St. Louis, Mo. – Despite battling foul trouble for a majority of the contest, the Duquesne women's basketball team eared its fourth win in its last five games, with a commanding 82-64 victory at Saint Louis on Wednesday night inside Chaifetz Arena. With the win, the Dukes improved to 11-17 (.393) overall and 4-13 (.235) in Atlantic 10 play.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
Duquesne came out firing, knocking down four of its first seven shots to jump ahead 12-5. Junior Reina Green led the early surge with five points, while freshman Alexis Bordas added three. Out of the media timeout, the Dukes kept their foot on the gas, using an 8-3 stint to stretch the lead to 20-8 with just over two minutes left in the quarter. Freshman Raevin Washington ignited the burst with back-to-back buckets, and after a pair of Saint Louis free throws, sophomores Mackenzie Blackford and Harriet Ford each converted to keep the momentum rolling. The Billikens closed the period on a 7-3 run, but Duquesne maintained a 25-15 edge after one. Saint Louis opened the second quarter with six straight points before Duquesne answered emphatically, responding with a 10-3 burst to push the lead back to double digits at 35-24. Green and Bordas accounted for all 10 points during the stretch, combining to shoot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. The Billikens refused to go away, however, putting together a 13-6 run late in the quarter to trim the deficit to 41-37. Duquesne steadied itself down the stretch and carried a 44-38 advantage into halftime.

DEFENSE TRAVELS
Duquesne delivered a defensive clinic Wednesday night, holding Saint Louis (11-19 | 5-12 A-10) to just 25.8 percent (17-of-66) from the field and 17.2 percent (5-of-29) from three-point range. The tone was set early, as the Dukes limited the Billikens to 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) shooting in the opening quarter and 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) in the first half. Midway through the third, Duquesne created separation with seven straight points to build a 52-44 lead. Green sparked the run with a layup, Blackford followed with two free throws, and redshirt sophomore Gabby Grantham-Medley buried a three to cap the surge. The Dukes carried a 63-50 advantage into the fourth. The defensive pressure never relented. Saint Louis shot just 4-of-20 (20.0 percent) in the final period as Duquesne used a 10-2 burst to claim its largest lead of the night, 79-60. Washington scored four points during the stretch, while Bordas, Blackford, and Green each added a bucket. In the second half alone, the Dukes held the Billikens to nine made field goals, just three from beyond the arc on 17 attempts.

GREEN LIGHTS ALL NIGHT
Junior Reina Green led four Dukes in double figures with a career performance against the Billikens. She finished with her first career 20-point game, ending with a career-high 20 points on an efficient 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) shooting from the field, including a career-best 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The Florida native added seven rebounds and an assist, scoring 10 points in each half to pace Duquesne's offense. Green made her biggest impact in the third quarter, tallying eight points on 3-of-4 shooting with two triples and two rebounds to help create separation. The performance marked her 10th game in double figures this season and the first time she has led the Dukes in scoring. Green has now reached double figures in back-to-back contests and in three of her last five games.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Three other Dukes joined Green in double figures, led by Mackenzie Blackford's 15-point effort. Blackford knocked down two triples, grabbed five rebounds, and added a steal while going 5-of-7 from the free-throw line. The outing marked her seventh straight game in double figures. Alexis Bordas contributed 12 points, including a perfect 3-of-3 performance from the charity stripe, while Harriet Ford rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points to go along with six rebounds, two assists, and a block. Raevin Washington just missed double digits with nine points and filled the stat sheet with six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Gabby Grantham-Medley added a well-rounded line of seven points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Faith Walker matched her career high with six rebounds, and Maja Rohkohl chipped in five boards.

NOTES
With Duquesne winning four of its last five games, it's held all of it opponents under 70 points during that span … The Dukes led for over 38 minutes on Wednesday night … Saint Louis had four in double figures, led by Zya Nugent with 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Jahda Denis and Alyssa Koerkenmeier each finished with 12 points while Zhykera Brown chipped in 11 … Duquesne won the rebounding battle 50-39 … The Dukes scored 19 points off 10 Billikens turnovers … Each team featured 16 second chance points and nine fast break points … There was a combined 56 free-throws shot in the contest, Saint Louis: 25-of-37, Duquesne: 14-of-19

UP NEXT
Duquesne closes out the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 28, welcoming George Mason for its final regular-season contest. The Dukes will celebrate Senior Day prior to the 2:00 p.m. tipoff.