2020-21 Prospectus

2020-21 prospectus

Athletics Web Site: GoDuquesne.com • Athletics Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Instagram: @GoDuquesne • Women’s Basketball Twitter: @DuqWBB Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team … Led Duquesne in scoring (13.2 ppg), duquesne dukes rebounding (6.5 rpg), assists (3.9 apg), steals (1.3 spg), 3-point field goal percentage (.444) and free throw percentage (.758) …Led the 2019-20 record: 20-11 A-10 and ranked 11th in the nation in 3-point efficiency (.444, 2nd Atlantic 10: 9-7 highest mark in program history) … Ranked in the top-10 of eight At- Non-Conference: 11-4 lantic 10 categories: scoring (10th – 13.2 ppg), rebounding (8th – 6.5 H: 11-3 A: 9-7 N: 0-1 rpg), field goal percentage (10th – .448), 3-point field goal percent- Head Coach: Dan Burt age (1st – .444), 3-point field goals per game (5th – 2.0), assists per Overall: 153-78 (7 seasons) game (5th – 3.9 apg), assist/turnover ratio (9th – 1.4) and minutes per A-10: 76-36 game (3rd – 36.1) … Nationally, ranked in the top-100 in 3-point field goal percentage (11th – .444), minutes played (30th – 1118:30) and minutes per game (54th – 36.1) 2020 LEADERS returnees in BOLD CAPS Points LIBBY BAZELAK (13.2) • KALIN: Averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 0.94 Rebounds LIBBY BAZELAK (6.5) blocks per game … Among all Dukes, led team in blocks, ranked sec- Assists LIBBY BAZELAK (120 / 3.9) ond in assists, third in scoring, tied for third in rebounding, and ranked Steals LIBBY BAZELAK (40 / 1.3) second in field goal percentage (.471) … In the Atlantic 10, finished Blocks AMANDA KALIN (29/.94) season ranked eight in field goal percentage (.470), eight in assists 3-Pointers LIBBY BAZELAK (63 / 2.03 / .444) (3.7), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (2.0), seventh in blocks and 10th in minutes played (34.0) … Posted fourth triple-double in program 2020 TEAM history with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in win over La Salle Points / Margin 69.1 / +5.5 … One of 23 players in the nation and only A-10 player to accomplish Rebounds / Margin 38.1 / +1.5 the feat during the 2019-20 season Turnovers / Margin 14.5 / +0.2 • SOLE: Ranked second on the Dukes with 11.8 points per game … Av- eraged 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game … Led Duquesne and 2020-21 Quick Hits ranked seventh in the A-10 in field goal percentage (.471) … Scored 20-plus points in four games and posted double-digit points in 17 HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Despite not having games … Recorded 38 of Duquesne’s 72 points in a overtime win over a home arena on campus due to the renovation Saint Francis, the most points for a Duke in the Dan Burt era and is tied of the AJ Palumbo Center into the UPMC Cooper for the sixth most points in a single game and the highest point total Fieldhouse, the Dukes posted an 11-3 home record for Duquesne in 21 seasons. at four different venues, which include La Roche Univesity’s Kerr Fitness Center (8-2), the Pittsburgh SENIOR CLASS: Joining Bazelak, Kalin and Sole as seniors is Kiersten Penguins’ PPG Paints Arena (1-1), Robert Morris Elliott. Anie-Pier Samson and Halle Bovell have earned their undergradu- University’s UPMC Events Center (1-0) and Oakland ate degrees, but have two seasons remaining of eligibility due to a redshirt Catholic High Schools’s Donahue Pavilion (1-0). season and injuy shortened season. In total, these six experienced players have accounted for 2,388 career points. Along with Samson and Bovell, NOT JUST A TEAM. A PROGRAM: Duquesne looks Sole and Elliott have earned their undergrad degrees from Duquesne and to win 20-games in a single season for the 11th time are pursuing a master’s degree on the Bluff. over the past 13 seasons and return to the postseason for the 11th time of the past 12 possible • BOVELL: Missed the entire season 2019-20 season due to injury … seasons. One of the best defenders on the team … Has appeared in 61 games in her career including nine starts. WHO’S BACK? After graduating 5,000+ career points prior to the 2019-20 season, the Dukes return • K. ELLIOTT: Averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds a season ago … its top three scorers and three-of-five starters. The Knocked down 42.4 percent of her 3-point attempts (22-52) … 22 of Dukes return nearly 72 percent of its offense from a 28 field goals came beyond the arc … Posted a career-high 14 points, season ago. going 5-5 from the floor and 4-4 from 3-point land in win over George Mason ... Swished three triples against Oklahoma State. THE BIG 3: Duquesne return a senior-led lineup of Libby Bazelak (13.2 ppg), Amanda Kalin (10.2 ppg) • SAMSON: Missed all but five games due to injury … Registered ca- and Laia Sole (11.8 ppg), who accounted for over 50 reer-highs of nine points and nine rebounds before suffering sea- percent of points, 42.4 percent of rebounds and 59.6 son-ending injury in first half against Lafayette … Averaged 19 minutes percent of assists from a season ago. per game before injury … Averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds … Has appeared in 35 games in her career. • BAZELAK: A-10 All-Conference Second Team … SUPER SOPHOMORES: Amaya Hamilton and Precious Johnson return for their second season on the Bluff in 2020-21. Both Ham- ilton and Johnson impressed during their freshman campaigns.

