On Wednesday night, Duquesne women’s basketball earned its first Atlantic 10 win of the season, beating Saint Joseph’s on the road behind clutch shots from Mackenzie Blackford and Gabby Hutcherson.
The Dukes led for most of the game, but Saint Joseph’s made a late push for the win, cutting Duquesne’s lead down to just one late.
Duquesne jumped out to an early 8-2 lead over the Hawks with a layup from Jerni Kiaku and three pointers off the hands of Blackford and Kiandra Browne.
Megan McConnell caught fire early, too, hitting three of her first four shots. McConnell and led the Dukes with seven points in the first quarter, also adding three rebounds and two assists as the Dukes built up a 21-13 lead after one.
In the second quarter, McConnell continued to attack the glass, adding four rebounds. Kiaku also provided offensive help for Duquesne, making a layup in the final seconds of the half to stop a quick 6-0 run from Saint Joe’s. The Hawks earned multiple baskets from five different players, led by Aleah Snead, who went 4 for 7 from the field in the first half. As the two teams traded baskets, Kiaku led the Dukes into the half with a score of 38-35. In the first half, the Dukes shot 43% from the field and 36% from three-point range.
In the second half, the Dukes expanded their lead up to nine points in the first few minutes behind Browne and McConnell. Both teams struggled to shoot the ball in the third frame, as the Dukes made just four of their 13 attempts and the Hawks just two of their 12 tries. The Dukes grabbed 11 rebounds to the Hawks’ eight in the quarter, and maintained a comfortable lead.
In the fourth, the Dukes still led comfortably with six minutes to play. However, Saint Joseph’s looked to Rhian Stokes for a layup, cutting the lead down to seven. After a turnover from Nadia Moore and a missed layup from Kiaku, St Joe’s now gave the ball to Aleah Snead, who trimmed the lead down to just five, 57-52, with nearly five minutes to play.
Unfortunately for the Dukes, the Hawks continued to fly back into this one. In the final five minutes, Moore missed another three, and Browne missed two consecutive shot attempts. After a layup from Talya Brugler went down, Joe’s had cut the lead all the way down to just one. The run extended to 8-0, and with three minutes to play, the Dukes were in trouble.
After Blackford’s three-point attempt was blocked on the next possession, McConnell picked the ball up, but by then, the Dukes had earned a shot-clock violation. However, Blackford wasn’t done yet.
The freshman stepped up in the biggest moment of her young career and knocked down a three from the opposite wing, extending the lead up to four with a little more than two minutes to go. With just over one minute to play, it was Hutcherson’s turn.
Hutcherson stepped into a three from the same spot that Blackford had just hit hers, and like Blackford, she drained it.
After the Hawks made things tight once again, Duquesne forced a massive turnover with 15 seconds to play. Then, on the other end, Duquesne’s Blackford knocked down the two biggest free throws of her young career, extending the lead to six. The Dukes closed out the win
The Dukes hadn’t won at Saint Joe’s since January 18, 2020. Behind McConnell, Browne, Kiaku, and clutch buckets from Blackford and Hutcherson. McConnell finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, six steals, and five assists, while Browne and Kiaku each had ten points. Browne grabbed nine rebounds in the win.
With the win, Duquesne snapped a three-game losing streak and earned its first win in Atlantic 10 play of the season. The Dukes hadn’t won a game since Dec. 21 against Bowling Green, and are now back on track ahead of their upcoming game at George Washington on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 12 p.m.
