Richmond, Va. – The Duquesne women's basketball team wrapped up its final regular-season road contest, falling at Richmond, 90-74 on Wednesday night inside the Robins Center in conference action. With the slip, the Dukes six game winning streak comes to an end, holding a 18-10 overall mark and a 13-4 record in league play.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
It was a stagnant start for both squads as they combined 4-of-14 in the opening five minutes. Out of the media timeout, the two teams continued to trade buckets as it was knotted 13-all, with 2:14 remaining in the opening quarter. Richmond would net the next four points before junior
Tess Myers buried three straight free-throws to trim the deficit, 17-16. The Spiders ended the quarter on a 4-1 run to hold a 21-17 lead after one. In the second quarter, Richmond strung together an 8-0 spurt to grab a 29-17 lead and forced a Dukes timeout. Duquesne would respond, scoring nine of the next 14 points to trim the deficit (34-26).
Senior
Amaya Hamilton sparked the run with consecutive layups before redshirt senior
Lauren Wasylson buried a left corner triple. After a Spiders basket, Hamilton connected again on a jumper in the paint to cap the stint. Later in the quarter, junior
Naelle Bernard connected on a triple before Richmond sparked an 8-2 run to stretch its lead, 44-31 with 1:06 remaining. Duquesne wouldn't shy away, as it responded by scoring seven of the final nine points of the half. Bernard and Wasylson netted long balls to lead the stint as the Dukes trailed 46-38 at the break.
SPIDERS HOT HAND
Richmond (25-5, 15-2 A-10) continued its momentum in the second half, opening the third quarter on a 12-3 run, to take a 58-41 advantage. Hamilton would connect on a pair from the chalk before junior
Megan McConnell buried a triple to stop the run. Later in the quarter, both teams traded a pair of triples each before the Spiders answered with an 8-2 stint to end the quarter (76-54). Richmond shot an impressive 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from the field in the third quarter while going 5-for-7 from deep (71.4 percent). Duquesne made a run in the final quarter, opening the final frame on an 8-1 run. Junior
Jerni Kiaku split a pair at the line before Bernard and McConnell converted consecutive driving layups. McConnell would secure another bucket as Kiaku split another pair at the chalk to cap the stint.
FRONT COURT
A pair guards paced the Dukes tonight, led by
Naelle Bernard and
Megan McConnell. Bernard posted a season-best 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor, while tying her season-high with five triples. She netted 11 of her 20 points in the first half burying three treys. Bernard also collected four rebounds, a steal, and a block. McConnell finished the evening with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, with three triples. She registered 13 of her 19 points in the second half, shooting 4-of-6 from the field, with a pair of threes. McConnell corralled with seven rebounds while dishing out three assists.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Amaya Hamilton tallied nine points, a team-high eight rebounds and five assists.
Tess Myers,
Jerni Kiaku, and
Lauren Wasylson all registered six points each while Kiaku netted four rebounds. Richmond featured five players in double figures, led by Grace Townsend with 19 points and three threes. Lauren VanArsdale gave the Spiders a spark off the bench, recording 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting. Richmond received 31 points off its bench in the win. The Spiders recorded 19 points on 12 Duquesne turnovers while holding a 32-20 edge in points in the paint.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns home for its final regular season contest, hosting Saint Joseph's on Saturday, March 2 while celebrating Senior Day.
