GAME 32
Longwood (22-11) vs. Duquesne (19-12)
Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025 | 6:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
- After receiving an at-large selection to the 2025 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), the Duquesne women's basketball team will host a first round contest against Longwood on Thursday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m. inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

- Despite erasing a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Duquesne women's basketball team fell to top-seeded Richmond, 63-58 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championships inside the Henrico Sports and Events.

- Senior Kiandra Browne and freshman Mackenzie Blackford led the way for the Dukes, both finishing in double figures. Browne recorded a career-high 18 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting (60.0 percent) while also grabbing a team-best seven rebounds. She did most of her damage in the third quarter, scoring eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.

- Blackford added 14 points on an impressive 5-of-7 shooting (71.4 percent), including a strong performance from beyond the arc, where she went 4-of-6 (66.7 percent). The freshman was nearly flawless in the first half, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep.

- Junior Jerni Kiaku contributed eight points, while classmate Andjela Matic added seven points, five rebounds, and two assists. Senior Megan McConnell made an all-around impact, tallying five points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Freshman Faith Walker played a career-high 34 minutes, finishing with three points, three rebounds, and two assists. She played a key role defensively, tasked with guarding Richmond's top trio of Addie Budnik, Maggie Doogan, and Rachel Ullstrom.

- The Spiders' lead grew to 10 points after Ally Sweeney's layup to start the fourth quarter. However, freshman Mackenzie Blackford and junior Andjela Matic responded with back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the deficit to four (51-47) with 7:13 left in regulation.

- Richmond's Alyssa Jimenez answered with a three of her own, but senior Kiandra Browne's layup and a fortunate bounce on a three-pointer from freshman Faith Walker brought the Dukes within two (54-52) with just over five minutes remaining.

- Coming out of the media timeout, the Dukes forced a Richmond turnover, leading to consecutive layups from Browne and Matic that put them ahead 56-54. After a quick 30-second timeout, Jimenez drained a left-corner three to reclaim the lead for the Spiders, who then extended their advantage to three with 1:30 remaining.

- Browne responded with another basket, but Sweeney pushed Richmond's lead back to three with 57 seconds on the clock. An offensive rebound by Walker gave the Dukes another opportunity with under 40 seconds remaining, but Browne's three-point attempt fell short with 20 seconds left. Richmond then went 2-of-4 from the free-throw line in the closing seconds to secure the win.

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The Series vs. Longwood – It'll be just the third meeting between the Dukes and Lancers come Thursday night and the first meeting in the postseason. The two teams have split their first two meetings, most recently Duquesne capturing an 89-69 victory last season. Tess Myers posted a career day as her 11 three-pointers broke the all-time program record for most triples made in a single game. The mark was previously held by Raegan Moore, who knocked down nine threes at Kent State back in 2013. Myers finished 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) from deep which is the most treys made by any NCAA Division I player that season and is also the single game record for the Atlantic 10 conference. As a team, Duquesne finished 20-of-38 from behind the arc, with the 20 triples tying the program and Atlantic 10 conference record, which the Dukes set last season. The 38 attempts are the most by a team in the Burt era. Bernard finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 from behind the arc while collecting four rebounds and four assists. Ammons had a career day, setting career-highs with 10 points, six rebounds, and four blocks. She knocked down a pair of threes while dishing out three assists and collected a steal. Megan McConnell finished just shy of another double-double, carding nine assists and eight boards. Overall, Duquesne mounted 27 assists on 32 field goals made in the win.

Scouting The Lancers – A member of the Big South, Longwood comes into Thursday's contest with a 22-11 overall record and has been selected for postseason play at the at NCAA Division I level for the third time after advancing to the second round of the 2022 NCAA tournament and earning an invite to the Women's Basketball Invitational following the 2020-21 season. The Lancers fell to High Point in the Big South Championship, dropping a 59-53 decision on March 9. Longwood is led by Amor Harris, who is averaging 11.0 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 48.6 percent from the field. Kiki McIntyre sits second on the team at 9.9 points per game while collecting 3.9 rebounds and 3.9 steals. Mariah Wilson (9.8 ppg) and Malea Brown (9.0) are also averaging over nine points per contest while both average of 3.5 rebounds.

