Final Score:Â Duquesne 66, VCU 63
Location:Â Pittsburgh, Pa.
Records:Â VCU 7-15 (4-6 A-10), Duquesne 15-9 (5-6 A-10)
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The Short Story:Â VCU trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half before battling back to get within 62-60 on a
Chloe Bloom layup with 22 seconds left. Duquesne missed both free throws on the ensuing possession but grabbed the offensive rebound and sealed the game at the free throw line.
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OPENING TIP:Â
- Janika Griffith-Wallace scored a season-high 18 points along with five rebounds, four assists and two steals
- Chloe Bloom had 14 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor
- Timaya Lewis-Eutsey was the third Ram in double figures with 12 points, two rebounds and two assists
- The Dukes had a 22-8 advantage in second chance points, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds and outrebounded VCU 46-31 overall
- Duquesne shot 10-of-24 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range while VCU was 5-of-14 (35.7 percent)
- The Dukes were led by Naelle Bernard who had 17 points and eight rebounds
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HOW IT HAPPENED:Â
- VCU and Duquesne went back-and-forth in the first quarter until the Dukes, with a 10-9 lead, went on a 6-0 run to lead 16-9 with 3:12 left in the first quarter
- The Rams countered with a 7-0 run of their own, capped off by a Lewis-Eutsey layup to tie the game at 16-16 heading into the second quarter
- The second quarter was a defensive battle with neither team gaining more than three-point advantage as Duquesne took a 27-24 lead into halftime
- There were six ties and seven lead changes in the first half
- Duquesne came out of halftime and slowly pushed their lead to as large as 13 points, leading VCU 47-34 with 26 seconds left in the third quarter
- The Rams responded and outscored the Dukes 22-11, cutting the lead to the 58-56 deficit with just 1:22 left on a Bloom layup
- VCU got within two points again after a Bloom layup to make it 62-60 with 22 seconds left. Bernard then missed both free throws after VCU fouled but the Dukes grabbed the offensive rebound to seal the win
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UP NEXT:
VCU travels to Saint Joseph's on Wednesday, Feb. 8 for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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