Lady Dukes fall short
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Duquesne's Wumi Agunbiade grabs a rebound against St. Bonaventure's Megan Van Tatenhove Wednesday. St. Bonaventure held on for a 58-53 win at Palumbo Center.
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Something had to give with St. Bonaventure and Duquesne women's basketball teams on so many streaks,
It seemed to be appropriate that they played a streaky game with visiting St. Bonaventure outlasting Duquesne, 58-53, in an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup Wednesday night at Palumbo Center.
St. Bonaventure (21-2, 8-0 Atlantic 10) won its 10th consecutive game and remained one of three teams in NCAA Division I without a loss on the road at 10-0. The Bonnies, in first place in the Atlantic 10, are ranked No. 26 in The Associated Press poll and No. 28 in ESPN/USA Today.
Duquesne (15-7, 3-4) lost its first home game this season and is 11-1 at Palumbo.
"This was one game we competed for the entire 40 minutes," Duquesne coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said of the Dukes, who were led by Alex Gensler's 14 points and five assists. "When you come up short and give that much effort, it's even more disappointing."
McConnell-Serio also was disappointed that Gensler fouled out in the final seconds when the Dukes trailed by three points and desperately needed their best 3-point shooter.
"Unfortunately, we didn't have Alex Gensler on the floor at the end," McConnell-Serio. "I would have liked her to take those shots."
Instead, the Dukes threw up a couple wild 3-pointers, and St. Bonaventure, which had missed its previous four free throws, made two to close out the scoring.
The Bonnies took control midway through the second half when they scored 11 points and held the Dukes scoreless for nearly seven minutes to take a 46-39 lead. Their spurt followed an 8-0 run by the Dukes, who held a 39-35 advantage with 12:16 left. The Dukes pulled within 56-53 on a driving layup and free throw with 22.9 seconds remaining, but they could not get any closer despite St. Bonaventure's woes at the free-throw line.
"In my mind, I felt like we needed to score 60 points," McConnell-Serio said. "I was right in my mind."
St. Bonaventure is the league's stingiest team, allowing 53.7 points per game.
"They play team defense at its best. They disrupt you and they're very disciplined," McConnell-Serio said. "And they flop in the post. We were called for four offensive fouls with three different players."
McConnell-Serio was asked if St. Bonaventure is the best team in the league.
"They're different from any other team. They're not as athletic, not flashy, not big and not quick," she said. "They have players who fit well in a system."
The Bonnies were led by Jessica Jenkins, whose 15 points included three 3-pointers to give her 306 for her career and the most in A-10 history.
First Published February 2, 2012 12:00 am