• HAMILTON: Averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds … Recorded season-best 17 points against Iona and Pitt … Led Duquesne in scoring against the Steel City rival Panthers, shooting 7-13 from the floor with six rebounds two blocks and two steals … Registered double-figures in scoring in five contests … In collegiate debut against Kent State, grabbed season-high 10 -re bounds.

• JOHNSON: Averaged 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds … Shot 54.3 percent from the floor … Tied for second on the Dukes with 23 blocks … Recorded double-figures in points in four games … Earned multiple blocks in five games … Grabbed 5-plus rebounds in six games … Shot at 50 percent or above in 16 games … Posted season-best 16 points and grabbed six rebounds against eventual A-10 Champion Dayton … Made of 5-of-6 shots from the field for 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and posted four blocks in come-from-behind win over Rhode Island ... Father, Stew Johnson is the ABA’s ninth all-time leading scorer

NEW FACES: The Dukes welcome six newcomers (three transfers and three freshman), along with Snezhana Serafimoska, who redshirted a season ago.

TRANSFERS • DIAMOND BRAGG: 5-9 guard … Wisconsin transfer … Will sit out 2020-21 season due to NCAA transfer rules … Will have two seasons of eligibility remaining … Appeared in a total of 50 games for the Badgers … Three-time all-state honoree at Camp Hill High School in Harrisburg.

• NY LANGLEY: 5-10 guard … Cape Fear (JUCO) transfer … Immediately eligible … Missed 2019-20 season due to injury … Will have three seasons of eligibility remainng … In 2018-19, Averaged 15.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.2 steals… Led the Sea Devils to a 28-5 record and a third-place finish in the NJCAA Division II Championships … Connected on 51.3 percent of field goal attempts … Posted double-figures in 29 of 33 games … Season-best 31 points in win over North Iowa Area CC … Ranked the ninth-best JUCO player by Collegiate Basketball Report ... Unanimous pick for AP All-State as a senior, receiving 16 first-place votes ... Led North Pitt (Bethel, N.C.) to two-state championships (2016 & 2018) in three seasons ... Combined for 74 points (41 in semifinal, 33 in championship) in state quarterfinal and state championship victory as a senior. Added 16 rebounds and six assists in her final game as a Panther to win state championship

• ANIYA WALKER: 6-2 guard … Appeared in nine games with Western Michigan in 2019-20 before entering the NCAA transfer portal … Enrolled at Duquesne in January … Will have to sit out until at least Dec. 16, 2020 (Duquesne’s final day of Fall 2020 semester) due to NCAA Transfer rules … Ambridge, Pa. native … Averaged 21.9 points and 15 rebounds as a senior at Am- bridge Area … Father, Myron is Robert Morris’ all-time leading scorer (1,965 points).

REDSHIRT

• SNEZHANA SERAFIMOSKA: 6-4 forward … Sat out last season as a redshirt … Member of Macedonia senior national team … Born in Havre, Montana … Raised in Gostivar, Macedonia … Went to high school in Nebraska … Averaged 11.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game as a senior for Nebraska City.

FRESHMEN

• LINDSEY LINARD: 6-4 Center … Named Greater Cleveland Conference Player of the Year along with first team all-conference honors during senior season … Cleveland.com Second-Team All-Star … Ohio Prep Sportwriters Association Division I All-State Special Mention … Averaged 12.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.8 blocks and 2.2 steals in senior season.

• MEGAN McCONNELL: Rare four-time Pennsylvania Sports Writers All -State Selection… Class 5A first team all-state during her junior and senior seasons … Class 5A second team all-state during freshman and sophomore seasons … 95-16 record in high school … WPIAL record 57-game winning streak to end High School career … Led the Colts to a perfect 27-0 record during senior season that was cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic … Led the Colts to an undefeated 30-0 record along with WPIAL and PIAA championships during her junior season … Finished high school career with 1,521 points … Averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds as a senior … Brother is TJ McConnell of the Indiana Pacers.

• TESS MYERS: Three-time Pennsylvania Sports Writers Class 4A All-State … Two-time Class 4A First Team (junior and senior seasons) … Class 4A Third Team selection as a sophomore … Started on four WPIAL Championship teams … Two-Time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 selection … Career high school record of 102-12 … Career totals of 1,628 points and 564 rebounds … Averaged 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, while shooting 48 percent from inside the arc and 75 percent from the free- throw line as a senior … Father, Joe, graduated from Duquesne and played basketball for two NIT teams in 1980 and 1981, totaling 831 points and was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1983 Dan Burt Head Coach • 8th season • 153-78 • 76-36 (A-10)

