Philadelphia, Pa. – The Duquesne women's basketball team wrapped up its two-game road trip on Wednesday night, dropping a 61- 46 decision at Saint Joseph's during Atlantic 10 action, inside the Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena. With the loss, the Dukes dropped to 9-17 (.346) overall and 2-13 (.133) in conference play.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
The Hawks came out firing, knocking down four of their first five shots to jump out to a 9-0 lead. Freshman Raevin Washington put the Dukes on the board with a jumper in the paint and later ignited a 9-4 run to close the opening quarter. Washington added another mid-range bucket, followed by a score from sophomore Mackenzie Blackford. After a layup from Saint Joe's, Blackford drained a triple to trim the deficit to 13-9 with 3:54 left in the period. The Hawks answered with a basket of their own before both teams endured a scoring drought of more than three and a half minutes. Sophomore Fatou Sane snapped the lull with a corner jumper at the buzzer, pulling the Dukes within four, 15-11, at the end of one. Junior Reina Green opened the second quarter with a layup and a triple, giving Duquesne its first lead of the game. Saint Joseph's responded with an 8-3 run to reclaim a 23-19 advantage with just over four minutes left in the half. After a layup from sophomore Harriet Ford pulled the Dukes within two, the Hawks closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 29-21 lead into the break.

CHASING THE GAME'S PACE
Saint Joseph's (18-8, 9-6 A-10) stretched its lead to 12 early in the second half before Duquesne responded. Freshman Alexis Bordas and Washington scored on back-to-back possessions to trim the deficit to 33-25 with just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. That would be as close as the Dukes would get as the Hawks answered with a 9-0 run later in the period, extending their advantage to 44-27 as Duquesne went scoreless for more than three minutes and committed three turnovers during the stretch. Blackford stopped the run with a layup and later knocked down a three-pointer, but Saint Joseph's carried a 46-33 lead into the fourth. Defensively, the Dukes were solid in the third, limiting Saint Joseph's to 4-of-11 shooting from the field. However, the Hawks made their opportunities count at the charity stripe, going 7-of-8 in the quarter and 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) for the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Two Dukes scored in double figures, led by Mackenzie Blackford. The sophomore poured in 16 points, knocking down four three-pointers, while adding two rebounds and a steal. It marked her fifth consecutive game in double figures and her 11th of the season. Raevin Washington added 10 points on an efficient 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) shooting from the field, while grabbing six rebounds and recording a block. The freshman has now reached double figures in back-to-back games and for the fifth time this season. Reina Green contributed seven points and five rebounds, and Harriet Ford chipped in on the glass with six rebounds.

NOTES
Saint Joseph's has swept the season series and has won eight of the last nine meetings … The Haws held a 24-18 lead in points in the paint … Duquesne posted a 10-5 edge in second chance points … Saint Joseph's featured two in double figures, led by Gabby Casey with 19 points on 58.3 percent shooting, three triples, and nine rebounds … Faith Stinson finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists … The Hawks won the rebounding battle, 42-35 while the Dukes scored held an 18-9 edge in bench points … The contest featured four lead changes and one tie

UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse when it hosts VCU on Saturday, Feb. 21, with tipoff scheduled for 2:00 p.m.