Bronx, N.Y. – Despite three chances in the closing seconds, the Duquesne women's basketball team dropped a 56-53 decision at Fordham on Wednesday night inside Rose Hill Gym. With the loss, the Dukes fall to 16-10 overall with a 7-8 mark in conference action.
CLOSING SECONDS
Entering the fourth quarter tied at 41, the Rams surged ahead with a 6-2 run, claiming a 47-43 lead with just over seven minutes to play. Graduate student
Gabby Hutcherson halted the momentum with a three-pointer, followed by senior
Megan McConnell's right-wing triple to put the Dukes up 49-47 at the 5:39 mark. Duquesne held a slim 51-50 edge before Camila De Pool's layup swung the lead back to Fordham with under three and a half minutes remaining. After a series of empty possessions, McConnell sank two clutch free throws to put the Dukes back in front. However, a pull-up jumper from Chaé Harris quickly reclaimed the lead for the Rams (54-53) with a minute left. Following a scoreless trip for Duquesne, Irene Murua knocked down both free throws, extending Fordham's lead to three with 17 seconds to play. The Dukes had three chances to tie it in the closing moments but unfortunately couldn't convert.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
It was a slow start for both squads, with a combined 2-of-9 shooting from the field and a 4-4 tie at the first media timeout. Fordham edged ahead 10-9 before freshman
Faith Walker's three-pointer ignited a 7-0 Duquesne run. Senior
Megan McConnell added a layup, followed by junior
Jerni Kiaku's finish at the rim to push the Dukes ahead 16-10. Fordham responded with back-to-back baskets, cutting the deficit to 16-14 after the first quarter. The Rams carried their momentum into the second, scoring six of the first nine points to claim their first lead, 20-19. Duquesne answered with a 7-0 surge, beginning with a three-pointer from junior
Andjela Matic. After forcing a turnover, sophomore
Raymi Coueta drained a corner jumper, and senior
Kiandra Browne capped the run with a mid-range shot from the foul line. The teams then exchanged the final 10 points of the half, with the Dukes maintaining a 31-26 advantage at the break.
THE DUO
Duquesne featured two players in double figures, senior Megan McConnel and graduate student
Gabby Hutcherson. McConnell registered her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The senior guard dished our four dimes while collecting three steals and going a perfect six-of-six from the charity stripe. The senior guard netted nine of her 17 in the second half, going four-of-four from the line while totaling nine rebounds in the final 20 minutes. Hutcherson tallied 13 points and four rebounds while connecting on three triples and carding a block for the Dukes.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Andjela Matic finished with six points and four rebounds while
Faith Walker ended with five points and two rebounds on Wednesday. As a team, Duquesne netted 22 points off 21 Fordham turnovers while collecting seven steals. Fordham held a 43-37 rebound advantage while scoring 28 points in the paint. The Rams featured three players in double figures, led by Chaé Harris. She finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting while collecting four rebounds. Rose Nelson totaled 11 points and five rebounds while Kaila Berry netted 10 points and 11 rebounds for Fordham. Shooting woes continued for the Dukes, finishing the game at just 27.7 percent (18-of-65) from the field and 7-of-34 (20.6 percent) from behind the arc.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 22, when it welcomes Saint Louis to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for an Atlantic 10 matchup, beginning at 2:00 p.m. The Dukes will celebrate Senior Day and honor four seniors with a ceremony before tip-off.
