GAME 25
Duquesne (15-9, 6-7) at Loyola Chicago (11-16, 3-11)
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. CDT / 3:00 p.m. EST
Chicago, Ill. | Gentile Arena (5,000)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
-The Duquesne women's basketball team begins a two-game road trip on Saturday, Feb. 15, when it travels to Chicago, Ill. to battle Loyola Chicago in a conference matchup inside the Gentile Arena.

- Shooting woes were the different on Wednesday night as the Dukes dropped a 72-52 decision to Massachusetts during Atlantic 10 action inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Megan McConnell and Andjela Matic paced the Dukes with 15 points each while McConnell tallied seven steals, five assists, and three rebounds.

- Matic finished 4-of-7 from the field, all from behind the three-point line while carding six rebounds and two assists. As a team, Duquesne caused 20 turnovers whole collecting 10 steals on Wednesday.

- Trailing 59-33 heading into the final quarter, Duquesne mounted a 13-3 run to cut into the deficit. Junior Andjela Matic ignited the surge with a three-pointer, followed by another from graduate student Gabby Hutcherson.

- After UMass' Allie Palieri answered with a triple of her own, senior Megan McConnell drained Duquesne's third consecutive three-pointer. A defensive stop set up McConnell at the free-throw line, where she sank two, followed by another pair from Matic to cap the run at 62-46.

- However, that was as close as the Dukes would get, as the Minutewomen responded with nine of the next 12 points to secure the victory.

- UMass had for players finish in double figures, led by Megan Olbrys, with a game-high 20 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Allie Palmieri netted 16 points while Stefanie Kulesza finished with an impressive 22 rebounds and 14 points.

- Yahmani McKayle was the fourth Minutewomen with 13 points and five rebounds … UMass shot .456 percent (26-of-57) from the field while scoring 42 points in the paint.

- After battling the Ramblers, Duquesne travels to Fordham on Wednesday, Feb. 19 for a conference contest beginning at 7:00 p.m.

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Loyola Chicago Game Notes

The Series vs. Loyola Chicago – It'll be just the fourth meeting between the Dukes and Ramblers come Sunday afternoon, with Duquesne sweeping all three contests. The Dukes captured a 73-57 victory last season inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, where head coach Dan Burt captured his 200^th career win and Ayanna Townsend eclipsed 1,000 career points. Precious Johnson paced four dukes in double-digits with her second double-double of the season. She posted a season-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor while collecting 11 boards (five offensive), four blocks, and three assists. Megan McConnell fell shy of a near triple-double, registering 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. She netted 10 of her 14 in the second half, going 4-of-7 from the field. Naelle Bernard was the third Duke in double-figures, ending with 11 points with three triples and two rebounds. Tess Myers totaled nine points on three long balls while tallying six rebounds and two assists.

Scouting The Ramblers – Loyola Chicago enters Saturday's matchup with an 11-14 overall record and a 3-11 mark in conference play. The Ramblers are looking to snap a six-game losing streak, most recently falling 53-41 to George Washington. Jess Finney was the only Rambler to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Naelle Bernard leads the team with 9.5 points per game, along with 2.2 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per contest. She is shooting 37.4% from three-point range and has recorded 11 double-digit scoring performances this season. Emma Theodorsson ranks second on the team with 8.8 points per game while leading the Ramblers with 4.4 rebounds per contest. She also boasts the team's best free-throw percentage, shooting 88.7% from the line.

Massachusetts Remains - Shooting struggles defined the first half for Duquesne, as the Dukes managed just 22.2 percent (6-of-27) from the field. UMass opened the game with nine unanswered points and extended its lead to 15-5 with 3:22 remaining in the first quarter, eventually taking a commanding 19-5 advantage into the second. The teams traded the first 14 points of the second quarter before a steal and layup by senior Megan McConnell, followed by a three-pointer from freshman Mackenzie Blackford, trimmed the deficit to 28-14 with 4:54 left in the half. However, the Minutewomen responded with a 14-2 run to close the half, heading into the break with a 42-16 lead. Duquesne finished with a season-low 29.1 percent (16-of-55) shooting from the floor, including just 8-of-37 (.216) from beyond the arc.

History Etched In Stone – Senior guard Megan McConnell cemented her place in program history, becoming just the second player to surpass both 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. She secured the milestone with a defensive rebound at the 5:11 mark of the first quarter. McConnell also climbed to fifth on Duquesne's all-time scoring list, surpassing April Robinson (2013-16), and now boasts 1,612 career points and 1,002 rebounds. Notably, she is the first player in program history to eclipse 1,600 points, 1,000 rebounds, 600 assists, and 300 steals. The Pittsburgh native also ranks second all-time at Duquesne with 611 assists, trailing only Shiri Sharon (2001-04).

Did You Know? - The Dukes enter Saturday's contest Loyola Chicago having hit at least one three-pointers in 417 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 797 consecutive games featuring a made three-pointer.
 
Depth Making A Difference - A crucial element of the Dukes' success this season has been the outstanding performance of their bench. Duquesne's reserves lead the Atlantic 10 with an average of 24.7 points per game. Their dominance has been especially evident over the last nine contests, where they have averaged 30.0 points per game, highlighted by two 40-point outings. The Dukes set a season-high with 47 bench points at George Washington and followed up with 42 in a victory over St. Bonaventure. Freshman Mackenzie Blackford and graduate student Gabby Hutcherson have been key contributors off the bench. Blackford is averaging 7.9 points per game while shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range, ranking fourth in the conference. She also makes more than two three-pointers per game, placing her eighth in the A-10. Hutcherson adds 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, ranking seventh in the conference with 25 total blocks this season. Additionally, sophomore Raymi Coueta and freshman Faith Walker continue to provide valuable minutes, particularly with their strong defensive efforts.

Pittsburgh Stealer – Senior Megan McConnell isn't just excelling offensively—her defensive impact is even more remarkable. She currently leads NCAA Division I in total steals (100) and steals per game (4.17). The senior guard is just three steals away from moving into second place on Duquesne's all-time steals list, surpassing Korie Hlede (1995-98), who recorded 334 career takeaways. Over the past five games, McConnell has averaged an impressive 4.6 steals per contest. She recently went on a streak of three consecutive games with at least five steals before recording seven takeaways against Massachusetts on Wednesday night. The Pittsburgh native is now one of just six players in program history to reach 100 steals in a season and is currently tied for fifth with Kristi Little (2008). The last Duquesne player to surpass the 100-steal mark in a season was Jocelyn Floyd in 2013, who set the single-season program record with 149 takeaways.
 
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