Davidson, N.C. – The Duquesne women's basketball team opened Atlantic 10 play on Wednesday night, dropping a 72-55 decision at Davidson inside John M. Belk Arena. With the slip, the Dukes fall to 6-3 overall and 0-1 in league action.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
Both teams came out shooting efficiently in the opening quarter as Duquesne jumped ahead 6-3 behind a jumper from freshman
Alexis Bordas and a layup from sophomore
Harriet Ford. Davidson quickly answered, stringing together 12 unanswered points while hitting 5-of-6 shots during the run. After a two-minute scoring drought, sophomore
Mackenzie Blackford halted the skid with a three-pointer that ignited a 10-2 Duquesne surge to close the quarter. Blackford led the push with five points, helping the Dukes narrow the gap to 17-16 after one. Duquesne briefly regained control early in the second quarter with a layup from redshirt sophomore
Gabby Grantham-Medley and another bucket from Ford, taking a three-point lead. Davidson countered with a 9-2 run to go back in front, 26-22. Bordas hit a three to stop the Wildcats' momentum, and consecutive layups from Grantham-Medley and Ford pushed Duquesne ahead 29-28 with just over three minutes remaining in the half. Later in the period, Kyra Bruyndoncx knocked down a triple, but a foul-line jumper from Grantham-Medley trimmed the deficit to one as Davidson carried a 34-33 lead into halftime.
SHOOTING WOES
The tables turned on Duquesne in the second half, as the Dukes struggled to find a groove and managed just eight field goals over the final 20 minutes. Davidson (6-3|1-0) opened the third quarter with a 10-4 run to stretch its lead to 44-38. A layup from freshman
Raevin Washington briefly cut the deficit to four, but the Wildcats responded again, pushing their advantage to 51-41 with 1:43 left in the period. Grantham-Medley opened the fourth quarter with a layup to bring Duquesne within 51-45, but Davidson quickly took control, using a 14-4 surge to seize a commanding lead. The Wildcats continued to cause problems defensively, forcing 12 second-half turnovers and turning those miscues into 14 points. Duquesne's offensive struggles mounted throughout the half as it shot just 2-of-10 to start the third quarter and went 0-of-5 from three-point range over the final 20 minutes.
DOUBLE-DIGIT MARK
For the fifth time this season, Duquesne featured three players finishing in double figures.
Gabby Grantham-Medley paced the way with 14 points while collecting six rebounds and dishing out four assists. It's the sixth time she's reached double figures this season and the second time leading Duquesne in scoring.
Reina Green and
Harriet Ford each chipped in 10 points while Ford corralled a team-best seven rebounds while dishing out two assists. Green collected five rebounds while posting one assist and one block on Wednesday. It marks the sixth time Ford has registered 10 or more points while Green reaches double figures for the second time this season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Alexis Bordas finished with seven points, three rebounds, and two assists while
Mackenzie Blackford ended with five points and three rebounds. Davidson featured three players in double figures, paced by Katie Donovan who scored a game-high 19 points on five three pointers. Kyra Bruyndoncx and Charlise Dunn each finished with 10 points, while Dunn registered a double-double with 11 rebounds and five assists. The Wildcats held a slight 32-30 edge in the paint while winning the second change opportunities, 18-2. Davidson connected on 10 three-pointers, six of them coming in the first half.
UP NEXT
Duquesne continues its road trip when it travels to Ypsilanti, Mich. to battle Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Dec. 9 in a non-conference matchup, beginning at 12:00 p.m.
