GAME 20
VCU (10-11, 4-5) vs. Duquesne (13-6, 4-4)
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 | 8:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
-The Duquesne women's basketball team is set to play its second nationally televised game, when it hosts VCU on Thursday, Jan. 30, with the opening tip scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Peacock inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

- The Dukes are coming off its trip to Philadelphia, where they captured a 67-57 victory at La Salle inside John Glaser Arena. For the second time this season, Duquesne had five players finish in double figures. Megan McConnell paced the Dukes with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting (57.1 percent) from the field. She connected on a pair of triples while dishing out four assists and tallying three steals.

- Mackenzie Blackford netted 12 points, all coming from behind the arc while carding two rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Jerni Kiaku finished with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals while going 5-of-7 from the charity stripe.

- Gabby Hutcherson and Faith Walker each registered 10 points while Hutcherson totaled eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Walker recorded a season-best in points to go along with a career-best five rebounds, one steal, and one block while going 2-of-2 from behind the arc.

- It was a stagnant start for both squads as the two teams combined for 7-of-28 in the opening five minutes. Duquesne edged ahead, taking an 8-6 lead into the media timeout before using a 6-2 run to extend its advantage to 14-8.

- Sophomore Reina Green sparked the run with a driving layup, followed by a turnaround jumper from graduate student Gabby Hutcherson. After La Salle responded with a basket, senior Megan McConnell found the bottom of the net with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter.

- The Explorers closed the quarter scoring six of the final nine points, but Duquesne held a 17-14 lead after one. La Salle opened the second quarter on an 11-4 run, grabbing a 25-21 lead with 4:43 left in the half.

- Junior Jerni Kiaku ended the drought for the Dukes with a three-point play, igniting a 10-3 surge. Freshman Faith Walker contributed with a three-pointer and a pair of free-throws, while Hutcherson capped the run with two more points from the charity stripe. Later in the quarter, Hutcherson added another basket and McConnell gave the Dukes a 38-32 advantage at the break.

- After battling the Rams, Duquesne begins a two-game road trip, traveling to New York where they'll face St. Bonaventure on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 1:00 p.m.

GAME DAY LINKS
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Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
VCU Game Notes

The Series vs. VCU – It'll be the 19^th meeting between the Dukes and Rams come Thursday night and the second contest this season. Duquesne holds a 12-6 record in the all-time series but VCU has won the last two meetings, including a 65-63 victory on Jan. 2 this season. Trailing 59-44 heading into the final quarter, Duquesne orchestrated its largest comeback of the season. A driving layup by graduate student Gabby Hutcherson, followed by a steal and layup from freshman Faith Walker, ignited the surge to start the fourth. After a VCU turnover, Hutcherson sank a jumper, and senior Megan McConnell hit a pair at the charity stripe to narrow the gap to 59-52 with 8:31 left. On the ensuing possession, freshman Nadia Moore came up with a steal that led to a layup by classmate Mackenzie Blackford, forcing a VCU timeout. The Rams managed their first field goal of the quarter at the 7:10 mark, a jumper by Mary-Anna Asare, to push their lead to 61-54. McConnell answered with a driving layup, and senior Kiandra Browne followed with a pair at the chalk. Walker then notched another steal, setting up junior Jerni Kiaku for a layup to bring Duquesne within one, 61-60, with 4:34 remaining. Both teams went scoreless for nearly four minutes before Asare hit one of two free-throws, extending VCU's lead to 62-60 with 44 seconds left. Out of a timeout, Kiaku drilled a clutch three-pointer from the right-wing to give Duquesne a 63-62 edge. However, Asare responded with a running layup to reclaim the lead for VCU. The Rams forced a jump ball on Duquesne's next possession and sealed the game at the free-throw line.

