VCU entered game 3 of a 4 game home stand back on a winning streak after victories on their home court versus cross town rival University of Richmond and then Fordham. The 4-4 Rams faced a formidable opponent in the Duquesne Dukes who entered the contest 6-1 in conference play and were within reach of another victory with 1 minute remaining. In their final moments the Rams would fall 71-67 to an opponent with a leading scorer who dished out 25 points for her team.
In an aggressive opening quarter both teams played an uptempo pace. VCU was first on the board but Duquesne answered and took an early lead. Ashley Pegram was able to take the lead back at 6:11 with 2 shots from the stripe. A three pointer from Emilie Gronas flipped the lead to the Dukes at 5:02. April Robinson led the Dukes with 8 points and 3 rebounds (including 2 of Duquesne’s buckets from long range) in the 18-16 advantage over VCU. Despite a nasty run into the media table in the first moments of the game Pegram led the Rams with 6 points and 4 rebounds at the first buzzer.
The second quarter was all about the glass. The Rams out rebounded the Dukes 13-4 during play. The Rams shot 41.2% from the field and the Dukes were 40.6% during the first half of play. Adaeze Alaeze gave VCU the lead with a 3 point shot putting the Rams up 19-18. The Dukes and Rams battled throughout the quarter alternating 1 -2 point leads. The largest lead was by the Rams at 2:08 (31-27). The Dukes took control off a beyond the arc shot from their leading scorer Robinson who added another, but Chaddaryl Clay returned it from long range to give VCU the last second 34-32 lead at 0:05.
The Rams extended their lead to as many as 5 during the third quarter, but the Dukes came back and used a 7-0 run to pass VCU. Duquesne went 3-3 from long range. Kadri-Ann Lass and Chassidy Omogrosso stepped up to help lead the offensive charge adding 10 and 6 points respectively during the quarter. The teams tied it up 4 times and it was a single possession game after Alaeze went to the rim with 0:09 remaining , but a final second long range shot from Omogrosso gave the Dukes the 58-53 advantage.
Duquesne continued to extend their lead in the fourth quarter getting to as many as 8 points but the Dukes also found themselves in foul trouble with multiple players. The Rams battled back and Alaeze once again brought the Rams within 2 points of the Dukes with 1:10 to go. Duquesne won the game with free throws in the final moments going 4-4 from the stripe as the Rams fell 71-67 after a very active 40 minutes of play.
The Rams play St. Bonaventure Wednesday at 7 pm before hitting the road for the following 4 games.
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