Duquesne Women's Basketball
Hutcherson Leads Duquesne to Win Over Saint Francis, 85-71
PITTSBURGH — On Sunday afternoon, Dan Burt’s Duquesne Dukes picked up their second-straight win, beating Saint Francis 85-71 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Burt’s squad trailed early, as Saint Francis’ Yanessa Boyd scored her team’s first eight points and gave the Red Flash the early lead. However, the Dukes responded quickly, with buckets from four of their starters to tie the game at eight. Duquesne then took control of the game, forcing turnover after turnover with a ferocious press on the defensive end.
Jerni Kiaku and Megan McConnell kickstarted the Dukes on defense, leading to easy points on the offensive front. In the first half, Kiaku and McConnell each had three steals, as the Dukes forced 17 turnovers from the opposition. The pair also combined for three three pointers and 21 points in the first half.
Pitt transfer Gabby Hutcherson caught fire near the end of the half as well, making four of her five first-half attempts for the Dukes to add ten points of her own. At the break, the Dukes led 50-29 over the Red Flash.
In the third quarter, Saint Francis jumped out to a 12-4 run behind sharpshooter Airah Lavy, who hit three three pointers early to bring her game total to five. The Red Flash stayed hot, but Duquesne began to answer offensively. Layups from Hutcherson and Kiaku, along with a layup and a three pointer from McConnell, extended the Dukes’ lead back up to 19 points with just over three minutes to play in the third.
After heading into the fourth quarter with a 16-point lead, the Dukes piled on behind baskets from, once again, Kiaku and Hutcherson. McConnell added on to her impressive stat line throughout the frame, too.
With just over five minutes to play, McConnell found Hutcherson for another two pointer, giving the guard her seventh assist of the game and Hutcherson her tenth bucket of the matchup. Hutcherson subbed out minutes later to a nice round of applause, complimenting her career day. She finished with a career-high 22 points and six rebounds, going 10 for 12 from the field and 1 for 3 from three-point range in the win. Hutcherson added two blocks and two steals as well, and did not turn the ball over once.
The Dukes closed out the win, 85-71, with late points from Mackenzie Blackford.
McConnell finished as the Dukes’ second-leading scorer, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in the victory. Kiaku went 7 for 12 from the field in the win, and also added three steals, four rebounds, and three assists.
With the win, Duquesne improves to 4-2 on the season and 4-0 at home. The Dukes will now travel down fifth avenue to play the City Game against Pitt on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.
