Duquesne WBB Beats UMass, 81-57, in A10 Tournament

Glen Allen, Va. — For everything Duquesne Women’s Basketball coach Dan Burt has been for his program, one thing he certainly has not been known for is his timeouts, but when his team had no shots and four turnovers 2:27 into its Atlantic 10 Championship Second Round tilt with Massachusetts, he knew it was time to regroup.

“I wasn’t shocked by that because there’s a lot of self-induced pressure in that first game our kids put on themselves because they have high expectations for themselves,” he reflected. “We did start a little flustered and there wasn’t any yelling or screaming. In that first timeout we knew we had a distinct advantage but we knew we had to play well and we did that after we overcame the first three minutes.”

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Duquesne would right, or as it chanted at game’s end, burn the ships advancing into the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals for the first time since the 2019-20 season with an 81-57 victory over the Minutewomen.

In the effort, Megan McConnell recorded her eighth double-double of the season with her 21 points and 13 assists, to go with her six assists.

“There’s no rhyme or reason as to why I play the way I play, I just am the type of person that if I’m going to be on your team, I’m going to do whatever I can do to win,” explained McConnell. “That’s just my mindset and I’m a competitor, so every time I step on that court, it’s my four girls and I’m rocking with them. If anyone tries to get in our way, you better watch out. I try to instill that with my teammates and just playing gritty and really hard is what wins you championships, so that’s what I’m here to do.”

Precious Johnson was able to finish play with 13 points and eight rebounds, earning her 1,000th career point in the process.

The Duquesne bench used their hands to create a 1,000 after her third-quarter layup which proved to be the milestone basket and gave her a loud ovation when she was subbed out shortly after.

Johnson is the sixth Dukes player this season to achieve 1,000 points.

Tess Myers earned 11 points in the victory. Duquesne also had sizeable advantages in the paint (36-20), second chance points (17-1), bench (29-15), rebounds (44-29) and points off turnovers (21-11).

UMass was led by Stefanie Kulesza and Kristin Williams, both of whom scored 11 points.

After the Dukes called the aforementioned timeout to get back into the game, it was off to the races, to the tune of an 18-2 run.

Ayanna Townsend started the run with a pair of free throws and then Duquesne drew a charge. Nae Bernard completed the run with a basket as four seconds remained in the quarter and the opportunistic Dukes side also took advantage of a 14-2 rebounding edge in the opening 10 minutes, this, despite committing nine early turnovers.

“I think we did a really good job in our 22 press,” McConnell determined. “Our press we got turnovers, steals and found the open person.”

Townsend received some hard contact which Burt referred to as “right in her bread basket” in both the second and third quarters.

She went through some tests between the closing moments of the first half and prior to the beginning of the third quarter.

Burt later stated that she could have come back into the game, but managing minutes and how the game was transpiring, it made sense to go in a different direction.

Before Townsend went out on the first occasion, she converted an and-one opportunity which was completed by Lauren Wasylson.

It was a rather even quarter, but the Dukes won the second 10 minutes when McConnell successfully a pair of free throws with 0.1 remaining on the game clock.

Duquesne decisively put the game out of reach in the third quarter with a 10-3 run, during which Johnson scored her 1,000th career point. Amaya Hamilton also recorded a highlight with her and-one play on a third attempt, after which the Dukes stomped their feet onto the floor in celebration.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Dukes were in front 60-45.

Duquesne closed the game shooting 56.3% from the field and Burt was able to empty his bench, victory in hand.

As time wrapped up on this contest, the Duquesne band and male practice players led a “Burn the Ships” chant with the bench joining in with wide smiles.

“At first I definitely think we all thought it was just a joke but now I think we’re going to take it and run with it at this point,” laughed McConnell. “Coach Burt has invested time to buy the hats and everything and it became a chant so I guess we’re just going to go with it now.”

By advancing in the A-10 Championship, Duquesne will look to exact revenge against a George Mason team which scored 101 on the Dukes, the third time in the Burt era that a team reached the century mark against his program.

Now, the Patriots will match up with a Dukes squad which now has a rotation of eight players and a team sure of its roles.

“I think it’s the energy coming into the tournament,” Johnson said of her team’s excitement. “We knew we wanted to come out strong and that’s what I just based it off of. Also being my senior year, I don’t know when my last game is going to be so just giving my all has been my mindset going into this tournament.”