Olean, N.Y. – Laycee Drake's jumper with 3.6 seconds remaining lifted St. Bonaventure to a 72-71 overtime victory over the Duquesne women's basketball team Saturday inside the Reilly Center. With the loss, the Dukes drop to 7-16 (.304) overall this season and 0-12 in conference action.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
Aaliyah Parker put the Bonnies ahead, 68-66, with a layup at the 1:30 mark of overtime, but both teams came up empty on the next several possessions. Sophomore
Mackenzie Blackford then swung the momentum, recording a steal with just under a minute remaining before banking in a right-wing triple as the shot clock expired to give the Dukes a 69-68 lead with 36 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Blackford struck again, collecting another steal and converting a layup off a bad pass from Kylie Buckley to push Duquesne's advantage to 71-68 with 24 tics remaining. After a Bonnies timeout, Drake knocked down a baseline jumper to cut the deficit to one. St. Bonaventure then forced a Duquesne turnover with just over 19 seconds left, setting up Drake as she connected on a foul-line jumper with 3.6 seconds remaining to give the Bonnies a one-point lead. Freshman
Alexis Bordas' heave from half court grazed the front of the rim as time expired.
BACK AND FORTH
The contest featured 16 lead changes and six ties, with the majority coming in the second half. The final 20 minutes alone saw eight lead changes and four ties. Duquesne carried a 47-44 advantage into the fourth quarter, but St. Bonaventure quickly grabbed a one-point lead after opening the period with four straight points. Blackford and Bordas answered by fueling a 7-0 Duquesne run, pushing the Dukes ahead 54-48 with just over five minutes remaining. Later in the quarter, Bordas extended the cushion to 61-56 by knocking down a pair from the charity stripe with 1:36 left. The Bonnies responded with five unanswered points to force overtime, as Parker connected on a jumper before Buckley converted a three-point play to tie the game at 61-61 with 27 seconds remaining. Duquesne had one final look at the buzzer but couldn't convert as regulation expired.
A ONE-TWO PUNCH
Duquesne was led by a pair of double-figure scorers in
Mackenzie Blackford and
Alexis Bordas. Blackford carded a career-high 27 points on 9-of-21 (42.9%) shooting from the field, including a career-best 7-of-14 (50.0%) from beyond the arc. She scored 22 of her 27 points in the second half and overtime, shooting an efficient 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from the floor and 75.0 percent (6-of-8) from three during that stretch. Blackford also added a team-high three steals, marking her eighth double-figure scoring effort of the season and the fifth time she has led the Dukes in scoring. Bordas registered her second consecutive 20-point performance and seventh of the season, finishing with 25 points on 7-of-19 (36.8%) shooting, including five three-pointers. She scored 14 of her 25 points in the opening half, connecting on five triples in the first 20 minutes. Bordas also posted a season-best seven rebounds and two steals while recording her 19th double-figure outing of the year. Together, the duo combined for 52 points on 40.0 percent (16-of-40) shooting from the field and 42.8 percent (12-of-28) from three, while adding five steals and a perfect 8-of-8 performance from the charity stripe
NOTES
Sophomore
Harriet Ford collected a team-leading 14 rebounds and six points while
Maja Rohkohl ended with 10 rebounds and four points … St. Bonaventure featured four players in double figures, led by Brianna Barr-Buday with 15 points … Kylie Buckley, Aaliyah Parker, Laycee Drake all finished with 13 points each, while Drake ended with a team-best nine rebounds and four assists … Duquesne won the rebounding battle, 45-34 … The Bonnies netted 28 points off 27 Duquesne turnovers … St. Bonaventure held a 24-18 lead in points in the paint ... The Dukes are 1-1 this season in overtime games
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 11, hosting Loyola Chicago at 11:00 a.m. for its annual Education Day.
