Duquesne WBB Unable To Hold Double-Digit Lead In Season-Ending WNIT Loss

Cleveland, Ohio — The Duquesne Women’s Basketball Team lost a 13-point lead it had built early in the third quarter, falling to Cleveland State 55-52 in a Friday night WNIT quarterfinal game at the Wolstein Center.

Jerni Kiaku paced the Dukes with her 15 points and nine rebounds. Mackenzie Blackford posted 12 points on the bench and Megan McConnell had 11 points and nine rebounds.

Cleveland State saw three scorers each post 12 points in Sara Guerreiro, Destiny Leo and Mickayla Perdue.

Early on Duquesne had good looks at the basket with Kiaku opening the game connecting from three-point range.

The Dukes led 10-9 at the media timeout as Blackford was able to score a transition three-point basket. Duquesne turned up its defensive intensity for the rest of the quarter as the Vikings were held scoreless for the final 6:46 of the period. Duquesne transferred that into an 11-0 run, culminating in Raymi Coueta’s putback with a CSU defender on either side of her.

Duquesne led 18-9 heading into the second quarter.

McConnell greeted the second quarter with a three-point shot, but it was a slow go of it for the Dukes to begin the frame, evidenced by a 1-for-8 shooting mark.

Cleveland State ended its scoreless drought but needed 7:48 to do so. Despite this it was unable to generate any movement on the scoreboard midway through the stanza.

The Vikings were 1-for-13 from three-point range in the first half as Kiaku’s aggression on driving lanes helped extend the lead to double digits, 29-18 at halftime.

Cleveland State’s 18 points were its lowest in a first half since Jan. 30.

It was Duquesne’s Faith Walker scoring on a second-chance opportunity to start the half, before Cleveland State hit its stride from three-point range, netting in two, part of an 8-0 run which activated a Duquesne timeout.

The start for Duquesne was similar as the second quarter, as the Dukes were 1-for-8 from the field and were held scoreless for 4:53 heading into the media timeout.

Walker’s decision making from the high-post position helped bring Duquesne’s offense back into some form as her give-and-go passes led to some high-percentage baskets.

McConnell had an and-one play at the end of the quarter but her free throw was off the mark, instead the Vikings gathered, and Filippa Goula beat the buzzer, meaning Duquesne led 42-37 head into the final quarter.

Duquesne committed five early fouls in the fourth quarter, which allowed Cleveland State, once down by 13 points to take a lead.

Browne’s three-point shot which beat the shot clock fell through, allowing the Dukes to go back in front, before a second-chance opportunity permitted the Vikings to go back to the free-throw line.

Down the stretch of the game, Kiaku drove to the basket, getting an and-one play. Despite missing the free throw, the game was tied at 50.

CSU then used a post touch to Jordana Reisma to give the hosts a lead with less than a minute to play.

Out of the Duquesne timeout, Walker fed Kiaku for a basket. Duquesne attempted to use its defense and challenging Goula to make a three-point shot, but the shot fell true.

Both Blackford and McConnell had three-point looks to tie the game, but neither fell true, meaning Duquesne’s season game to an end.

When the buzzer sounded, multiple Dukes put their heads down and were in tears coming off the court.

Duquesne concludes its season with a 21-13 record and its second consecutive WNIT Super 16 berth as Browne, McConnell and Gabby Hutcherson’s careers all come to an end.

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