A10’s Best: Since taking over as head coach in 2013-14, Dan Burt has led DUQUESNE HEAD COACH WINS the Dukes to an Atlantic 10 best 153 wins. The Dukes are the only Atlantic 1. Dan Durkin (1994-07)...... 176 10 program to post a winning season in each of the past seven seasons 2. Dan Burt (2014-present)...... 153 and have posted at least a .500 winning percentage in all 13 seasons 3. Suzie McConnell Serio (2008-13)...... 123 Burt has been on the Bluff. 4. Tom Welch (1981-83)...... 43 5. Paul Hindes (1984-87) ...... 41 Defend the ‘Burgh: Since taking over as head coach in the 2013-14 sea- 6. Elsie Esseck (1978-80)...... 29 son, Dan Burt has led the Dukes to a 75-25 record in home games. When forced to play off campus in the 2019-20 season, the Dukes responded 7. Renee DeVarney (1990-93)...... 28 by going a combined 11-3 at “home games” at La Roche University, PPG 8. Pat Mansmann (1975-77) ...... 25 Paints Arena, UPMC Events Center and Oakland Catholic High School. 9. Catherine Kunz (1988-89) ...... 18 10. Eileen Surdoval (1974)...... 5 Light up the Scoreboard: Since 2013-14, the Dukes have led the Atlantic 10 in scoring offense (2x), scoring margin, field goal percentage (2x), free throw percentage and assists per game (2x). Duquesne has ranked at least fourth in the conference in points per game, field goal percentage and assists per game in every season since 2014-15. The top three and six of Duquesne’s top-10 single-season point totals have occurred under Burt’s watch.

Wins, Points and Awards: Duquesne has posted five 20 wins seasons and five trips to the postseason since 2013- 14. Burt has coached six of the 11 top scorers in program history and 11 of the 30 1,000-point scorers at Duquesne. Under his tutelage, the Dukes have earned 21 all-conference honors.

Unchartered Territory: Burt’s time on the Bluff has brought unmatched success. The Dukes have earned 10 postseason appearances and 10 20-win seasons in 13 seasons in the Steel City. Prior to joining the coaching staff in 2007-08, the Dukes had never earned a trip to the postseason or eclipsed 20 wins in a single season. In 2015-16, Duquesne earned its first bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed and earned dominant 21-point win over No. 8 Seton Hall.

City Game Success: While Pitt holds a 21-17 lead in the all-time series over Duquesne, the Dukes have dominated the series in recent memory by winning nine of the past 11 meetings over its ACC crosstown rival. Last season at the Petersen Events Center, Duquesne posted a 81-62 win - its largest margin of victory over Pitt in the City Game series.

Power 5 Streak: The Dukes have earned wins against a Power-5 conference school in each of the past six seasons. Duquesne has defeat- ed Pitt (5x), Penn State, Virginia in that span.

RACE TO 100: When Dan Burt earned his 100th career win as head coach of the Dukes in 2017-18, it was tied for the 15th fastest in NCAA Division I history. A few notable names that Burt earned 100 career wins faster than include Geno Auriemma, Dawn Staley and Debbie Ryan. 2019-20 Highlights • Posted 20 wins for the 10th time in 12 seasons, despite graduating 5,000-plus points the previous season and not playing a single game on-campus • 10-game winning streak from Nov. 10 to Dec. 20, which tied for the second-longest in program history. • Earned victories at all four-different “home” venues including (La Roche [8-2], PPG Paints Arena [1-1], Robert Morris [1-0] and Oakland Catholic) • Duquesne’s 20 victories came at 13 different arenas. • Libby Bazelak named to A-10 Second Team, finishes season 11th nationally in 3-point FG efficency and ranks in the top-10 of eight categories in the A-10 • Nina Aho selected to the A-10 All-Defensive Team • Laia Solé records 38 points against Saint Francis - Dan Burt era single-game high • Amanda Kalin records the fourth triple-double in program history (15 points/12 rebounds/10 assists) in 82-56 victory over La Salle • Won the City Game over Pitt for the ninth time in 11 seasons, by the largest margin in program history (81-62) • The victory over Pitt marked the sixth consecutive season that the Dukes knocked off a Power-5 conference team • Burt earns his 150th win and the program’s first-ever win at PPG Paints Arena in come-from behind fashion over Rhode Island • The Dukes were projected to earn an at-large bid to the WNIT, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak canceling the postseason NUMERICAL ROSTER

No. Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Hometown/High School/Prep School/Transfer 0 Snezhana Serafimoska F R-Fr. 6-4 Gostivar, Macedonia/Nebraska City 1 Diamond Bragg G Jr. 5-9 Camp Hill, Pa. /Camp Hill/Wisconsin 2 Ny Langley G R-So. 5-10 Greenville, N.C./North Pitt/Cape Fear CC 3 Caroline Elliott G R-So. 5-11 Glenshaw, Pa./Vincentian Academy 4 Megan McConnell G Fr. 5-7 Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley 11 Halle Bovell G GS 5-11 Hamilton, Ontario/St. Mary’s 12 Anie-Pier Samson G GS 6-2 Saint-Bruno, Québec/Seminaire Ste-Trinite 13 Laia Solé C GS 6-2 Igualada, Spain/IES Joaquim Blume/Maine 15 Aniya Walker G R-So. 6-2 Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge Area/Western Michigan 20 Amaya Hamilton G/F So. 6-2 Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern 21 Libby Bazelak G Sr. 5-9 Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter 23 Machaela Simmons G R-So. 5-8 Alexandria, Va./Hayfield 24 Kiersten Elliott G R-Sr. 5-11 Glenshaw, Pa./Vincentian Academy 31 Precious Johnson C So. 6-4 Helsinborg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola 35 Amanda Kalin G Sr. 5-8 Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland 52 Lindsey Linard C Fr. 6-4 Cleveland, Ohio/Medina 54 Tess Myers G Fr. 5-9 Lower Burrell, Pa./North Catholic

