Jerni Kiaku’s one-footed jump shot with less than one second remaining lifted the Duquesne women’s basketball team to a 70-68 victory over Longwood in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Thursday night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Kiaku pump faked at the top of the key and stepped into a running jumper from 18 feet, swishing the Dukes into the second round.
JERNI KIAKU OFF ONE FOOT!
Dukes lead with 0.3 to go!!#GoDukes | @jernikiaku | #SCTop10 | @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/C0TBj9kiyy
— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) March 21, 2025
The Dukes (20-12) trailed 54-45 heading into the final quarter, but used a 25-14 run to seal the win.
Kiaku finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Megan McConnell had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead the Dukes, who will play at Miami (Ohio) at 1 p.m. Sunday in the second round.
Malea Brown scored 20 points, Amor Harris had 12, and Frances Ulysse tallied 10 for Longwood (22-12).
Duquesne lost to Richmond in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals and received an at-large bid to the WNIT.
