Duquesne has been on the wrong end of blowouts before.
Games in which, no matter what it does, it just can’t gain ground.
“We’ve played UConn a couple times,” Duquesne coach Dan Burt joked.
This time around, it was the No. 3 seed Dukes who were an unstoppable force, dominating No. 14 seed Rhode Island, 106-69, in the first round of the Atlantic 10 women’s basketball tournament Tuesday at Palumbo Center.
Duquesne (18-12), which was picked to win the Atlantic 10 but had a disappointing regular season, set a school record for points scored in the first quarter (42) and points scored in the first half (66), finishing 10 points shy of the record for points scored in a game, which was set in 1990.
Duquesne beat Rhode Island, 106-69, during the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, at the A.J. Palumbo Center. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette) #A10WBB pic.twitter.com/lUpLoA5Zws
— Steph Chambers (@StephChambers76) March 6, 2019
“I think with the veteran group that we have, and what we have gone through personally this year, with such high accolades at the beginning of the season and not living up to them, that they are very grounded and they are focused,” Burt said of his team, which is hosting this year’s tournament and is searching for its first Atlantic 10 championship title and second NCAA Tournament berth.
Senior guard Chassidy Omogrosso, who moved up to No. 3 on the program’s all-time scoring list, led all scorers with 22 points, sinking 5 of 8 3-pointers, adding 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
With her last free throw, Chassidy Omogrosso has moved into 3rd on the Dukes' all-time scoring list‼️
— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) March 6, 2019
1. Korie Hlede - 2⃣6⃣3⃣1⃣
2. Wumi Agunbiade - 1⃣7⃣7⃣6⃣
3. Chassidy Omogrosso - 1⃣6⃣6⃣9⃣#GoDukes • #A10WBB
Four other Dukes scored in double-digits: senior guard Conor Richardson (20), sophomore forward Laia Sole (14), senior guard Julijana Vojinovic (13) and sophomore guard Libby Bazelak (12). Duquesne has now won six straight.
“Some teams peaked 10 games ago,” Richardson said. “We’re peaking at tournament time; we can’t ask for more than that.”
The Dukes jumped out to an 18-4 lead against the Rams (8-21) in the first quarter and never looked back, with back-to-back steals and fast-break layups by Richardson and Bazelak stretching it to 34-13.
That moment when you hit 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ points! #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/htAsfLrZM0
— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) March 6, 2019
After shooting 70.15 percent in the first half, Duquesne led, 66-36, and starters were pulled throughout the third quarter, with the Rams held to just five points in the third.
The Dukes shot 63.5 percent to the Rams’ 39.7 percent, and took pride in their 28 assists on 40 field goals.
“That’s a big number and that just shows we’re sharing the ball, our chemistry’s there and it’s back and we’re jelling really well together,” Omogrosso said. “I think that just shows one, how well we’re shooting the ball, but also, we’re playing together… Everyone knows we’ve had our ups and downs. We didn’t appear to [be] what we were supposed to. But I think we responded really well and I think that says a lot about us and a lot about our character.”
This year’s seniors were freshmen when Duquesne advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history – the Dukes beat Seton Hall, 97-76, in the first round before falling to eventual winner UCONN in the second round, 97-51.
They haven’t been able to get back yet, with a disappointing outing in last year’s A10 tournament, earning a No. 2 seed but losing to No. 7 seed Saint Louis in the quarterfinals.
But with March comes a clean slate, and that could all change, as Burt pointed out postgame.
“We can still live up to what our expectations were before the season began,” Burt said. “But we can’t lose sight of what happened in the past, and we’ve got to use that as fuel.”
Next up, Duquesne plays host to No. 6 seed Saint Louis 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals.
Our hosts for the weekend, @DuqWBB is moving on to the #A10WBB quarterfinals with a 106-69 victory! pic.twitter.com/hNdwqgSngW
— A-10 Women's Hoops (@A10WBB) March 6, 2019
Sarah K. Spencer: sspencer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @sarah_k_spence.
First Published: March 6, 2019, 2:34 a.m.
