Duquesne Women's Basketball
Duquesne Beats Bucknell 65-48 Behind Hutcherson, McConnell
PITTSBURGH — On Tuesday night, Duquesne’s women’s basketball team earned its sixth-straight win, taking down Bucknell behind big night’s from Gabby Hutcherson, Megan McConnell, and company.
Dan Burt’s squad surrendered the first three points of the game, but quickly responded with the team’s first six points coming from the team’s star guard McConnell. McConnell led the Dukes in the first quarter with those six points, and added an assist, a rebound, and a steal, too. Bucknell’s Isabella King and Tuana Coskun each hit two threes in the quarter as well, trading buckets with McConnell and the Dukes.
McConnell drained her second three pointer of the game to extend Duquesne’s lead to four just seconds into the second frame. The Dukes continued to pile on early in the second, as layups from Hutcherson and Jerni Kiaku extended the Dukes’ run up to 7-0, and the team’s lead up to eight points, 22-14.
The run continued, as the Dukes scored the first 11 points of the quarter and opened up a double-digit lead. However, the Bisons weren’t done fighting. The team defense ramped up, and it led to buckets on the other end. With another King three, followed by two Ashley Sofilkanich free throws, the Bisons cut the lead all the way down to one. At the half, Duquesne led by four points, 29-25. The Dukes finished the first half with 12 turnovers, while forcing 11 from Bucknell.
After two scoreless minutes of action in the third quarter, Kiandra Browne sparked the Dukes by taking a charge on the defensive end. On the ensuing possession, Brown drained a three pointer. After Hutcherson knocked in a layup on the next drive down, the Dukes led by nine, 34-25.
The Dukes then expanded their lead up to 13, but once again, the Bisons battled back. Bucknell took an 11-3 run into the fourth quarter, trailing by just five points, 41-36. At that point, Duquesne had already turned the ball over 20 times.
In the fourth, freshman Mackenzie Blackford made a three pointer to extend the lead to eight out of the gates. Blackford’s shot, followed by another turnover by Bucknell, triggered a quick 6-0 spurt by the Dukes that included two-straight buckets from Kiaku.
After one more rally from Bucknell late, Hutcherson scored two-straight baskets herself, hitting a three pointer for her 14th, 15th, and 16th points of the game. The Dukes closed out the victory with late free throws from Kiaku.
Hutcherson finished with a team-high 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting, also grabbing six rebounds. McConnell followed with 13 points, adding four assists, six rebounds, and four steals in the win. Kiaku contributed with 11 points in the victory.
With the win, Duquesne improves to 7-2 on the season and 6-0 at home. The Dukes now have several days to practice for their upcoming game against Canisius at home on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.
