Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University bowling team secured a spot in the final of the 2026 Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship Saturday in Hamilton, N.J., posting a 2-0 victory over Mercyhurst at Hamilton Lanes in the winner's bracket to advance. The Dukes improved to 61-43 (.587) overall during the 2025-26 season with the win.
 
CARBON COPY
For the second consecutive day, Duquesne grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the mega match, taking the traditional game over the Lakers, 1,032-969. Looking to tie the mega match, Mercyhurst grabbed a 27-pin lead after the first two games of Baker play, posting a 166-157 win in game one, followed by a 185-167 triumph in game two. That's when the Dukes took control. A 221-189 victory in game three pushed Duquesne on top by five pins before an 81-pin victory in game four, 255-174, opened up an 86-pin cushion heading into the final game of Baker play. The Lakers won the final game by one pin, 215-214, but junior Maribeth Baker put an exclamation point on the victory with a turkey in the 10th frame and a second consecutive 2-0 victory for the Dukes at the NEC Championship.
 
WHERE IT STANDS
The first elimination match Saturday pitted the No. 1 seed, Niagara, against No. 3 seed Monmouth. The Purple Eagles took the traditional game by just seven pins, 1,086-1,079, before the Hawks would rally to tie the mega match in Baker play. Niagara opened up an 85-pin lead after the first game, but Monmouth chipped away and in game five earned a 206-170 victory to earn a 19-pin win and force a best-of-seven Baker series. Tied, 1-1, the Hawks would win three straight to eliminate the Purple Eagles. In the second elimination match of the day, Mercyhurst rolled to a 1,013-942 victory in traditional action against Monmouth and never trailed in the five-game Baker, winning by 62 pins, to advance to Sunday's final.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Duquesne has picked up four wins over the last two seasons in the NEC Championship as the Dukes are set for their second consecutive appearance in the final. In its first six appearances in the NEC Championship in program history, Duquesne accrued a total of three wins.
 
UP NEXT
Duquesne and Mercyhurst will square off for NEC supremacy beginning at 9:00 a.m. in Hamilton, N.J., at Hamilton Lanes. A victory for the Dukes will clinch the program's first NEC Championship crown, while a win for the Lakers forces a winner-take-all match seven that begins at 1:00 p.m.

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