MOON TOWNSHIP — The UPMC Events Center played host on Tuesday evening to a hard-fought and aggressive battle between two undefeated rivals – Duquesne and RMU. In the end, the Colonials would snap their six-game losing streak against the Dukes, thanks in large part to Noa Givon.
The 64-62 win, which moved the Colonials to 4-0 on the year, was their first win against Duquesne since 2009, when the rivalry took a ten-year hiatus in between meetings.
The first quarter was cagey for both teams. Noa Givon would knock down a three, but the Colonials struggled to beat Duquesne’s press, letting the Dukes gain momentum. Duquesne would grow into the game, going on a 17-5 run that would stretch into the second quarter.
The Colonials would struggle in the paint early, but find success from the three, as Givon continued to shoot impressively from the arc. Back-to-back threes from the senior, plus big plays from sophomore Ava Leroux, saw RMU take the lead halfway through the second period of play.
Givon, who didn’t start the game, would score 21 off the bench tonight for RMU. The senior from Israel had started every game for the Colonials previously.
“Noa is the ultimate teammate,” Head Coach Chandler McCabe said. “We thought matchup-wise, let’s start a little bit bigger, and we brought her off the bench, and she bought into the role, and she was by far our best player tonight. All the kid cares about is winning.”
Givon reiterated the sentiment from her coach, saying, “It’s really special. Obviously, it’s my last year, so I just wanna win, and win it all, so it is just all I care about.”
Leroux, a transfer from Elon, had played just 12 minutes coming into Tuesday’s game. But tonight, the sophomore provided a much-needed two-way presence as well as some height to counter the Dukes.
“Collectively, our post was really good,” McCabe said. “Bailey [Kuhns] did a great job for being 5’10”, then we went with Layke [Fields], and Layke did a really good job, then we went with Ava, and Ava was phenomenal, so we finished the game with her. For her to stay ready for an opportunity like that is incredible.”
The Colonials would head into halftime with a 32-30 lead, yet they still struggled to get through Duquesne’s press, leading to a handful of eight-second violations and turnovers.
A factor that benefited the Colonials was their strong rebounding. Coming into Tuesday’s game, Duquesne averaged 53.5 rebounds per game, while only giving up 31 to their opponents. The Colonials would hold the Dukes to only 39 on the night, with the team collecting 33 themselves.
“It was tough,” McCabe admitted. “All we kept telling our post was battle, just battle. Play super hard. You know [if] you get fouls, you get fouls. We obviously made some adjustments. We were fronting [Duquesne] to start, then we trapped a little bit, too. But we made a lot of shots – they can’t rebound off of that.
Both the build-out struggles and impressive shooting would continue in the second half. Myriam Traore would open the half with a big three followed by a nice jumper from Bailey Kuhns, but the 5-0 run would dissipate with two turnovers in the Colonials’ defensive end.
Thankfully for the Colonials, Traore would establish herself on both ends, hitting another three and collecting a block, which resulted in a fast break score for Givon to put RMU up by 10.
The game would continue to be a fast-paced and intense affair, with both teams continuing to trade blows in the third quarter, though it would be RMU who entered the final frame with a 50-45 lead.
Duquesne would score two quick buckets to put pressure on RMU, and the fourth quarter would remain tightly contested. RMU’s stars of the night would continue to put up numbers, with Givon, Traore, and Leroux all contributing, but Duquesne would hit shots of their own, and the rivals found themselves tied 58 a piece entering the final minute.
On a night with plenty of big performers, it would be Aislin Malcom, a standout player early in the season for RMU, but one who had a quiet Tuesday night, who would come up in the clutch. The senior would drive inside, miss her first shot, before rebounding and laying in her second chance, drawing the foul as well.
RMU would see out the final 30 seconds, with Malcom draining two free throws to see a 64-62 victory against Duquesne, their first win against the Dukes since 2009.
The Colonials now sit at 4-0, equaling their best start to a season since 2022. The team can now turn their attention to Pitt, which has struggled early in their year, but beat Le Moyne convincingly also on Tuesday.
Like tonight, a win gives RMU the chance to assert themselves as the new leader in Pittsburgh basketball.
“It’s awesome.” Coach McCabe said. “We’re gonna continue to recruit locally, so local players come to RMU.”
The Colonials will be in Oakland for their meeting with the Panthers on Saturday, November 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be streaming on ACCN Extra.