ALPHABETICAL ROSTER

No. Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Hometown/High School/Prep School/Transfer 21 Libby Bazelak G Sr. 5-9 Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter 11 Halle Bovell G GS 5-11 Hamilton, Ontario/St. Mary’s 1 Diamond Bragg G Jr. 5-9 Camp Hill, Pa. /Camp Hill/Wisconsin 3 Caroline Elliott G R-So. 5-11 Glenshaw, Pa./Vincentian Academy 24 Kiersten Elliott G R-Sr. 5-11 Glenshaw, Pa./Vincentian Academy 20 Amaya Hamilton G/F So. 6-2 Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern 31 Precious Johnson C So. 6-4 Helsinborg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola 35 Amanda Kalin G Sr. 5-8 Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland 2 Ny Langley G R-So. 5-10 Greenville, N.C./North Pitt/Cape Fear CC 52 Lindsey Linard C Fr. 6-4 Cleveland, Ohio/Medina 4 Megan McConnell G Fr. 5-7 Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley 54 Tess Myers G Fr. 5-9 Lower Burrell, Pa./North Catholic 12 Anie-Pier Samson G GS 6-2 Saint-Bruno, Québec/Seminaire Ste-Trinite 23 Machaela Simmons G R-So. 5-8 Alexandria, Va./Hayfield 13 Laia Solé C GS 6-2 Igualada, Spain/IES Joaquim Blume/Maine 0 Snezhana Serafimoska F R-Fr. 6-4 Gostivar, Macedonia/Nebraska City 15 Aniya Walker G R-So. 6-2 Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge Area/Western Michigan

COACHES & SUPPORT STAFF Head Coach: Dan Burt (West Liberty ‘93) – 8th season as head coach, 14th on staff Assistant Coach: Matt Schmidt (West Liberty ‘96) - 8th season as assistant Assistant Coach: Cherie Lea (UNC Wilmington ’04) – 5th season as assistant, 6th on staff Assistant Coach: Vanessa Abel (Duquesne ‘13) - 2nd season as assistant Assistant to the Head Coach: Frank Ferraro (Duquesne ’75) – 4th season Director of Operations: Melissa Franko (Duquesne ‘95) – 5th season as DOBO, 6th on staff Graduate Assistant: Stasia King (Duquesne ‘15) - 1st season on staff Athletic Trainer: Katherine Wieckowski (Duquesne ‘17) – 2nd season Strength and Conditioning Coach: Christopher Tarullo (Bloomsburg ‘14) – 4th season RETURNING STARTERS (3) No. Name Year Pos. Ht. Pts. Reb. G/GS Hometown Quick Facts 21 Libby Bazelak Sr. G 5-9 13.2 6.5 31/31 Kettering, Ohio A-10 Second Team, top-10 in the conf. in 8 categories 13 Laia Sole GS C 6-2 11.8 4.8 31/30 Igualada, Spain 7th in A-10 in FG% 35 Amanda Kalin Sr. G 5-8 10.2 4.8 31/31 Gibsonia, Pa. Top-5 in five categories RETURNERS (8) No. Name Year Pos. Ht. Pts. Reb. G/GS Hometown Quick Facts 0 Snezhana Serafimoska R-Fr. F 6-4 0 0 0/0 Gostivar, Macedonia Redshirted in 2019-20 3 Caroline Elliott R-So. G 5-10 0.0 1.0 7/0 Glenshaw, Pa. Appeared in 7 games 11 Halle Bovell* GS G 5-11 0.8 2.8 32/9 Hamilton, Ontario Missed entire season due to injury 12 Anie-Pier Samson GS F 6-2 4.8 5.2 5/2 Saint-Bruno, Québec Missed final 26 games due to injury 20 Amaya Hamilton So. G/F 6-2 6.4 3.5 31/0 Fishers, Ind. Posted 17 pts. against Pitt and Iona 24 Kiersten Elliott R-Sr. G 5-11 2.5 1.5 31/0 Glenshaw, Pa. Knocked down 42.3 % of 3-pointers 23 Machaela Simmons R-So. G 5-8 0.8 0.0 10/0 Alexandria, Va. Appeared in 10 games 31 Precious Johnson So. C 6-4 4.8 2.3 29/0 Helsinborg, Sweden Shot 54.3% from the floor

*2018-19 Stats NEWCOMERS (6) No. Name Year Pos. Ht. Pts. Reb. G/GS Hometown Quick Facts 1 Diamond Bragg* Jr. G 5-9 2.4 0.5 25/0 Camp Hill, Pa. Transfer from Wisconsin, 3x all-state in HS 2 Ny Langley^ R-So. G 5-10 15.7 5.4 33/33 Greenville, N.C. Ranked 9th best JUCO by Collegiate Basketball Report 4 Megan McConnell Fr. G 5-7 14.0 4.0 -- Pittsburgh, Pa. 4x All-State, won final 57 games in HS 15 Aniya Walker $ R-So. G 6-2 1.4 0.9 9/0 Ambgridge Area Western Michigan transfer, avg. 21.9 pts in HS 52 Lindsey Linard Fr. C 6-4 12.5 9.4 -- Cleveland, Ohio Greater Cleveland Conference Player of the Year 54 Tess Myers Fr. G 5-9 16.9 6.6 -- Lower Burrell, Pa. 3x all-state, started on 4 WPIAL Championship teams

