HENRICO, Va. -- As time ran down in Thursday afternoon’s second-round contest between the Duquesne Dukes and Massachusetts Minutewomen, there was a refrain which filled the Henrico Sports & Events Center. Duquesne’s Burn the Ships mantra was a mindset which took off when coach Dan Burt donned a Viking helmet during a film session and with practice players and some supporters donning said headwear, both the mindset and chant have become contagious.
“At first I definitely think we all thought it was just a joke but now I think we're going to take it and run with it at this point,” Duquesne guard Megan McConnell reflected. “Coach Burt has invested time to buy the hats and everything and it became a chant so I guess we're just going to go with it now.”
The Dukes punched their ticket into the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals for the first time since the 2019-20 season with its 81-57 triumph over UMass Thursday afternoon at the Henrico Sports & Events Center.
Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection McConnell obtained her eighth double-double of the season consisting of 21 points and 13 rebounds, while also dishing out six assists. Precious Johnson scored 13 points in this game and became the sixth Dukes player to achieve 1,000 career points, while Tess Myers also contributed 11 points of her own.
Duquesne won the rebounding battle by a 44-29 count, the paint 36-20, bench points 29-10 and second chance points 17-1.
“We’re obviously pleased with how we performed for the most part today with outstanding contributions,” Duquesne coach Dan Burt opened. “Megan had a completely all-around game just filling the stats sheet and I felt like Precious’s activity on the glass was exceptional and did a good job in the post to score the ball.”
UMass saw both Stefanie Kulesza and Kristin Williams pace the team as each had 11 points.
“It’s always such an emotional time, your last game and such an abrupt ending with so much work put in,” Minutewomen coach Mike Leflar stated. “You think about practices, your games and your team. I just thanked our team because I asked them to pick themselves up so much and they did that. We showed up to fight every single day. I loved how we finished the season it was just proof that they remained fighting each and every day until the end and that should bode well for them later in life. We made some mental errors early and Duquesne capitalized on them.”
UMass scored the game’s opening four points as the Dukes committed four early turnovers, enough to make Burt use a timeout. Trailing 8-3, Duquesne went on a 18-2 run which began when Ayanna Townsend sank a pair of free throws and the Dukes drew a charge.
A total of six Duquesne players scored during the run, which ended when Nae Bernard converted a second-chance layup, giving the Dukes a 21-10 lead after one quarter.
“I think we did a really good job in our 22 press,” assessed McConnell. “Our press we got turnovers, steals and found the open person.”
In the second quarter, the Minutewomen were more settled, but the Dukes were able to match with a pair of three-point baskets from Bernard and Tess Myers.
The Dukes also had an and-one opportunity when Ayanna Townsend converted an and-one play off McConnell’s pass. When Townsend went down on the sequence, Lauren Wasylson was substituted in to complete the three-point play.
Duquesne’s advantage would elevate ever so slightly to 13 points, which was the halftime mark when McConnell was fouled with 0.1 remaining in the first half and it led to the 39-26 advantage with 20 minutes still to play.
Despite Townsend taking another bump in the third quarter, Myers used a second-chance opportunity to drain her third three-point field goal of the afternoon. Later on, McConnell had an individual effort in which she stole a UMass pass and then converted a contested reverse layup.
UMass continued to find its shot as it opened making five of its first six shots from the field, which included a pair of three-point tries. Duquesne was able to close the third quarter on a 10-3 run, during which Johnson scored her 1,000th career point.
Amaya Hamilton provided a spark for Duquesne when her and-one opportunity on a third chance provided energy towards her side. After three quarters, Duquesne’s lead reached 60-45.
Duquesne used a 9-0 run, during which time the Minutewomen did not convert a field goal for 6:04 of game action to pull away.
“I think it's the energy coming into the tournament,” Duquesne’s Johnson said concerning her team’s mentality. “We knew we wanted to come out strong and that's what I just based it off of. Also being my senior year, I don't know when my last game is going to be so just giving my all has been my mindset going into this tournament.”
Duquesne advances into the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals where it will matchup with fourth-seeded George Mason.