Scouting The Rams – VCU comes into Thursday night with a 10-11 overall mark and a 4-5 record in Atlantic 10 action. The Rams most recently dropped a 54-49 decision to UMass on Saturday. Valentina Ojeda led the Rams in scoring with 17 points. Mary-Anna Asare tallied 12 points for VCU and grabbed five rebounds. Asare continues to pace the Rams, averaging 15.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and a team leading 1.7 steals per game. Asare has netted double figures in 17 games while shooting 43.0 percent from the field. Zoli Khalil is the second leading scorer at 7.7 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from behind the arc. Valentina Ojeda chips in 6.6 points per game while Mykel Parham paces the team with 10.4 rebounds per contest. Parham has collected double digit rebounds in 13 contests and is currently on a steak on eight straight games with 10 or more.

La Salle Remains - Defensively, Duquesne wreaked havoc for the Explorers in the third quarter, holding them to just 2-of-15 (13.3 percent) from the floor, including 0-of-7 from the field in the first five minutes. Over a nine-minute stretch spanning from the 1:23 mark of the second quarter to the 2:23 mark of the third, the Explorers managed just 6.25 percent shooting (1-of-16) from the field. The Dukes forced double-digit turnovers (26) for the 19th consecutive game, marking their 12th outing with 20 or more opponent miscues. They also recorded 10 or more takeaways for the 12th time this season, finishing with 12. Duquesne opened the second half on fire, knocking down three straight three-pointers—two from McConnell and one from freshman Mackenzie Blackford—pushing the lead to 61-43. The Dukes maintained their momentum with a 10-4 run led by Blackford and junior Jerni Kiaku, ultimately carrying a 52-38 advantage into the final quarter.

Arc Angels – The Dukes enter Thursday's contest against VCU having hit at least one three-pointers in 412 consecutive games, a span of 14 years. The last time Duquesne failed to connect on a three-point field goal in a game came December 21, 2011, when the Dukes finished 0-of-19 from long range at Florida during the championship game of the Gator Holiday Classic. Recently, the NCAA Division I women's record for consecutive games with a made three-pointer was broken. Iowa State previously held the record with an astounding 945-game streak, dating back to February 19, 1995, when the program competed in the Big Eight conference. Now, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga holds the longest active streak in NCAA Division I women's basketball, with 793 consecutive games featuring a made three-pointer.

Bench Presence – Duquesne continues to excel with strong contributions from its bench, leading the Atlantic 10 in bench production at 24.3 points per game. The Dukes have scored 20 or more points off the bench in 13 games this season, including five of their last six matchups. Over the past six games, Duquesne's bench has averaged an impressive 30.5 points, highlighted by a season-high 47-point performance in a dominant 97-55 win against George Washington. Graduate student Gabby Hutcherson and freshman Mackenzie Blackford are key contributors off the bench. Hutcherson is averaging 8.4 points per game, while Blackford adds 7.3 points per contest. Hutcherson has been particularly effective in the past three games, averaging 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range. Blackford has also been a standout from beyond the arc. Her 1.9 three-pointers per game rank 10th in the Atlantic 10, and she has connected on 37 triples this season, placing her 12th in the conference. Blackford's efficiency is equally noteworthy, as she shoots an impressive 38.1 percent from long range.

Defensive Mindset – The Dukes have embraced an aggressive, high-pressure style of play that has been instrumental to their success this season. Duquesne leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks 16th nationally in turnovers forced per game (22.58). They also sit 23rd in NCAA Division I and first in the conference in steals per game (11.7). This defensive intensity has resulted in 12 games with 20 or more forced turnovers and 12 contests with double-digit steals. When the Dukes force 20 or more turnovers, they hold an 8-4 record. Similarly, they are 8-4 in games with 10 or more steals. Duquesne is undefeated (4-0) when holding opponents under 60 points and boasts a 10-2 mark when limiting teams to under 40.0 percent shooting from the floor. Three players average at least one steal per game, highlighting the team's collective defensive effort. Senior Megan McConnell leads the way, ranking second nationally with an impressive 4.21 steals per game. Junior Jerni Kiaku contributes 1.2 steals per game, while sophomore Reina Green adds 1.0 takeaway per contest.

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