* stats at Wisconsin in 2019-20 (will sit out entire 2020-21 season due to NCAA transfer rules) ^ stats at Cape Fear CC in 2018-19 (immediatley eligible/missed all of 2019-20 season at Cape Fear due to injury) $ stats at Western Michigan in 2019-20 (will sit out until at least 12/16/20 due to NCAA tranfer rules) PLAYERS NOT RETURNING (4) No. Name Year Pos. Ht. Pts. Reb. G/GS Hometown Reason 1 Nina Aho R-Jr. G 5-10 6.9 3.2 29/29 Budapest, Hungary Graduated - turned pro 2 Bernada Rrespja Fr. G 5-10 0 0 0 Shkoder, Albania Transferred 10 Paige Cannon R-Sr. G/F 6-1 9.0 5.0 31/31 Johnston, Ohio Graduated - turned pro 54 Angela Staffileno* R-Sr. F 6-2 4.1 2.4 29/0 Wellsburg, W.Va. Graduated

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE BY LOCATION BY CLASS Snezhana Serafimoska.....Snay-zhahn-ah, Sara-fih-moska STAT ES SENIORS (4) Halle Bovell...... HAL-ee boe-VELL Pennsylvania (7)...... Bragg, C. Elliott, K. Elliott, Kalin, Bazelak, K. Elliott (GS), Kalin, Sole (GS) Anie-Pier Samson...... Ay-nee-peer McConnell, Myers, Walker JUNIORS (3) Amaya Hamilton...... Ah-my-uh Ohio (2) ...... Bazelak, Linard Bragg, Bovell (GS), Samson (GS), Aniya Walker...... Ah-nye-uh Indiana ...... Hamilton North Carolina...... Langley Laia Solé...... lie-ah so-Lay SOPHOMORES (5) Virginia ...... Simmons Libby Bazelak...... Bayze-lack C. Elliott (RS), Johnson, Hamilton, Lang- Machaela Simmons...... ma-KAY-la BY COUNTRY ley (RS), Simmons (RS), Walker (RS) Kiersten Elliott...... KEER-stin Canada (2)...... Bovell, Samson FRESHMAN (4) Amanda Kalin...... Kay-lynn Macedonia...... Serafimoska Linard, McConnell, Myers Lindsey Linard...... Lynn-ard Spain ...... Sole Serafimoska (RS) Sweden ...... Johnson 2019-20 Duquesne Women's Basketball Page 1/1 Combined Team Statistics as of Sep 08, 2020 2019-20 DUQUESNE WOMEN’SAll BASKETBALLgames FINAL SEASON STATS

Game Records Score by Periods Record Overall Home Away Neutral Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TOT ALL GAMES 20-11 11-3 9-7 0-1 CONFERENCE 9-7 6-2 3-5 0-0 Duquesne 571 498 503 533 37 2142 NON-CONFERENCE 11-4 5-1 6-2 0-1 Opponents 484 450 498 511 29 1972

Team Box Score Total 3-Point F-Throw Rebounds No. Player GP-GS MIN AVG FG-FGA FG% 3FG-FGA 3FG% FT-FTA FT% OFF DEF TOT AVG PF DQ A TO BLK STL PTS AVG 21 BAZELAK, Libby 31-31 1118:31 36.1 139-310 .448 63-142 .444 69-91 .758 41 161 202 6.5 41 0 120 88 6 40 410 13.2 13 SOLE, Laia 31-30 763:00 24.6 140-297 .471 0-3 .000 87-123 .707 37 112 149 4.8 65 2 53 63 15 19 367 11.8 35 KALIN, Amanda 31-31 1056:11 34.1 116-247 .470 28-76 .368 57-89 .640 20 130 150 4.8 56 0 115 57 29 26 317 10.2 10 CANNON, Paige 31-31 810:20 26.1 93-235 .396 42-117 .359 52-70 .743 25 131 156 5.0 92 3 47 73 23 30 280 9.0 1 AHO, Nina 29-29 847:36 29.2 77-222 .347 23-85 .271 23-35 .657 25 67 92 3.2 90 5 90 43 7 25 200 6.9 20 HAMILTON, Amaya 31-0 643:05 20.7 73-181 .403 24-78 .308 29-42 .690 32 78 110 3.5 48 1 23 32 14 23 199 6.4 12 SAMSON, Anie-Pier 5-2 93:38 18.7 8-27 .296 3-15 .200 5-12 .417 9 17 26 5.2 9 0 3 2 0 1 24 4.8 31 JOHNSON, Precious 29-0 252:08 8.7 57-105 .543 0-0 .000 24-40 .600 29 39 68 2.3 51 1 2 24 23 5 138 4.8 54 STAFFILENO, Angela 29-1 299:33 10.3 43-115 .374 14-49 .286 20-24 .833 20 49 69 2.4 39 0 6 26 6 9 120 4.1 24 ELLIOTT, Kiersten 31-0 356:06 11.5 28-73 .384 22-52 .423 1-4 .250 6 39 45 1.5 21 0 18 18 4 12 79 2.5 23 SIMMONS, Machaela 10-0 23:05 2.3 2-13 .154 2-9 .222 2-2 1.000 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 2 1 0 2 8 0.8 3 ELLIOTT, Caroline 7-0 15:51 2.3 0-7 .000 0-1 .000 0-0 .000 3 4 7 1.0 3 0 4 1 0 0 0 0.0 Team 48 59 107 21 Total 31 6279 776-1832 .424 221-627 .352 369-532 .694 295 886 1181 38.1 516 12 483 449 127 192 2142 69.1 Opponents 31 6274 744-1880 .396 173-583 .297 311-471 .660 306 828 1134 36.6 520 10 406 455 88 181 1972 63.6

