GAME 28
Duquesne (18-9, 13-3 A-10) at Richmond (24-5, 14-2 A-10)
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Richmond, Va. | Robins Center (7,200)
Stream: ESPN+
 
GAME DAY LINKS
Video (ESPN+)
Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
Richmond Game Notes

OPENING TIP
-The Duquesne University women's basketball team looks for the season sweep as it travels to Richmond on Wednesday, Feb. 28, to battle the Spiders inside the Robins Center in Atlantic 10 action.

- The Dukes tied the program record for conference victories after capturing a 79-69 victory over George Washington last Wednesday (2/21). For the fourth time this season, Duquesne had five players finish in double figures.

- Megan McConnell led the way as she finished with 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. McConnell collocated eight rebounds while dishing out four assists. Jerni Kiaku finished with 13 points and a season-high seven rebounds, on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor.

-  Amaya Hamilton and Ayanna Townsend each posted 12 points while Townsend tallied five boards, three assists, and a block. Hamilton recorded three rebounds, two blocks, two assists, and one steal in the win.

- Precious Johnson was the final Duke in double-figures, ending with 10 points, three caroms, one block, and one steal. She netted nine of her 10 points in the fourth quarter, where she was 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

- Duquesne held a slight edge in points in the pair (38-32) while scoring 18 points off 12 George Washington turnovers. Junior Naelle Bernard chipped in nine points off three three-pointers for the Dukes as Duquesne shot 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) from the chalk. Duquesne was defensively stout in the second half, holding the Revolutionaries to just 32.4 percent (12-of-37) from the floor and 3-for-12 (25.0 percent) from long range.

- Heading to the final 10 minutes, the Dukes held a 57-56 advantage before mounting a 10-5 stint, to push its lead to 67-61, with 4:07 remaining. Senior Precious Johnson and sophomore Jerni Kiaku paced the charge with five points each.

- Nya Robertson would cut the deficit to three after burying her sixth triple of the contest, with just under four-minutes remaining. Duquesne would respond by scoring eight consecutive points, to grab its largest lead of the contest, 75-64. Johnson sparked the stint with a layup before Kiaku would find the bottom of the net.

- Senior Amaya Hamilton would connect on a pair at the charity stripe, followed by another layup from Johnson to cap the stint. During that span, the Dukes held George Washington (10-17, 3-12 A-10) to 0-of-6 shooting from the floor and 0-for-3 from behind the arc. Hamilton and junior Megan McConnell would go 4-of-4 from the chalk in the final 57 seconds, to seal the deal for Duquesne.

The Series vs. Richmond – Come Wednesday night, it'll be the 31^st meeting between the Dukes and Spiders as the all-time series is even, 15-15. Duquesne is looking for the season sweep after securing a 72-69 victory in January. Jerni Kiaku supplied a massive spark off the bench, pacing the Dukes with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor. She was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe while collecting six rebounds (four offensive) and a steal. Amaya Hamilton finished with 16 points on 50.0 percent shooting (6-of-12) while collecting six rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. Ayanna Townsend finished with 14 points and eight rebounds while Megan McConnell tallied her 19th career double-double and sixth of the season. She posted a season-high 14 rebounds to go along with 11 points and three triples.

Richmond came into the last meeting ranked nationally in multiple scoring categories. The Spiders led the A-10 in field goal percentage (47.1, 21st nationally), three-point percentage (37.1, 19th nationally) and three pointers per game (9, 15th nationally). The Dukes defensively held them under their season average in almost every statistical category. They held them to just 21-of-62 (33.9 percent) from the field, 6-of-28 (21.4 percent) from deep, and its third lowest scoring total this season (59). Duquesne also outrebounded the Spiders 44-29 while registering 38 paint points to their 30.

Scouting the Spiders – Richmond comes into Wednesday's contest tied for the league lead with a 24-5 overall mark and a 14-2 record in conference action. The Spiders had its seven-game winning streak snapped, falling at George Mason, 82-76 in overtime. Five players finished in double figures, led by Maggie Doogan with 20 points. Grace Townsend (16), Addie Budnik (13), Rachel Ullstrom (12), and Siobhan Ryan (11) also finished with double digits for the Spiders.

