Megan McConnell’s 17 Points Lead Duquesne over Siena, 59-49

Freshman guard Megan McConnell led Duquesne (3-4) to a 59-49 win over Siena (0-5) on the road. McConnell led the Dukes with 17 points and was the only Duquesne player to score double digits. McConnell also had four assists and four steals.

Up until the fourth quarter when the Dukes pulled away, it was a tight and scrappy game. There were a combined 52 turnovers in the contest, with each team committing 26 turnovers.

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Duquesne shot 41.2 percent from the field and was 6-of-20 from behind the arc (30%). McConnell and guard Tess Myers both nailed two three-pointers. The Dukes were also efficient from the free-throw line, as they made 11 out of 12 shots at the foul line (91.7%).

Siena shot 39 percent from the field and was 3-of-16 on three-pointers (18.8%). Guard Rayshel Brown led the Saints with 11 points.

Duquesne got out to a 9-0 run to start the game, but Siena battled back and cut the Dukes’ lead to 13-12 by the end of the first quarter. Duquesne turned the ball over eight times in the quarter.

Duquesne and Sienna went back and forth in the second quarter, and the Dukes ended up going into halftime with a 29-26 lead. McConnell led the Dukes in scoring in the first half with eight points. Brown was the leading scorer for Siena with nine points.

Duquesne shot 54.5 percent from the field in the first half and was 3-of-8 behind the arc (37.5%). Two of the three-pointers came from guard Myers. Siena shot 38.7 percent from the field and made two of seven three-pointers (28.6%). There were 26 combined turnovers in the first half with the Dukes committing 15 and Siena giving up possession 11 times.

Siena took its first lead of the game at 36-35 with 5:05 remaining in the third quarter. A jumper by McConnell and guard Lilly Bazelak, along with a three-pointer by Bazelak gave the Dukes a 42-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Dukes went on a 7-0 run. Fatou Pouye converted a layup and then nailed a three-pointer. McConnell followed by getting a steal and scored on a layup to put Duquesne up 51-42. Siena was 2-of-8 from the field in the fourth quarter with 2:30 remaining, and the Dukes started to run away and ultimately secured a 10-point win.

The Dukes’ next game is against Canisius on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Tipoff is at 4 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.