In a game that was just a single-digit lead at the end of the third quarter, Duquesne had their best quarter of play this season as they scored 32 points in the fourth quarter to beat St. Bonaventure in Olean N.Y., 99-75.
The Dukes (11-15 overall, 6-8 A-10) set a school record for most 3-pointers made in a game with 19, breaking the previous record of 14. The 99 points scored over the Bonnies (12-13 overall, 4-10 A-10) is tied for the fifth most in program history and the second most under head coach Dan Burt, behind a 106 point outing against Rhode Island in 2019. The 32 points scored are also the most in a quarter this season for the Dukes and just behind the school record of 33 in the fourth quarter against St. Joseph’s in 2017. This is also the second win over the Bonnies for the Dukes, as they won 63-44 on Jan. 8 at home.
Duquesne started out sluggish, with St. Bonaventure going on a 9-2 run in the first two minutes, and  Burt calling a timeout. Senior guard Asianae Johnson led St. Bonaventure with six points on the run.
The Dukes responded as they went on a run of their own, 14-3 over the next four minutes and took a 16-12 lead, forcing the Bonnies to take a timeout and regroup. The run was executed by great 3-point shooting, as the Dukes made four 3-pointers with graduate guard Libby Bazelak making two.
St. Bonaventure would come out of the timeout and take a 12-5 advantage the rest of the first quarter to get a 24-21 lead over Duquesne. Sophomore guard/forward Maddie Dziezgowski came off the bench to lead her team with eight points on the run on two 3-pointers and a layup.
Neither team created any separation in the second quarter, with both teams trading baskets throughout the period. St. Bonaventure had a 18-17 advantage in the quarter and held a 42-38 lead into halftime. Bazelak led the Dukes with seven points and Johnson led the Bonnies with five points.
Duquesne took control of the game in the third quarter as they clamped down on defense by not allowing easy shots at the basket and creating turnovers. This gave Duquesne much easier chances on offense on the fast break and made it harder on St. Bonaventure to stop those chances.
The Dukes started the period on a 21-6 run to take a 59-48 lead midway through. The Bonnies took a 11-8 advantage into the fourth quarter, to make it a single-digit game, 67-59.
Graduate guard Fatou Pouye led Duquesne with 12 points in the period, while Duquesne as a whole was effective from behind the arc, converting five of their eight 3-pointers in the third quarter. Duquesne also forced five turnovers and committed only one, while also creating seven assists.
The Dukes ran away with the game in the fourth quarter, as they shot 12-for-17 from the field and an almost perfect, 7-for-8 from 3-point range. First-year guard Tess Myers made four of those 3-pointers and lead the Dukes with six in the game.
The Bonnies couldn’t keep up with the Dukes offensively and the Dukes blew them out in what was a close game until the fourth quarter. The Bonnies shot 4-for-17 from the field and were 1-for-4 from 3-point range in the period, as they had no answer of the Dukes’ quick offense.
Duquesne will look to extend their winning streak to three games as they take on La Salle on the road Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.