Richmond Remains - It was a back-and-forth affair to begin the contest as both teams traded the opening eight points. The Spiders would string together eight consecutive points to take an 18-8 lead into the first media timeout. Out of the break, freshman Mackenzie Blackford stemmed the tide by connecting on a pair of triples to cut the deficit to two with just under two-minutes remaining. After a minute scoring drought, Richmond tallied a pair of free-throws to take an 18-14 lead after one. The fast up-tempo and trading baskets continued to begin the second quarter as the Spiders held a 26-23 advantage with 6:19 to play. Both teams went scoreless for over two minutes before a free-throw from senior Megan McConnell and a triple from sophomore Reina Green cut the deficit to 28-27. Richmond ended the half with three straight points to take a 31-27 lead into the break.

Nations Leaders – Entering Thursday's contest, the nation's top two steals' leaders will go head-to-head at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Senior Megan McConnell and graduate student Kiki McIntyre will showcase their defensive prowess in this highly anticipated matchup. McIntyre currently leads NCAA Division I with 126 total steals this season, while McConnell follows closely behind with 123. McConnell also ranks second in the country with 3.97 steals per game, just ahead of McIntyre, who sits third at 3.82. A defensive standout, McConnell has led her team in steals 28 times this season, recording 15 games with four or more takeaways. Her impact has not gone unnoticed—earlier this March, she was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and remains the only mid-major player on the 2025 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.

Fearless from Deep – Duquesne has excelled this season by capitalizing on its three-point shooting, a strength evident in the team's impressive statistics. The Dukes lead the Atlantic 10 and rank third nationally in three-pointers per game (10.2), while also placing second in NCAA Division I in three-point attempts per game (31.3). Their success from beyond the arc has been a driving force, as they hold a 15-2 record when making 10 or more threes, including seven games with at least 13 made triples. Seven different players have hit double figures in made threes this season, with senior Megan McConnell leading the team with 65, ranking eighth in the conference. Freshman Mackenzie Blackford follows closely with 62 triples, placing ninth in the A-10 while shooting a team-best 38.3 percent, the third-best mark in the league. Junior Andjela Matic has added 43 from deep, while graduate student Gabby Hutcherson is right behind with 39, further solidifying Duquesne's perimeter threat.

A Historic Climb – Senior guard Megan McConnell continues to cement her legacy in Duquesne's record books with each game. When she takes the court against Longwood on Thursday, she will set program records for the most appearances (141) and most starts (133) in school history. McConnell is also on the verge of two more milestones, needing just 11 assists (649) and 11 steals (355) to become Duquesne's all-time leader in both categories. In her last outing against Richmond in the A-10 quarterfinals, the Pittsburgh native climbed to second place in single-season steals with 123. She has scored 566 points this season, the seventh most in program history, bringing her career total to 1,735. Currently third on Duquesne's all-time scoring list, McConnell is just 42 points away from surpassing Wumi Agunbiade (2011-14), who sits at 1,776.

On a Jerni – Junior guard Jerni Kiaku is peaking at the right time as Duquesne enters the WNIT, delivering some of her best performances of the 2024-25 season. She has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, averaging 14.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists during that span. Her standout effort came in a 21-point performance that powered the Dukes to a 79-63 win over Fordham in the second round of the A-10 Tournament. Over this stretch, Kiaku has been highly efficient, shooting 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field and an impressive 76.4 percent (13-of-17) from the free-throw line. The North Carolina native is Duquesne's second-leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points per game while maintaining a stellar 47.5 percent shooting mark. She has reached double figures 25 times this season and has recorded four 20-point performances.
 
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