Team Statistics Team Results DU OPP Date Opponent Score Att. Scoring 2142 1972 11/05/2019 Kent St. L 75-77 2213 Points per game 69.1 63.6 11/08/2019 at Temple L 72-85 873 Scoring margin +5.5 - 11/10/2019 at Manhattan W 76-65 711 Field goals-att 776-1832 744-1880 11/15/2019 at Iona W 76-74 357 Field goal pct .424 .396 11/17/2019 at Lafayette Wot 73-65 300 3 point fg-att 221-627 173-583 11/23/2019 at Pittsburgh W 81-62 1182 3-point FG pct .352 .297 11/26/2019 Central Conn. St. W 72-33 303 3-pt FG made per game 7.1 5.6 12/04/2019 at Akron W 88-63 1548 Free throws-att 369-532 311-471 12/07/2019 Toledo W 79-74 623 Free throw pct .694 .660 12/10/2019 at Cornell W 72-62 182 F-Throws made per game 11.9 10.0 12/15/2019 Saint Francis (PA) Wot 72-69 667 Rebounds 1181 1134 12/20/2019 Kennesaw St. W 75-72 1179 Rebounds per game 38.1 36.6 12/30/2019 at Oklahoma St. L 41-84 1798 Rebounding margin +1.5 - 01/04/2020 Massachusetts L 77-81 1056 Assists 483 406 01/08/2020 at George Washington L 60-65 1757 01/11/2020 La Salle W 82-56 857 Assists per game 15.6 13.1 01/15/2020 at Dayton L 41-54 1370 Turnovers 449 455 01/18/2020 at Saint Joseph's W 58-51 250 Turnovers per game 14.5 14.7 01/22/2020 George Mason W 84-63 502 Turnover margin +0.2 - 01/26/2020 at Saint Louis L 50-53 616 Assist/turnover ratio 1.1 0.9 01/30/2020 St. Bonaventure W 58-39 477 Steals 192 181 02/02/2020 at VCU W 79-76 1120 Steals per game 6.2 5.8 02/09/2020 Saint Joseph's W 53-42 883 Blocks 127 88 02/12/2020 at Richmond Lot 64-67 568 Blocks per game 4.1 2.8 02/16/2020 at Davidson L 76-79 738 Winning streak 0 - 02/19/2020 Rhode Island W 72-62 1934 Home win streak 2 - 02/22/2020 George Washington L 65-72 767 Attendance 12521 13745 02/25/2020 Fordham W 74-63 451 BY CLASS Home games-Avg/Game 14-894 16-859 02/29/2020 at St. Bonaventure W 80-57 375 Neutral site-Avg/Game - 1-2955 03/03/2020 Rhode Island W 70-53 609 03/06/2020 vs Fordham L 47-54 2955 dan burt preseason q&a

After a long offseason, Duquesne women’s basketball head coach Dan Burt took time to answer questions about the upcoming 2020-21 season. The Dukes return three starters and nearly 72 percent of its offense, on a team that won 20 games. The Dukes have added several key newcomers and seek a bid to the postseason for the 11th time over the past 12 possible campaigns.

Q: After months off the court and off campus, how nice is it to be back at the Power Center and training with your student-athletes during the preseason?

Dan Burt: It’s great to be around your student-athletes and being able to take the time to see how everyone is and to grow relationships off the court. From an on-court perspective it’s been nice to start building on what we left behind over the course of those four or five months when we were not able to be with our players and they were at home. It was very difficult for them and for any Division I athlete to find facilities to work out in. It was a tough time for our society. Our almost recovery phase coming back in August and September is based on being really slow in our development and being very deliberate, because we want to avoid soft-tissue injuries and we want to get the kids back into shape slowly. We’ll be ready to practice on October 14th and at that point we’ll probably still need another week or two before we’re in game shape. So we feel good with where we are right now.

Q: Let’s bring it back to March and April. With a significant portion of the team hailing from outside of the United States, what kind of challenges did you and the coaching staff face when it came to organizing travel during a global pandemic.

DB: We kind of felt like we had a heads up on this with so many health science majors on our team, including Anie- Pier Samson, who’s a redshirt junior for us. She is very, very bright and has presented at conferences nationally, on pathogens and viruses. She gave us a clear indicator of just how serious this was. We took this very seriously from an early stage and felt like we almost had a heads up. We were able to evacuate our kids from campus and get them home in a very timely fashion. I am very proud the people here at Duquesne who helped with that process. They were fantastic in the work that they provided us. Our coaching staff was great with getting kids home.Melissa Franko was vital in helping gather our players belongings from their rooms and to organizing the international players travel home, despite challenging protocols.

