GAME 28
St. Bonaventure (6-21, 2-14) vs. Duquesne (17-10, 8-8)
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 | 11:00 a.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
- The Duquesne women's basketball team plays its final regular season home contest on Wednesday morning, hosting St. Bonaventure for on Education Day inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

- Behind a pair of double-doubles from senior Megan McConnell and graduate student Gabby Hutcherson, the Dukes captured an 84-72 victory over Saint Louis during Senior Day inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

- On Senior Day, Duquesne's veteran leadership took center stage, with standout performances from Megan McConnell and Gabby Hutcherson. McConnell delivered her second consecutive double-double, tallying 22 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. She was highly efficient, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc while also tying her career-high with 11 assists and adding three steals.

- Hutcherson recorded her first career double-double, contributing 19 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 8-of-16 from the floor and knocked down three three-pointers while leading the team with two blocks. Together, the dynamic duo combined for 15-of-26 shooting, seven made threes, and 17 rebounds.

- Junior Jerni Kiaku was a third Duke in double figures, finishing with 16 points on an impressive 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from the field. She ended 6-of-9 from the foul line while collecting two rebounds and two assists. Freshman Mackenzie Blackford was the final Duquesne player to net double digits, tallying 11 points and three long balls.

- It was a dominant first half for Duquesne, fueled by sharp shooting and strong offensive runs. The Dukes shot an impressive 58.8 percent (17-of-29) from the field and 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from three-point range. They started strong, jumping out to a 6-2 lead on consecutive triples from Gabby Hutcherson and Mackenzie Blackford.

- Though Saint Louis briefly took the lead with five straight points, Duquesne responded with an 11-0 run, spearheaded by Jerni Kiaku's eight consecutive points and a three-pointer from Megan McConnell, to establish a 17-7 advantage. The Billikens fought back with an 8-5 stretch to close the first quarter, but Duquesne still held a 22-15 lead.

- The Dukes continued their hot shooting in the second quarter, hitting 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from the field. After trading baskets early, Duquesne put together another strong run, outscoring Saint Louis 11-5 to extend their lead to 39-26 with 4:23 left in the half.

- McConnell kickstarted the surge with a layup, followed by a three from Blackford. Another triple from McConnell and Hutcherson's third of the half helped push the margin further. Blackford's pair of free throws just before halftime gave Duquesne its largest lead yet, heading into the break with a commanding 50-31 advantage.

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St. Bonaventure Game Notes

The Series vs. St. Bonaventure - A series that began in 1981, Wednesday' contest will be the 71st meeting between the Dukes and Bonnies. Duquesne has dominated the all-time series, holding a 49-21 advantage while winning 15 of the last 16 meetings, including seven consecutive. The Dukes are looking for the season sweep after capturing an 80-46 victory earlier this month (2/2). Three Dukes finished in double figures, led by Megan McConnell. She tallied a game-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor while tallying nine rebounds and five steals. McConnell netted 11 of her 17 in the opening 20 minutes, finishing 5-of-8 from the field. Jerni Kiaku and Mackenzie Blackford each carded 14 points while Kiaku finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, with two assists and one steal. Blackford posted her third straight game with three or more three's finishing with four triples, one assist, one steal, and one block in the win. The trio combined for five triples, seven steals, and 10 rebounds on Sunday. Gabby Hutcherson and Faith Walker each tallied eight points while Hutcherson tallied four rebounds and a block, with Walker dishing out four assists and two steals. … Freshman Nadia Moore and junior Andjela Matic each totaled five rebounds while freshman Kellie McConnell tallied a pair of steals.

Scouting The Bonnies – St. Bonaventure enters Wednesday's matchup with a 6-21 overall record, including a 2-14 mark in conference play. The Bonnies recently ended an 11-game losing streak with a 48-41 victory over La Salle. Dani Haskell led the way with 19 points and six rebounds, while Caitlin Frost recorded her third double-double of the season, tallying 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Haskell has been St. Bonaventure's top scorer this season, averaging 13.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. She has made 55 three-pointers and reached double figures in scoring 17 times. Zoe Shaw provides additional offensive support, contributing 10.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest, with 15 double-digit scoring performances and 44 made three-pointers. Frost leads the team in rebounding with 5.5 boards per game while adding over 9.0 points per contest.

Saint Louis Remains - Duquesne's unselfish play was on full display as they continued their strong passing game, finishing with 20 assists on 27 made field goals. The Dukes set the tone early, dishing out six assists in the first quarter and adding eight more in the second to fuel their dominant first half. The second half opened with both teams exchanging buckets before freshman Faith Walker drove coast to coast for a layup. Moments later, Megan McConnell drained a three, followed by another long ball from Mackenzie Blackford, extending the Dukes' lead to 62-37 with 4:56 left in the third. Though Saint Louis closed the quarter on a 6-2 run, Duquesne still held a commanding 69-46 advantage heading into the final frame. The Billikens made a push in the fourth, stringing together a 7-0 run to trim the deficit to 13 with just over a minute to play. However, McConnell and Jerni Kiaku each knocked down free throws to keep the lead intact. With under 40 seconds remaining, the Dukes secured the 82-67 victory, capping off a strong all-around performance.

Everyone Eats – Saturday's game against Saint Louis marked the 11th time this season that Duquesne had four or more players score in double figures. Senior Megan McConnell recorded her seventh double-double of the season and the 32nd of her career, while graduate student Gabby Hutcherson notched the first double-double of her career. Junior Jerni Kiaku reached double figures for the 22nd time this season, and freshman Mackenzie Blackford posted her 10th double-digit scoring performance of her rookie campaign. Fittingly, these four players have been Duquesne's top scorers this season. McConnell leads the team with 18.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 4.1 steals per game. Kiaku follows with 12.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. Hutcherson contributes 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, while Blackford continues to impress in her freshman season, averaging 8.0 points while shooting 40.1 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from three-point range. She has connected on 54 triples this season, trailing only McConnell's team-high 57.

The Steady Hand – Senior guard Megan McConnell extended her double-digit scoring streak to 11 consecutive games—the longest by any Duquesne player this season—after recording her ninth 20-point performance in an 84-72 win over Saint Louis. She finished with 22 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. Over the last 11 games, McConnell has been a dominant force, averaging 17.2 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 46.6 percent from the field. She has also excelled as a playmaker, dishing out 54 assists (4.9 per game) and averaging 3.6 steals per contest. The Pittsburgh native enters Wednesday's game leading the nation in steals per game (4.04) and ranking second in NCAA Division I in total takeaways (109). She is just two steals away from moving into third place on Duquesne's single-season steals list, surpassing Korie Hlede's 1995 mark of 110.

Depth Delivers - Duquesne continues to thrive with strong contributions from its bench, leading the Atlantic 10 in bench scoring at 24.1 points per game—good for 38th in the nation. The Dukes have recorded 20 or more bench points in 20 games this season, including four of their last five contests. In February, Duquesne's reserves have averaged 22.9 points per game, reaching the 20-point mark in five matchups. The team posted its third-highest bench production of the season on Feb. 2, tallying 42 points in an 80-46 win at St. Bonaventure. Earlier in the year, the Dukes scored 44 bench points in a 100-65 season-opening victory over Niagara (Nov. 16) and set a season-high with 47 points in a dominant 97-55 win at George Washington (Jan. 11). As a team, when the Dukes register 20 or more bench points, they boast a record of 14-5.

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