On to Pittsburgh for a midweek showdown with the Duquesne Dukes. The Dukes struggled coming out of the gate but have still managed to win 4 A10 games. They are currently 9-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play. So far in the A10, they’ve beat the Bonnies, Billikens, Patriots, and Explorers. They’ve lost their last two in fairly close contests against Dayton and Fordham.

The Dukes are a competent offensive team, currently shooting 40.4% from the field and 32.0% from 3-point range. They average 62.8 ppg as a team, while giving up 63.0 ppg. They have balanced scoring, with 6 players averaging over 7.5 ppg. They are led by Tess Myers, a 5’9” Freshman guard who scores12.6 ppg, and Fatou Pouye, a 6’0” graduate student who averages 12.7 pp and 6.3 rpg. Their leading rebounders are tow guards, Freshman Megan McConnell, who at 5’7” grabs 6.3 rpg; and Libby Bazelak, a 5’9” graduate student who clears 5.8 rpg. They have height in Precious Johnson, a 6’4” Sophomore who plays a bout 18 minutes a game and shoots 50% from the field.

Despite our 0-8 A10 record, we haven’t been playing badly lately, especially on the defensive side, and the offense has gained a measure of fluidity. We’ve managed to keep the last two contests close by containing our opponents’ biggest scoring threats, and because the Dukes are also a guard-oriented squad, expect more of the same.

This looks like another competitive game, but the following questions remain-- 1) Can we score enough points to win? Our top offensive performers haven’t been able to put back-to-back games together, so we still lack consistency where individuals are involved; 2) In a close game, can we keep our composure down the stretch? Not easy with so much pressure on them to win, but they have to find a way to fight through it.

And lastly, will we finally have a game where everyone is healthy and available to play? Hope so.