CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

PITTSBURGH – Third-seeded Duquesne led sixth-seeded Saint Louis nearly wire-to-wire to win the fourth and final Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinal game 72-51 Friday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Duquesne has now advanced to the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals for the third time in four years.

A 15-0 third-quarter run allowed Duquesne to stretch its lead into double digits, which converted to a 25-11 period for the win.

 “A very good day for us with contributions from a lot of people,” Duquesne coach Dan Burt said. “Our defense created our offense and I couldn’t be any prouder of what we did today. We have been able to put 40 minutes together for multiple days. Right now we are playing our best basketball.”

Duquesne (19-12) was led by All-Conference Second Team member Chassidy Omogrosso’s 20 points which gives her 1,700 in her career. Redshirt junior forward Paige Cannon and senior guard Conor Richardson both added 12 points off the bench.

Saint Louis (15-16) was led by senior guard Kerri McMahan’s career-high 18 points, 13 of which came in the first half. All-Rookie and All-Defensive Team selection Brooke Flowers had eight points and 17 rebounds. As a team, the Billikens grabbed a season-high 19 offensive rebounds.

Down 29-22 at halftime, Saint Louis got off to a quick start to open the third quarter, cutting Duquesne’s lead to two points, but The Dukes responded offensively to take the game.

Duquesne’s defense was a key factor in the victory with the Dukes holding Saint Louis to a 5.9% shooting clip from the field in the first quarter and 29.9% for the game and held Rookie of the Year Ciaja Harbison to six points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Duquesne will play second-seeded Fordham in the championship semifinal game on Saturday at A.J. Palumbo Center on CBS Sports Network.