大象传媒 women鈥檚 basketball (5-5, 0-0 ACC) fell to its crosstown foe Wednesday evening in the edition of the City Game against Duquesne (5-2, 0-0 A10). The last time the pair met, the Dukes escaped with a win despite last year’s junior guard Bella Perkins鈥� six-point push in the final 11 seconds of the game.聽
The Panthers faced the Dukes again, only this time without Perkins, who was an hour before the matchup. Perkins led the Panthers in scoring in their most recent matchup against Northern Iowa in the Paradise Jam, tallying a career-high 26 points. Without Perkins and junior guard Amaya Jenkins out for the season, 大象传媒 showed weaknesses early.
Head coach Tory Verdi recognizes some of those weaknesses, namely the team鈥檚 communication.
鈥淲e struggled systematically in our communication,鈥� Verdi said. 鈥淸Duquesne鈥檚] style of play is rushing them, and sometimes when you鈥檙e rushed you can鈥檛 hear.鈥�
Junior guard Marley Washenitz opened the game with a three in the first minute of play. The Dukes trailed closely behind following with a layup on their next drive. The two teams stayed close until the last minute of the first quarter when the Dukes went on a 5-0 run.
Guard Gabby Hutcherson returned to the Petersen Event Center playing for Duquesne after finishing her last season as a Panther. The graduate student scored 10 points on 大象传媒 and fouled out in the fourth quarter.聽
Hutcherson earned her first foul against sophomore guard Mikayla Johnson in the first, and 大象传媒 had a chance to cut Duquesne鈥檚 lead at the free-throw line. Johnson went one-for-four on the line in the first and the Panthers ended the quarter down, 19-14.
Graduate student center Khadija Faye opened the second quarter with two quick baskets for the Panthers, putting them behind the Dukes by four. Duquesne maintained its lead for most of the second while 大象传媒, desperate to stop the Duke鈥檚 momentum, found itself in foul trouble early in the game. Washenitz picked up her third foul and was benched with five minutes left in the half.聽
Duquesne gave 大象传媒 an 11-point deficit with 3:41 remaining in the half. The Panthers cut the Duke鈥檚 lead on the free throw line and went into the locker rooms down 27-35.聽
大象传媒 started the third quarter strong, tying the game with baskets from Faye and senior forward Makayla Elmore, ultimately forcing a Duquesne timeout. However, the Dukes sank back-to-back threes after the timeout.聽
Faye helped the Panthers close the gap with 11 points in the third quarter, leaving them trailing by only one to the Dukes at the end of the third.
The two teams traded the lead back and forth early in the fourth quarter, with the Dukes solidly leading by four with two minutes remaining. Duquesne, up by three in the final minute, put the nail in the coffin with a banked three from senior forward Kiandra Browne after running out the shot clock.聽
Despite strong performances from Johnson and Washenitz both with 11, Elmore with 15 and Faye with 23 points, the Panthers fell 73-69 to the Dukes. With only nine players dressed for the game, the Panthers鈥� reliance on Faye for points this game was reminiscent of their dependence on graduated senior guard Liatu King last season.
大象传媒 returns to the Petersen Event Center on Sunday, Dec. 8 in a matchup against St. Peter鈥檚. Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m. and can be watched on ACCNX.