3 Keys To Duquesne’s WBB Game Against Niagara

1. Continue establishing an identity– Mark McClenney approached last Monday evening’s ESPN+ broadcast, his brow with a fresh coat of sweat and a smile across his face as he reached for a towel.

It was only the first quarter media timeout, but just a few minutes into Duquesne Women’s Basketball’s season-opening contest against Princeton, McClenney, the contest’s lead official could not help but remark at just how much the Dukes put him to work.

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When McClenney returned to the court for the third quarter, he had a towel at both ends of the quarter, knowing what would await him in the game’s final 20 minutes.

All offseason, Duquesne teased that it would be playing differently but would not directly answer what that entailed.

Last Monday, fans, Princeton and even McClenney found out what exactly that meant as Duquesne emerged victorious 76-66 at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

“Very frankly, there’s the definition of (relentless joy), there couldn’t be a better definition than tonight,” Duquesne coach Dan Burt beamed. “We played for one another, we played with incredible effort, energy and juice against a very good opponent. We’re obviously very happy with tonight’s performance. This is a statement win for our program in game one and we have a lot more basketball to play this season. This is certainly one of the better wins that we’ve had in my lengthy time here at Duquesne.”

It was not just a win, but a victory which avenged last season’s setback to a Princeton side which has been consistently solid.

Duquesne’s commitment to fitness and style won the game and had Jerni Kiaku smiling.

“We’re tired but we love it,” she assessed. “We also like how it puts pressure in their defense. They were gassed between that and then turning around and pressing them 94 feet for 40 minutes.”

2. Control the fourth quarter– Duquesne did not experience as much success in the fourth quarter against Penn State as it did against Princeton from a defensive perspective.

Offensively it scored more points, but defensively that was not the case, conceding 26 points to the Lady Lions.

The recipe to have a successful fourth quarter came in the Princeton victory, holding the Tigers to 7% shooting in the final quarter. It was a seven-minute spell where Princeton did not score, and it took until 28 seconds remained in regulation to put the ball in the basket.

“They had certain players that really betrayed their exhaustion,” Burt determined. “You could see it and we would talk about it in the huddle. They were exhausted. They were done. Some of them. When every possession you have someone in your face trying to turn you, it’s just not a fun way to play if you’re on the other team. If we get a bucket, we’re coming right at you and that wears on you. You could tell that they felt the breath of the defenders coming. I couldn’t be more pleased with what we did defensively.”

Duquesne run Princeton 94 feet for 40 minutes and while the Tigers may have had practice, they lacked the conditioning and were not comfortable by game’s end.

With how aggressive the Dukes played, Princeton was held to 66 points and utilized its conditioning to wear down the opponent, a clear recipe for how it desires to win this season.

Get to the fourth quarter and the opposition will be exhausted. Duquesne found confidence in that to go with positive play.

“Honestly that’s a huge shoutout to Coach (Rick) Bell and Coach Frank (Ferraro),” Megan McConnell revealed. “We had a great gameplan going in and we executed it to a T. I think we just trusted them and it was working for us the whole game, so we just stuck to it.”

3. Have individual performances shine through to create team success– It sounds so obvious, but this especially holds true in this style of play.

Everyone will get a chance to play. It was 12 players against Princeton and Fatou Sane cleared and practicing, she became the 13th Duke to see action when she faced Penn State. Gabby Grantham-Medley has not played in either contest thus far, but when she is cleared, Burt will not be shy to make it 14 depending on overall effectiveness and the opponent.

Already, each has made a difference.

Andjela Matic has become more comfortable in the offense, and she was the one who made free throws at the end of the Princeton game. Kiandra Browne is the newly appointed “charge queen”, is seeing an elevated role and is underrated as a passer and shooter. Gabby Hutcherson scored a career high 16 points against Penn State and with four fouls kept making the right plays down the stretch against Princeton.

Nadia Moore hunts rebounds offensively the way Megan McConnell does defensively and fearlessly took a corner three in a pivotal spot in the season opener. Raymi Coueta had her best game as a Duke against the Tigers going 3-for-3 and her and-one play turned the tides. She fits this system well and her confidence has returned. Kaitlyn Ammons is able to get an extended look, and her top-of-the-key three-point shot in the first quarter gave Duquesne its first lead and got the crowd into the game.

Reina Green came in with a defensive intensity but has grown offensively, something which will be crucial come A-10 play. Mackenzie Blackford has a high motor as a freshman and has made timely plays in her time on the court. She will only improve. Faith Walker’s first collegiate points are coming soon but her ability to stretch the floor allows her to play any position and keeps opponents guessing. Kellie McConnell is giving her all in her on-court time and her offseason determination is paying off in a big way.

Kiaku’s confidence has clearly grown, and it is playing out on the court. There is a clear amount of joy each time she plays, and it makes everyone around her better.

Then there’s Megan McConnell. Somehow, she has found ways to improve her game. She was 4-for-8 from three-point range against Princeton, something she was working on and had a double-double against Penn State. She is unquestionably a pro and will have professional opportunities when all is said and done, but her loyalty and desire to complete unfinished business brought her back to Duquesne and everyone can benefit from that.