Tuesday’s meeting between the Spiders and Dukes was ever bit the nail biting finish as was the February 18 game, where the Dukes came from behind and beat the Spiders in overtime 58-51. Both teams had a sluggish start, scoring a combined 13 points at the midway point in the first half. The Spiders had an impressive 8-0 run, leading the Dukes 10-2 with 11:49 left in the first quarter.
A pair of three-pointers by April Robinson and a layup by Stasia King seemed to ignite the Duke’s (23-10) offense and put them in the lead 12-10 at the 9:05 mark.
“We got a lot of good shots, they just didn’t go in. We talked about attacking the basket, trying to get to the free throw line, and let’s get some offensive boards and get some scores on put backs,” said Duquesne head coach Dan Burt.
Burt’s encouraging words certainty worked as the Duke’s had an 8-0 run and led the Spider’s 23-16 with 2:39 left. The Spiders were only able to score twice before halftime, with the Dukes leading 25-19.
The Dukes had an impressive start to the second half, posting a 14-point lead, 37-23 with 11:08 left. This time, it was the Spiders who would inch their way back into the game, taking the lead 43-41 with a Genevieve Okoro foul shot with 3:48 left.
With 25.2 seconds left and the Dukes down 47-46 Deva’Nyar Workman made a pair of crucial free throws putting the Dukes up 48-47. The Duke’s Amadea Szamosi took a charge from the Spider’s Micaela Parson with 0:00.7 left securing Duquesne’s victory and sending them to Morgantown where they face West Virginia University (20-14) Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
“I think we can all say that Amadea Szamosi’s charge at the end of the game was worth 10,12, 14 points maybe. That’s a heck of a basketball play, a high IQ savvy basketball play. We found a way to win again.” said Burt.
April Robinson led the Duke’s scoring effort with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Okoro with 16 points and four assists led the Spider’s scoring.
“I know we’re going to win any time its close because that’s the makeup of our team. I never thought we were going to lose this game, I thought we were going to win the entire time,” Burt added.