Precious Johnson probably had the most difficult journey home. We were literally at the airport counter with Pre- cious, checking her in for a flight and the agent said, ‘We’re not flying there.’ But we were able to change her ticket literally at that moment. Instead flying her into a smaller city in Sweden, we were able to fly her into Stockholm, which is about six hours from her home. We then booked a train to her hometown. We did not have a whole lot of issues with our kids returning home. We just had to learn the protocols and the guidelines of each country and what the United States was doing at that time. Obviously it was very fluid, but I’m very proud of Duquesne, our staff and our players on how the situation was handled.

Q: With the virus still being present and a factor in everyone’s lives, there are and will be a lot of possible distractions. How do you keep the team focused with the task at hand?

DB: I’m very fortunate that during our recruiting process, we make it very clear that we’re seeking professionals on and off the court and in the classroom. Our young women are very motivated academically and athletically. We have had no issues with protocols, whether it’s wearing face masks, social distancing or remaining on campus during weekends. They’re motivated because they know that we could have a very good season this year. We are a very talented group with experience. They are also motivated from the academic perspective, because so many of them are in challenging majors, like biomedical engineering and physician’s assistant studies. We also have a number that are pursuing an MBA. I am incredibly proud of our student body, not just our women’s basketball team. Our student body and administration Duquesne has done an incredible job with complying to all of the protocols that have been put in place. I think it’s a great day to be a Duke.

Q: Entering last season, you called the 2019-20 season a “rebirth season”, after graduating 5,000 points the year prior. This season, it is a different story. You are returning 72% of your points, including 50% just from just Libby Bazelak, Amanda Kalin and Laia Sole on a team that won 20 games. Your expectations must be high with this experienced crew returning. DB: The expectations are high when you returned that much scoring and that much rebounding on a team that won 20 games. But also because the head coach didn’t coach them right and lost several games at the buzzer. We lost three games on a last second shot at the buzzer. I know our players are very motivated to have a much better year this year and to leave nothing on the table. We had two of our three seniors turned professional in Nina Aho and Paige Cannon, who both got very good professional contracts, and we will miss both immensely on the floor. They brought a lot to our team, but we have arguably the best backcourt in the conference with Libby Bazelak and Aman- da Kalin.

Our center in Laia Sole is a future pro. Some of the young people who contributed last year are really going to be asked to step up and they are going to do just fine. We are expecting very big things fromPrecious Johnson and Amaya Hamilton. Before she was injured last season, Anie-Pier Samson was on track to have a breakout season. She has returned at 100% and frankly she is in the best shape of her life, not only from a physical standpoint but also from a mental standpoint. I am really excited about what she is bringing to the team this year. We are also excited to return Kiersten Elliott after a productive season, along with Ny Langley, who brings versatility with winner’s mentality. She’s a winner and she can score it.

Q: Libby Bazelak ranked in the top-10 of eight Atlantic 10 categories a season ago, as an all-conference second team selection. Arguably one of the most versatile player in the league, how do you see Libby improving from last season?

DB: We were disappointed that she wasn’t an Atlantic 10 First Team pick last season. Sometimes a little slight like that can certainly propel you forward. Libby is to me the best point guard in our league and we are excited about where she’s going to take our team this year. The highest compliment I can give her is that she has a lot of April Robinson in her. I think that she could have that type of year. We are really excited about it. Libby will be ready to go when we get to the season on November 25th.

Q: Along with Libby, the senior class is extremely deep with Amanda Kalin, Laia Sole, Kiersten Elliott. Add in Anie-Pier Samson and Halle Bovell who return as fifth-year juniors due to injury, how has this group guided the underclassmen during this crazy time?

DB: Of our four seniors who will graduate this year, obviously we’ve talked about Libby, but Amanda Kalin had a triple double last year and I think flew underneath the radar a little bit. Teams had to game plan for her. I’m expecting her to have an all-conference type season. I’m expecting her to help lead the team. She has done that in the preseason. She’s taken Ny Langley underneath her wing and has done a great job of helping Ny get accustomed to what the culture and what the expectations and standards are at Duquesne.

Kiersten Elliott is as steady as it goes and gives us that work ethic and commitment to the program. We’ve chal- lenged her to compete more and to not be the nicest person, which is really difficult for her. We want her to be someone who competes a little bit more and gets a little bit nastier. She is going to provide minutes to us like she did last year. She is going to provide important minutes to our team this year.

Laia Sole, like I had mentioned, is certainly going to be one of the better players in the league and we are excited about that.

Halle Bovell is returning from a serious injury and it frankly brings tears to my eyes to see where she is today, as opposed to when we left her in March. Her recovery has been dramatic and exciting at the same time. She will be ready to play basketball for us at some point and she gives us someone who is an elite level defender and rebounder. Her outside shooting, through all this injury recovery, has improved. We are very excited about what Halle will bring to us in the long term.

Q: During their freshmen season, Amaya Hamilton and Precious Johnson both showed glimpses of what they are capable of in the future. How do you see their roles expanding during their sophomore campaign?

DB: Amaya Hamilton is going to play all over the floor. She is going to play guard. She is going to play in the post. We are going to utilize the mismatches that she has, wherever that may be on the floor. It is time for her to step up like she did late last year and not be a secondary piece. Amaya can be a star in this league and we don’t want that to happen when she’s a junior. We want that to happen for her as a sophomore. That’s what our expectations are for her. We want Amaya to be a high-level performer every night as a sophomore.