Richmond is the top scoring team in the A-10, averaging over 73.5 points per game. They currently rank seventh in the country in three-point percentage (38.4) while sitting 10^th in the triples per contest (9.2). The Spiders have made nine-plus threes in 15 contests this season. Richmond continues to protect the paint as they sit sixth in the NCAA in blocks per game (5.8) while posting 22 contests with five-plus rejections. The Spiders are led by four players averaging double figures, paced by Maggie Doogan. She's averaging 15.4 points, 5.6 boards, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks per contest while shooting 48.5 percent from the field. Grace Townsend sits second on the team at 13.1 points while ranking second in the conference at 5.1 assists per game. Rachel Ullstrom (12.1) and Addie Budnik (11.4) are the final two players in double digits while Budnik ranks ninth in the NCAA Division I in total blocks (73) while sitting 17^th in rejections per contest (2.52).

George Washington Remains - After missing its first two shots of the contest, the Dukes jumped out to an early 12-8 lead, thanks to seven points from senior Ayanna Townsend and five from McConnell. The Revolutionaries responded with a 12-5 stint to take a 20-17 advantage. George Washington shot 5-of-7 from the floor during the while forcing a pair of turnovers. The Revolutionaries would lead 26-22 after the opening stanza, where they shot 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the floor. Robertson led the way with 13 first quarter points, including 3-of-4 from long range. The Dukes flipped the script defensively in the second quarter, holding George Washington to just 33.3 percent (5-for-15) from the floor and Robertson to just two shots. After a pair of free-throws, the Dukes put together an 8-2 burst, which knotted the score at 30-all. The Revolutionaries countered with a 9-4 stint that pushed their lead to 39-34, with 2:38 remaining in the half. Duquesne would net the final six points to take a 40-39 halftime advantage.

Hot Streak – Entering Wednesday's contest, the Dukes have the longest active winning streak in the conference at six straight. Duquesne has been victorious in 10 of its last 11 contests while averaging 70.1 points per contest. As a team, the Dukes are shooting it at a 45.5 percent clip (281-for-618) from the floor while knocking down 7.5 triples per game. Redshirt senior Lauren Wasylson is shooting 44.0 percent (11-of-25) from behind the arc while junior Megan McConnell is at 40.4 percent from long range (19-of-47) during the streak. Classmate Naelle Bernard has knocked down 21 triples (21-for-55) in that timeframe while burying three-plus in four of the last six contests.

McConnell has paced the Dukes during the run, averaging 13.5 points, 9.8 caroms, and 4.91 assists per game. Senior Amaya Hamilton has posted 9.5 points while shooting 90.0 percent from the charity stripe (27-of-30). Seniors Ayanna Townsend and Precious Johnson continue to manage the paint as Townsend is shooting it at a 54.9 percent clip while averaging 9.4 points per contest. Johnson is netting just under 9.0 points (8.8) off the bench while shooting 58.7 percent from the field.

Half A Dozen - 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. But the Dukes are on the verge of adding another member to that list and that is Precious Johnson. The senior center enters Wednesday's contest just 24 points shy (976) of the honor and joining teammates Amaya Hamilton, Tess Myers, Ayanna Townsend, Megan McConnell, and Naelle Bernard. Those five conquered the honor earlier this season while doing it in a two-week span. Louisville, Mississippi State, Kansas and Baylor are the other four schools that have conquered the threshold.

Defensively Speaking – During its 11-game span, the Dukes have been defensively stout, holding its opponents to just 60.5 points per game. Duquesne has held its opponents to just 35.9 percent (242-for-675) shooting from the floor while just 28.5 percent (70-of-246) from long range. As a team, the Dukes are collecting just under 5.0 steals a game, led by McConnell. She's averaging 1.64 takeaways over this span while collecting three-plus steals in three contests. Kiaku and junior Tess Myers sit behind her with seven total steals each. Duquesne continues to protect the rim as it features three players averaging one block per contest. Hamilton (12) and Johnson (12) lead the way with 1.09 rejections per game while Townsend (11) sits at 1.00. The trio has combined for 35 of the Dukes 44 rejections in its 11-game timeframe. Duquesne has done its damage in the first and third quarters during this run, outscoring its opponents 198-169 in opening stanzas and 206-161 to begin the second half.