Richmond, Va. – A fourth-quarter surge by the Rams proved to be the difference as Duquesne fell 61-54 at VCU, inside the Siegel Center during Atlantic 10 action on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Dukes fall to 7-9 (.438) overall and 0-5 in conference play.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
Ty Williams knocked down a three-pointer with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter to trim Duquesne's lead to 45-39, but the Dukes closed the period strong, converting 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to take a 50-43 advantage into the final 10 minutes. Makennah White opened the fourth quarter with a triple to cut the deficit to four before both teams went more than three minutes without a field goal. Junior Reina Green snapped the drought by splitting a pair at the chalk, extending Duquesne's cushion to 51-46 with 6:16 remaining. Later in the quarter, Cyriah Griffin tied the game at 51-all with a triple as another extended scoring lull followed before White buried a top-of-the-key three to give VCU a 54-51 lead with 1:13 left. The Rams pushed their advantage to six before freshman guard Alexis Bordas answered with a three-pointer with 32 seconds remaining. That would be as close as the Dukes would get, as VCU sealed the win by going a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe down the stretch.

QUICK START
Duquesne jumped out to an early 7-2 lead behind a pair of baskets from freshman guard Alexis Bordas and a score from junior guard Reina Green. VCU answered with consecutive baskets to tie the game at 7-7 with 3:09 remaining in the opening quarter. Sophomore guard Mackenzie Blackford knocked down a three-pointer to regain the lead, and classmate Faith Walker followed with a basket to give the Dukes a 12-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter. After Katarina Knezevic converted a pair of free-throws to tie the game at 12-12, both teams went scoreless for more than two minutes. Bordas then ignited an 11-3 run, knocking down all three of her attempts from beyond the arc during the stretch to give Duquesne its largest lead of the first half at 23-15. VCU responded with eight straight points to even the score at 23-23 with 2:20 remaining before halftime. Later in the quarter, sophomore guard Nadia Moore scored three consecutive points to give the Dukes a 28-25 edge before Cyriah Griffin connected on a pull-up jumper to trim the deficit to one. Redshirt junior Gabby Grantham-Medley capped the half with a driving layup, sending Duquesne into the break with a 30-27 lead.

YOUNG GUN DELIVERS
Freshman guard Alexis Bordas was the lone Duke to score in double figures, recording her fourth 20-point performance of the season. She poured in a game-high 25 points on an efficient 64.3 percent (9-of-14) shooting from the field, including a 58.3 percent clip (7-of-12) from beyond the arc. Bordas also led the team with three steals while adding an assist. Sixteen of her 25 points came in the first half, with the majority coming during the second quarter, where she accounted for 11 of Duquesne's 18 points in the period. She entered halftime shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-7 from three-point range. The performance marked her seventh time leading the Dukes in scoring this season and her 14th game reaching double figures. Bordas also posted her 10th game with three or more triples and her fifth contest with at least three steals.

NOTES
Nadia Moore finished with eight points while sophomore Harriet Ford collected a team-high 11 rebounds … VCU featured two players in double figures, led by Laia Crespin Pastor with 14 points and five rebounds … Makenna White finished with 11 points and two triples … Duquesne won the rebounding battle 39-37 … VCU held the Dukes just 1-of-12 from the field in the fourth quarter … The Rams ended the game on a 15-3 run … VCU a 34-12 edge in point off the bench … The Dukes held a 13-7 edge in second chance points … There was seven ties and one lead change on Sunday.

UP NEXT
Duquesne returns home to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse when it hosts George Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 14, with the opening tip scheduled for 6:00 p.m.