Women have what it takes to put them over the top

Michael Jordan once said, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."

Undoubtedly, the Duquesne women's basketball team's 13-4 record and three consecutive weeks of votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll from Dec. 13 to Dec. 17 has been a reflection of its talent. As the season progresses into conference play, the Dukes will have an opportunity to showcase their teamwork and intelligence with hopes of an A-10 Championship and a spot in the NCAA tournament. 

The road to the championship won't be easy, with six of the teams in the A-10 conference counted among the top 100 programs in the country, including Duquesne, who is ranked 44th. Two teams in the A-10 rank ahead of the Dukes with Richmond ranked 28th, and Dayton ranked one spot in front of the Dukes in 43rd. Behind Duquesne are St. Joseph's (54), St. Bonaventure (62) and Charlotte (97). 

There are 12 remaining conference games for the Dukes before they travel to Philadelphia on March 2 for the A-10 tournament, including a rematch with St. Bonaventure, who defeated the Dukes 61-53 this past Saturday. 

The Dukes topped two-time defending A-10 champion Xavier 68-49 at the Palumbo Center Wednesday night, evening their conference record at 1-1 and lifting their overall record to 13-4

The Dukes are predicted to finish third in the conference behind Temple and Dayton.

Head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said there is more to the schedule than just Temple and Dayton. 

"You look at Temple and Dayton, who were predicted tied for first, are two teams that are very good and very talented that pose a lot of problems. For us right now, with where we are, every team is a concern," McConnell-Serio said. 

Sophomore and reigning A-10 rookie of the year Wumi Agunbiade agreed.

"Every team on any given day could be the best team in the conference. I don't find any team more threatening than others," Agunbiade said. 

The Dukes are taking the remainder of the season with a game-by-game attitude. 

"You talk about the non-conference season preparing you for the conference season. We know there's a lot of work to be done," McConnell-Serio said. "Our conference is very competitive, but right now we don't talk about winning [the A-10 championship]. We prepare one game at a time ... We know how good the teams are at the top of our conference, so right now, I don't look that far down the line," McConnell-Serio said.

The Dukes are without senior guard Vanessa Abel, who is suffering from a stress fracture of the patella and will likely miss the first 3-6 weeks of conference play. 

"[Without Vanessa] we're going to have to bring the ball up as a team," senior guard Alex Gensler said. "Vanessa [is] able to bring the ball up by herself ... and bring pressure. If other teams bring pressure, we're going have to be able to break in as a team."

With two-time defending A-10 champion Xavier skidding and beginning the year with a 3-12 record after returning only one starter, the throne at the top of the conference is open, and the Dukes are hoping to take a well-earned seat there. An A-10 Championship victory guarantees and NCAA Tournament bid.

"It's going to be an interesting season, and there's going to be some new teams at the top, and hopefully we're one of them. We'll see what happens," McConnell-Serio said.

Key Remaining Games

Temple, Jan. 18 at 4 p.m., Philadelphia 

The Dukes will be tested by the Owls (7-8, 1-1), who tend to keep games close with their opponents, with a 3.5 point average win margin. The Owls have kept their opponents under 60 points per game 10 times. The game will be a showdown between Agunbiade and Temple's Shey Peddy, who rank second and third respectively in A-10 scoring. 

St. Bonaventure, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m., A.J. Palumbo Center

The Bonnies (15-2, 2-0) took the first game 61-53 in Olean, N.Y. in the Dukes' only home and home this season. The Bonnies are only allowing 51.5 points per game from the opponent on average, and the Dukes' explosive offense is averaging 71 points per game. 

Richmond, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., Richmond, Va.

The Spiders (13-3, 1-1) have been the highest ranked A-10 team nationally, recently being ranked 28th in the top 100 women's basketball programs. Senior Abby Oliver averages 16.6 points per game and is shooting .930 from the free throw line. She ranks within the top 10 in the A-10 in five statistical categories; scoring (1), field goal percentage (10), free throw percentage (10), steals (5) and field goals made (9). The Spiders also average 68.8 points per game.