Duquesne WBB Makes WNIT Super 16 For Second Consecutive Season

The Duquesne Women’s Basketball Team led for 39:03 of Sunday afternoon’s road game against Miami (Ohio) winning 73-66 to advance to the Super 16 for a second consecutive season.

“Anytime you can win in March, and you can say ‘see you tomorrow’, you feel really good about it,” Duquesne coach Dan Burt said to a university spokesperson following the win. “We didn’t play a great basketball game, and I think some of that had to do with Miami (Ohio). We played really well in the first two, two-and-a-half quarters with only turning the ball over six times but finished with 19. We got settled down in the fourth quarter with the lineup and one of the big things we had to figure out was what was the best lineup for us today. That took some time to do that. Once we figured that out, we got into a rhythm, scored the ball and took care of the ball better.”

It was another banner afternoon for senior guard Megan McConnell whose balanced effort included 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists and six steals, all in front of her brother T.J. who surprised her by attending the game.

McConnell also moved into first place in program history with 369 steals surpassing Jocelyn Floyd and now is second in scoring with 1,784 points, which bests Wumi Agunbiade. Korie Hlede’s 2,631 points are the program standard.

Jerni Kiaku chimed in with 17 points, while Mackenzie Blackford contributed 14 points, making all four of her three-point shots, all of which were baskets Burt felt broke the Redhawks spirit.

Andjela Matic added 13 points, eight rebounds and made all seven of her timely free throws.

“Andjela has ice water in her veins, she made big free throws and critical times and took care of the basketball at critical times also,” stated Burt. “She had a number of rebounds that were critical also and good defense. I thought it was maybe her best game in a Duquesne uniform.”

Kiandra Browne’s eight rebounds also were a key contribution, all of which helped the Dukes win the rebounding battle 38-34.

Duquesne was again without Gabby Hutcherson in this contest.

The Redhawks had Amber Tretter compile a double-double consisting of 15 points and 13 rebounds. Maya Chandler netted a team-high 16 points, Tamar Singer 11 and Lakresha Edwards 10.

Duquesne made eight field goals in the first quarter, six of which were from three-point range, leading to a 23-13 advantage.

Miami scored the first point of the game, but would never lead again, with the Dukes countering with six consecutive points.

Duquesne created some separation with a Blackford three pointer from a McConnell pass. On the next Dukes trip down the court, the inverse occurred as Blackford found McConnell who was fouled while draining a shot from downtown.

The Redhawks would shoot 61.5% from the field in the second quarter, picking up five points against Duquesne, trailing 41-36 at halftime.

Duquesne shot 57.1% from the field in the third quarter, this despite making one three-point shot in four attempts, meaning the Dukes were 70% on two-point shots.

Miami cut the deficit to three points but would not get any closer, as the visitors scored seven consecutive points, restoring the advantage to double digits and activating a timeout.

Duquesne led 61-46 after three quarters, but recalled it was down 12 heading into the late portions of the third period, before mounting a comeback.

With this in mind after the Redhawks scored six straight points to open the final quarter, Burt opted to call a timeout.

Duquesne would steady itself with Matic making some crucial free throws, but Miami had one last 7-0 run in store, separating the sides by four points.

The Redhawks had the ball with less than a minute when Katey Richason went up for a shot, determined to make the game a one-possession affair, when Faith Walker got a key block and rebound.

“Some in the locker room were calling her Faith Blocker, for that timely block at the end of the game,” Burt remarked. “She was absolutely awesome today with everything that she did.”

Duquesne was able to finish the game and advance where it awaits the winner of Tuesday night’s Cleveland State-Coppin State matchup.

Regardless of who wins, Duquesne is expected to remain on the road as the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse plays host to the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championships.

In the meantime, Burt will look to find the balance between managing health while not getting rusty.

“Monday is off,” pointed out Burt. “Tuesday it will be interesting the direction we will take and Wednesday with how hard and how much we’ll use our male practice players. Game prep Wednesday and Thursday for an expected matchup on Friday.”