GAME 21
Duquesne (14-6, 5-4) at St. Bonaventure (5-16, 1-9)
Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 | 2:00 p.m.
Olean, N.Y. | Reilly Center (3,480)

2024-25 Roster | 2024-25 Schedule | 2024-25 Statistics | Media Center

NOTHING BUT NYLON
-The Duquesne women's basketball team opens a two-game road swing, when it travels to Olean, N.Y. on Sunday. Feb. 2 to battle St. Bonaventure in Atlantic 10 action, inside the Reilly Center.

- The Dukes extended its winning streak to three straight games on Thursday night, securing a 69-59 victory over VCU inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Four players finished in double figures, led by freshman Mackenzie Blackford.

- Blackford led the Dukes in the third quarter, scoring 10 of her 15 points in the quarter alone. She was 3-of-4 from the field, including 2-of-3 from behind while securing a rebound and an assist. The freshman ended the game with a team-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor while connecting on three triples and dishing out three dimes.

- Three other Dukes joined Blackford in double figures as Jerni Kiaku finished with 12 points while tying her career-high six assists, with four rebounds and two steals. Megan McConnell ended with 11 points, a team-high seven boards to go along with five steals, two assists, and one block.

- Nadia Moore chipped in 10 points with a pair of triples while collecting a pair of rebounds. Freshman Faith Walker totaled seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor while dishing out a career-best four assists in the win. Reina Green posted a season-high seven rebounds in the win.

- It was a back-and-forth affair in the opening minutes as both teams traded the first 18 points before the Rams took a 18-12 lead with 1:54 remaining in the first quarter. Duquesne responded with a 6-0 run to end the quarter and knot the score at 18-all.

- Junior Andjela Matic buried a pair at the chalk, followed by jumpers from sophomore Reina Green and junior Jurni Kiaku to end the opening stanza. The Dukes came out swinging in the second quarter boosting a 7-2 stint. Freshman Mackenzie Blackford paced the charge with five points while senior Megan McConnell registered the final two tallies.

- Later in the half, VCU bounced back with a 10-6 run, trimming the deficit 31-30, with 3:19 remaining in the quarter. McConnell would stop the bleeding with four straight points of her own before Duquesne took a 37-34 advantage into the locker room.

- After battling the Bonnies, Duquesne travels to Rhode Island on Wednesday. Feb. 5 to battle the Rams in conference action, beginning at 6:35 p.m.

GAME DAY LINKS
Watch (ESPN+)
Live Stats
DUQ Game Notes
St. Bonaventure Game Notes

The Series vs. St. Bonaventure – A series that began in 1981, Sunday's contest will be the 70^th meeting between the Dukes and Bonnies. Duquesne has dominated the all-time series, holding a 48-21 advantage while winning 14 of the last 15 meetings, including six consecutive. The Dukes swept the season series last year, recently capturing a 60-55 victory at Bonnies. Duquesne flipped the script in the second quarter, shooting an impressive 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the field while going 4-of-5 (80.0 percent) from long range. In the opening four minutes, the Dukes went on a 12-4 run, nine coming from McConnell. She connected on three straight triples to stretch the lead to 20-13 before freshman Gabby Grantham-Medley went coast to coast and finished a three-point play to cap the stint. Later in the quarter, Duquesne kept the momentum rolling, putting together an 11-0 spurt over a three-minute span. Senior Precious Johnson sparked the stint with consecutive jumpers before five points from redshirt senior Lauren Wasylson and a driving layup from Kiaku pushed the Dukes lead to 34-13. Duquesne would take a 36-16 advantage into the break. The Dukes would hold the Bonnies to just 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) from the field while holding them without a field goal for the remaining seven minutes of the half.

Scouting The Bonnies – St. Bonaventure comes into Sunday's contest with a 5-16 overall record while posting a 1-9 mark in conference action. The Bonnies have lost six straight games, most recently a 67-58 defeat vs, La Salle on Wednesday night. St. Bonaventure features a pair of players averaging double figures, led by Dani Haskell. Haskell is posting 13.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals while connecting on 43 total three-pointers. She is coming off a 22-point performance vs. La Salle, where she was 7-of-16 from the field with four three-pointers. Zoe Shaw is the second Bonny in double figures, netting 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and shooting .408 percent from the field. Shaw has registered double digit scoring in 14 contests, including 12 straight contests.

VCU Remains – Duquesne opened the second half clicking on all cylinders, connecting on four of its first five shots, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Blackford sparked the scoring run with a pair of free-throws, followed by a long ball from senior Kiandra Browne. After a Rams bucket, Blackford tallied another three-pointer before Kiaku buried a triple to extend the Dukes advantage and cap the stint (48-38). Later in the quarter, VCU counted with a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to four, before Blackford stemmed the tide with another long ball. Freshman Nadia Moore registered the Dukes fifth triple of the quarter as Duquesne took a 56-49 lead into the final stanza.

400 - The Dukes enter Sunday's contest at St. Bonaventure having hit at least one three-pointers in 413 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 795 consecutive games featuring a made three-pointer.

January Turnaround – After a stagnant start to the new calendar year, the Dukes have turned it around as of late, winning five of its last six contests. A staple to its success is having three players averaging double figures for the month of January. Senior Megan McConnell paced the way with 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 4.4 steals per contests. She netted double figures in seven of eight games while shooting .452 percent (47-of-104) from the floor. Junior Jerni Kiaku was the second Duke posting double digits, averaging 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. Kiaku shot .425 percent (37-of-87) from the field while netting double figures in seven of eight games. Rookie sensation Mackenzie Blackford continues to enjoy her freshman season, carding 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, while shooting .509 percent (29-of-57) from the field and 21-of-47 (.447 percent) from behind the arc. Blackford recorded four games with three or more three pointers and netted five games in double figures.

Causing Havoc - 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 9-4 in games with 10 or more steals. Duquesne is undefeated (5-0) when holding opponents under 60 points and boasts a 11-2 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.