Precious Johnson, didn’t play as many minutes as Amaya this past year, but she showed glimpses of being very good. I know that there is a WNBA team that has already inquired about her for down the road. She made a significant jump being home in Sweden this summer. She was able to train with the senior national team and has come back in great physical shape. Her role will be different. She is not just a very good shot blocker and scorer in the paint. Her ability to handle the ball and play on the arc is much improved. We will be able to utilize her and Laia as our four and five. When you have those two as your post players, it takes a lot of pressure off your guards.

Q: Ny Langley comes to Duquesne after a storied high school career, as a multi-time state champion, along with having her jersey retired at North Pitt High School (Greenville, N.C.) She had an excellent freshman season at Cape Fear Community College, before suffering her injury prior to her sophomore season. What’s her game like and how do you see Ny fitting into the talented backcourt?

DB: The highest compliment I can give Ny Langley is that she reminds me of Coach Cherie Lea. Cherie was the best player I’ve ever coached and Ny has some similarities to Cherie. She’s a strong, physically-built point guard that can play multiple positions. You’ll see that her being left-handed gives her a distinctive advantage. She is a kid that goes North to South as opposed to East to West. She hasn’t played basketball in over a year after being injured during her sophomore year of junior college. Along with the pandemic, she hasn’t played a lot of basketball during the past year, so that has affected her. We’re bringing her along slowly, so that we can get her into shape without having any sort of injury. In pickup games, the reports that we’re getting is that she’s clearly a gamer. Even when she’s not in game shape, she plays like she’s in game shape. The future appears to be very bright for Ny. We’re excited about what she’s going to bring to the team from multiple positions.

Q: Along with Ny, Diamond Brag and Aniya Walker have transferred into the program from Wisconsin and Western Michigan, respectively. There are also three freshmen joining the Dukes with with tremendous high school careers in Lindsey Linard, Megan, McConnell and Tess Myers. Add in Snezhana Serafimoska, who redshirted last season, what can fans expect from this new group?

DB: We’re excited about Diamond Bragg and what she brings. I offered her a scholarship based on her emotional intelligence, her leadership capabilities and boy, she has not disappointed. She is a high-level athlete. She is a kid that can has great explosiveness and can score getting to the rim. This whole entire year, we’ll be working on her outside shot and we have very high expectations for what Diamond Bragg is going to bring to us.

Aniya Walker, unfortunately, is in the process of rehabbing a serious injury. This will be at least a six-to-eight month process of her recovering and rehabbing, and then having her ready to play for next season. She is a legitimate 6-2 guard that plays so effortlessly. She’s a high-level athlete, who very frankly, when she gets on the floor, it’ll be the first time in two years. We’ll be excited when she gets on the floor, but right now it’s a rehab situation.

Snezhana Serafimoska is a young woman who redshirted last year through an injury and is just coming back into her own right now. It is really tough when you’ve got two post players ahead of you that are future professional players. I think that is going to benefit Snezhe going against those two every day in practice and she’s going to provide minutes to us. They will be important minutes and quality minutes and she can expand upon that. We haven’t seen Snezhe play in a game with officials in a game that means something in two years, but we’re looking forward to seeing what she can bring to the program.

The three freshmen are expected to be redshirted this season. I am pleasantly surprised by Tess Myers. The highest compliment I can give her is that she reminds me of Amanda Kalin. She has a motor and competes every moment that she is on the floor and in every activity. She’s going to be a very good player at Duquesne.

I would echo the same type of sentiments about Megan McConnell. I believe Meg was under recruited in high school and a lot of people talked about her basketball IQ and knowledge because of her family and the success that her family has had playing the point guard position on the men’s and women’s side. What people do not recognize is Meg is a better athlete than many give her credit for. She is fast. She is quick. She has great endurance and she is an absolute winner. Meg McConnell has not lost a game since her sophomore year in high school. When she becomes our point guard in a year, I do not expect her to lose many games then either.

Lindsey Linard is going to be a very good basketball player for us. She is going to get better every day, playing against future pros in Laia and Precious. Laia has taken Lindsey under her wing and she is working with our post coaches on really expanding her game. She is expanding her game with better foot work and improving her moves facing the basket.

Machaela Simmons and Caroline Elliott are redshirt sophomores. With the season being the way it is and being condensed and the possibilities of games being played in a close proximity date-wise to one another, we’re going to count on Mac and Caroline to provide some minutes for us. Mac has come back in the best shape of her life and has improved her game. We’re expecting both of them to give contributions this year and we’re excited for what they bring.

Q: Nina Aho and Paige Cannon signed professional contracts this past summer, marking the second consecutive year, that Duquesne has had multiple players advance to the next level. What does it say about your program to consistently produce players professionally?

DB: When Nina Aho came to Duquesne, we knew she would be a professional basketball player after graduation. She had that kind of physical ability. We could not say the same for Paige Cannon, but Paige Cannon’s work ethic, her drive and her commitment to being the very best along with the player development that we have here at Duquesne and the program that we put them through, has enabled her to sign a very good professional contract. We’re very proud and very excited for her. We produce pros here. Some other schools will say that, but the proof is in the pudding. When you have the number of former student-athletes that have signed contracts and that are currently are playing professionally, it says a lot about how we prepare our players.