GAME 22
Duquesne (15-6, 6-4) at Rhode Island (11-12, 6-4)
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 | 6:35 p.m.
Kingston, RI.| Thomas M. Ryan Center (8,000)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
-The Duquesne women's basketball team wraps up its two-game road trip Wednesday, Feb. 5, when it travels to Rhode Island for an Atlantic 10 matchup inside the Thomas M. Ryan Center beginning at 6:35 p.m.

- Fueled by their fourth-best shooting performance of the season, the Dukes cruised to an 80-46 victory at St. Bonaventure on Sunday afternoon at the Reilly Center. Three players finished in double figures, paced by senior guard 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.

- After a stagnant first five minutes in the opening quarter, Duquesne found its rhythm, closing the stanza on a 13-3 run while connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the field. Senior guard Megan McConnell led the charge with six points, while freshman Mackenzie Blackford added a three-pointer, helping the Dukes secure an 18-8 advantage after one.

- St. Bonaventure responded with six straight points to open the second quarter, but Duquesne quickly regained control with a 16-6 surge over a three-minute span. Graduate student Gabby Hutcherson ignited the run with a three-pointer, followed by a driving layup from McConnell.

- After a Bonnies three, Blackford answered with one of her own on the very next possession. St. Bonaventure added a basket, but freshman Fatou Sane countered with a layup before Blackford drilled back-to-back triples, forcing a Bonnies timeout with 4:42 left in the half. Coming out of the break, the Dukes kept their momentum, closing the quarter on a 10-4 run to take a commanding 44-24 lead into halftime.

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The Series vs. Rhode Island – It'll be the 63^rd meeting when the Dukes and Rams square of on Wednesday night as Duquesne holds a 39-23 lead in the all-time series. The Dukes are looking for the season sweep and its third straight win against Rhode Island as they captured a 77-64 victory this past January (19^th). For the 16th time this season senior Megan McConnell and junior Jerni Kiaku have scored in double figures together. McConnell paced the Dukes with 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals. She finished 7-of-14 (50.0 percent) from the floor while connecting on two long balls. Kiaku netted 18 points, five rebounds, while tallying a pair of three-pointers, and finishing 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from the field. She scored seven of her 18 in the third quarter, finishing 3-of-4 from the field. Gabby Hutcherson was the third player in double figures, posting 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including three triples. She finished with eight rebounds and a team-high three blocks. Andjela Matic finished with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers and three assists while Mackenzie Blackford netted eight points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Scouting The Rams – Rhode Island comes into Wednesday's contest with an 11-12 overall mark and a 6-4 record in conference action. The Rams have won three of its last four contests but most recently fell at Richmond 79-56. Harsimran "Honey" Kaur led Rhode Island with 14 points and seven rebounds while Palmire Mbu had 11 points, three rebounds and three blocks. Hawa Komara was the third Ram in double figures, finishing with 12 points. Rhode Island features a duo averaging double figures, led by Kaur. She's averaging 12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and shooting .418 percent from the field. Kaur has posted seven double-doubles and has scored in double figures 15 times. Sophie Phillips is the second Ram averaging double digits, netting 10.2 points per game. She paces the team and sits tied for third in the league with 50 three-pointers while knocking down 2.2 triples per game, good for fourth in the A-10. As a team, Rhode Island is the top offensive rebounding squad in the league, averaging 15.5 boards per contest.

St. Bonaventure Remains - For the fourth time this season, the Dukes shot an impressive 50.0 percent from the field, finishing 30-of-60 for the game. Their strongest quarter came right after halftime, where they connected on 9-of-15 shots (60.0 percent), including a pair of three-pointers. Duquesne set the tone early in the second half, opening with four straight makes—two from senior Kiandra Browne and two from Kiaku—stretching their lead to 52-26. Later in the quarter, the Dukes strung together 10 consecutive points, sparked by freshman Faith Walker. She started the run with a pair of free throws, followed by a bucket from Mackenzie Blackford, before Walker drained a right-wing three. McConnell capped the surge with a three-point play, extending Duquesne's lead to 67-34 with 3:25 remaining in the quarter. St. Bonaventure closed the stanza by scoring five of the final seven points, but the Dukes remained in control, carrying a 69-39 lead into the fourth.

Rookie Sensation - For the second time this season, freshman guard Mackenzie Blackford has been named the Atlantic 10 Under Armour Rookie of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday. The freshman phenom had an outstanding week, averaging 14.5 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient .500 percent (9-of-18) from the floor and .467 percent (7-of-15) from beyond the arc. Against VCU, she paced Duquesne with 15 points on 5-of-8 (.625) shooting, including 3-of-5 (.600) from long range. Blackford also contributed three rebounds and three assists in the win. She was especially dominant in the third quarter, netting 10 of her 15 points during that stretch. She shot 3-of-4 from the field in the period, draining a pair of three-pointers. Blackford capped off the week by being one of three Dukes to finish in double figures against the Bonnies. She registered 14 points, fueled by a team-leading four three-pointers while dishing out an assist and collecting one block and one steal.

Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watchlist - Senior guard Megan McConnell earned a spot on the midseason watchlist for the 2024-25 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, announced by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). She is one of only three Atlantic 10 players named to the midseason list. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., McConnell is no stranger to acquiring accolades. In January, she was named to the midseason watch list for the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award and most recently named to the 2025 Women's College All-Star Game Midseason Watch List. The senior guard has been a standout performer for Duquesne this season, leading the team in nearly every statistical category. She tops the Atlantic 10 in points per game (18.6), total assists (108), assists per game (5.1), steals per game (4.14), and total takeaways (87), while also ranking fourth in double-doubles (5).

On A Roll – Duquesne has been victorious in six of the its last seven contests, more importantly stacking wins on the road. The Dukes have won four straight games on the road while outscoring their opponents 309-222 in those four contests. Over the seven-game span, Duquesne has outscored its opponents by 103 points (528-425) while netting 75.4 points per game. Three players averaged double figures in that timeframe, led by Megan McConnell. She's carding 15.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 4.1 steals per game. Junior Jerni Kiaku tallied 13.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting .481 percent (37-of-77) from the field. Freshman Mackenzie Blackford is the final Duke averaging double figures, netting 11.7 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting and impressive .510 percent (26-of-51 from the field and 21-of-45 (.467) from behind the arc.

400 - The Dukes enter Wednesday's contest at Rhode Island having hit at least one three-pointers in 414 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 796 consecutive games featuring a made three-pointer.

Did You Know? – When Duquesne scores 71 or more points, the team boasts a strong 10-2 record. The Dukes are even more dominant when holding opponents under 70 points, posting an impressive 13-2 mark. Offensively, Duquesne has shot .401 or better in 12 games this season, winning 10 of those contests. Over the past seven games, the Dukes have set the tone early, outscoring opponents 281-197 in the first half while compiling a 6-0 record with one tie. Defensively, they continue to disrupt opponents, forcing an average of 20.7 turnovers and tallying 10.4 steals per game.

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