures in five of the last 10 matches while shooting over .421 percent (32-of-76) from the field. Hamilton is shooting 85.5 percent (23-of-23) from the charity stripe while dishing out 28 assists.

All-Around Contributions – The Dukes continue to get production up and down its lineup during its hot streak. Seniors Ayanna Townsend and Precious Johnson continue to be a force in the paint as Townsend is averaging 9.1 points and 4.0 caroms while Johnson is posting 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. Both have been efficient from the floor as Townsend is shooting it at a 57.1 percent clip (40-of-70) and Johnson is at 60.3 percent (35-for-58) from the field. Townsend (10) and Johnson (11) have combined for 21 blocks in its 10-game stretch. Junior Naelle Bernard is averaging 8.7 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from behind the arc. She has buried three or more triples three times while scoring in double digits four times. Junior Tess Myers has connected on 19 treys during that span while averaging over 6.7 points per contest. She's collected just four rebounds a game while dishing out 17 assists. Redshirt Senior Lauren Wasylson continues to fire from deep, knocking down 11 long balls while shooting 44.0 percent from behind the arc. She's connected on two-plus long balls in three of the last four contests.