Bronx, N.Y. – Despite trailing by double figures in the first half, the Duquesne women's basketball team rolled to an 80-67 victory over Fordham on Saturday afternoon inside Rose Hill Gym. With the win, the Dukes secured its second straight victory and improved to 9-16 (.360) overall and 2-12 (.143) in Atlantic 10 play.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
Trailing 34-33 at the break, Duquesne came out of the locker room in control, using a decisive 18-8 run to seize momentum. The Dukes shot 5-of-8 from the field during the stretch, knocked down three triples and went a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Sophomore Mackenzie Blackford jumpstarted the surge with a three-pointer, and after a Fordham response from beyond the arc, freshman Raevin Washington answered with an old-fashioned three-point play. Junior Reina Green added a pair from the stripe before the teams traded baskets, keeping Duquesne in front, 46-42. Blackford later converted two free throws, and freshman Alexis Bordas drained a long-range shot to extend the advantage to 51-42 with 5:47 left in the quarter. Following a brief scoring drought, Duquesne closed the period on an 11-4 run, with five different players contributing to build a commanding 62-46 lead heading into the fourth. The Dukes carried that momentum into the final frame, opening on a 12-6 burst to push the margin to 74-52. Washington led the charge with five points during the run, while sophomore Fatou Sane added a pair of layups. Duquesne later stretched its lead to its largest of the afternoon, 80-55, as Sane knocked down a pair at the chalk, giving the Dukes a comfortable cushion with just over five minutes remaining.

QUOTABLE
"It's been a year with kids that are filled with optimism and determination, and we love each other." Head coach Dan Burt said. "They're great kids, and we've just fallen a little bit short because we've not valued the basketball enough. We've turned it over too much. We have the youngest team in the Atlantic 10 and we have the tallest team in the Atlantic 10. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's a bad thing and I think that we're peaking at the right time. Our philosophy has always been in my 19 years, is to be mentally and physically fresh in February, to play our best basketball in March, and we're starting to do that."

DEFENSIVE PRESSURE
Fordham (10-16 | 2-13 A-10) came out strong, shooting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the field to open the game and finishing the first half at 44.8 percent. However, Duquesne ramped up the defensive intensity after the break, limiting the Rams to just 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) shooting in the third quarter. Fordham also committed five turnovers in the period and endured multiple scoring droughts during the Dukes' decisive run. Duquesne controlled the interior, scoring 26 points in the paint and winning the rebounding battle, 42-34. The Dukes also held the Rams to just two second chance points while grabbing 16 offensive rebounds compared to Fordham's 13, an impressive effort against a Rams squad that entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 and ranking among the top 15 nationally in offensive rebounding.

THE QUINTET
For the third time this season, the Dukes placed five players in double figures, led by Mackenzie Blackford. She recorded her second 20-point performance of the year and third of her career, pouring in 23 points on 7-of-15 (46.7%) shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 (55.6%) from beyond the arc. Blackford added five rebounds and two assists, marking her 10th double-figure outing of the season and her fourth game with at least five three-pointers. Alexis Bordas contributed 13 points, knocking down three triples while adding three rebounds and two assists. Raevin Washington notched her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 5-of-9 (55.6%) from the floor and scoring all 12 of her points in the second half. Fatou Sane delivered a career-high 11 points on 4-of-7 (57.1%) shooting, including two three-pointers, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out a career-best four assists. Harriet Ford rounded out the group with 10 points on an efficient 4-of-5 (80.0%) shooting performance and secured seven rebounds in the victory.

QUOTABLE
"We've started poorly, probably the last five or six games, and poorly means not valuing the basketball, not making shots, and so it's important that we go to the hot hand early and recognize that," Burt continued.  "That's just not on the players, that's us as coaches and my staff. We've got to do a better job of that. But again, this goes back to what I said, our kids are resilient, they're determined, and they're filled with optimism. So, we can be down 11, but they're so young, they might not even realize it, and they just keep battling."

UP NEXT
Duquesne continues its road trip, when it travels to Philadelphia, Pa., to battle Saint Joseph's on Wednesday, Feb. 18, beginning at 7:00 p.m.