PITTSBURGH — Canisius trimmed a 16-point third quarter deficit to eight points with just 21 seconds to play, but the Duquesne Dukes (3-4, 0-0 A10) hung on to defeat the Griffins (2-5, 0-0 MAAC) 69-60.
Precious Johnson and Fatou Pouye each had 19 points and 6 rebounds in the win. Megan McConnell notched 9 points and 10 assists.
Duquesne jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead thanks to layups by Precious Johnson and Megan McConnell, and a three pointer by Libby Bazelak. Canisius fought back to tie the game 10-10 before the Dukes used an 11-2 run to end the quarter.
Duquesne kept their lead around 10 points before pulling away at the end of the second quarter to take a 39-23 into halftime.
The Dukes took their foot off the gas after halftime. Canisius outscored Duquesne 37-30 in the second half as Duquesne looked like it was content to cruise the rest of the way. Head coach Dan Burt was unhappy with that approach.
”We were disappointed with how we closed out the game, especially over the last five minutes,” Burt said after the game. “You have to give credit to the Canisius team. They did a really good job of putting us in situations where we had difficulty guarding.”
Canisius went 11-for-33 from beyond the arc, accounting for over half of their points. Duquesne went 5-for-18. Burt cited the Griffin’s inability to match up with Duquesne inside as the difference maker.
“They don’t have any way to match up with us inside. They can’t throw it down to the block because we have so much of a size advantage.”
Duquesne will keep it at home to host Temple on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
MAJOR FOCUS: DUQUESNE DEFEATS CANISIUS
