Resilient Rally Comes Up Just Short: Women’s Basketball Edged by Duquesne

PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph’s women’s basketball squad nearly surmounted a double-digit deficit in the final quarter, ultimately succumbing to a 67-64 loss against Duquesne on Wednesday night inside Hagan Arena.
 
Aleah Snead spearheaded the Hawks with 10 points, contributing three rebounds and three assists. Mackenzie Smith and Laura Ziegler each contributed nine points, with Ziegler achieving 13 rebounds and five assists. Nine different players registered points for the Hawks.
 
Megan McConnell led the Dukes with 19 points, eight rebounds, six steals, and five assists. Mackenzie Blackford contributed 13 points, while Jerni Kiaku and Kiandra Browne both tallied 10 points.
 
Laura Ziegler and Talya Brugler managed just three points combined in the first half, allowing Duquesne (10-6, 1-3 Atlantic 10) to create a 19-5 lead at the onset of the game. Saint Joseph’s (12-3, 3-1 Atlantic 10) chipped away at the shortfall, with the bench contributing 15 points to close within three by half-time.
 
Duquesne managed to establish another double-digit lead during the third quarter. The Hawks executed an 8-0 run late in the fourth quarter to narrow the gap to one before the Dukes responded with eight points out of the next 11. St. Joe’s could not surmount the late deficit, marking their first loss in conference play.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Mackenzie Smith’s nine points elevated her into the top 10 in program history in scoring with 1,369 points throughout her career.
• Smith matched her career-high with four blocks during the evening.
• Snead recorded her second double-digit outing of the season and her third overall in her career.
• Ziegler and Emma Boslet collectively accounted for 10 of the 17 assists on the night for St. Joe’s.
• The Hawks concluded with a 25-62 (40.3%) performance from the field and 6-14 (42.9%) from the free-throw line.
• This loss halts a seven-game winning streak for the season and a six-game winning streak against Duquesne.

 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will return to the road on Sunday, January 12 to face VCU. The tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. on CBSSN.