Alayna Alexander | staff writer

Duquesne women’s basketball had a thrilling end to the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Maryland, holding Navy to just 4 points in the fourth quarter to complete a 14-point comeback in a 69-67 overtime classic.

The Dukes broke even over the weekend, going 1-1 after a loss to Liberty in their first game of the Challenge.

The 32nd Navy Classic, held at Alumni Hall at the United States Naval Academy, marks the Dukes’ final games before they begin conference play. 

On Sunday, the Dukes pulled out their statement overtime victory over the Midshipmen in sophomore forward Harriet Ford’s fourth double-double of the season. Duquesne freshman guard Bordas scored a game-high 18 points and recorded five rebounds.

Ford scored 10 points and a game-high 14 boards for her double-double. This ties her season total of four double-doubles from her freshman season at Omaha. 

Duquesne was outscored by 9 points in the third quarter, only to then turn it around and hold Navy to score just 4 points in the final frame. 

“We never gave up,” said sophomore Mackenzie Blackford. “We were down 14 at one point. We knew if we just continued to stick it out, we could get the win.”

After falling behind before the end of the third quarter, the Dukes picked up the pace to rally and force overtime. A 6-point run early in the fourth led by Gabby Grantham-Medley cut Navy’s lead in half, and she continued to dominate the final frame.

Draining 3s and drawing fouls, Grantham-Medley put the team on her back to cut Navy’s lead to 1. After 3 minutes of scrappy defensive play by both teams, Ford hit a free throw with 4 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

“Having the support of the coaches, and Travis and Liz has really helped me,” Ford said. “I struggled with a back injury early last season, and their support has really helped me get to where I need to be in order to have my body where it needs to be.”

Duquesne shot 42.8% from the field in overtime to clinch a 2-point victory over Navy in the extra period.

The Midshipmen were only able to sink two goals in overtime, sealing a Dukes win.

This is the first time the Dukes have gone into overtime in the regular season since a December 2023 double-overtime victory over Kent State. 

“We played for each other and really focused on our strengths,” Ford said. “Everyone gave something, and we all really got around each other and celebrated each other.”

Throughout the game, the Dukes were decent from the field, shooting 23 of 72 in the paint and 10 of 25 from 3-point range. 

In their earlier game, the Dukes lost to the Flames 67-60. Freshman Alexis Bordas was the game-high scorer with 23 points, shooting 7 of 14 from the field and 5 of 11 from behind the arc. 

“I think [Bordas] has really stepped into a big role here at Duquesne,” Blackford said. “She’s really embraced the challenge of that. I know she’s going to continue to shine here.”

Bordas was Duquesne’s leading scorer across the Challenge, notching 18 points against Navy after her second 20-point performance of the season against Liberty.

The Dukes and the Flames have only met three times, their first meeting being at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in 2012, and the other two at neutral sites. The last time they played was in 2018 at the St. Pete Shootout in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the Dukes lost 55-51.

This is the second loss of the season for the Dukes, the other being to Robert Morris. In both of their losses, they have lost by less than 10 points. 

Bordas was able to close the gap to just 4 points with a good 3-pointer at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Duquesne was unable to capitalize. This was the lowest deficit the Dukes saw, unable to get over the hump despite a desperate second-half push. 

“We just need to have attention to detail and out-work teams,” Ford said. “Which I think we have the capability to do.”

Liberty’s top scorer was Avery Mills, who put up 18 points and shot 6-for-13. Teammate Ify Nwaobi recorded a game-high 13 rebounds. Claudia Acin had 10 assists to contribute to the Liberty victory. 

Liberty’s win was a team effort, with seven players out on the court for at least 10 minutes. Emmy Stout was the only other Flame to score double digits, recording 14 points along with nine rebounds. 

Duquesne will look to ride their late-game momentum as A10 play opens with a road game at Davidson.

Alayna Alexander can be reached at alexandera5@duq.edu