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Hopewell, N.J. – For the second consecutive season, senior guard Megan McConnell of the Duquesne University women’s basketball team was named to the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watchlist, presented by Her Hoop Stats, Wednesday.
McConnell is one of 25 student-athletes that represent 22 different programs and 15 conferences while being the only player from the Atlantic 10.
To be eligible for this award, players must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be “mid-major.” The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC. Additionally, players from Oregon State and Washington State are ineligible this year as membership in the Pac-12 Conference evolves.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., McConnell was one of two Dukes to participate in all 34 games last season, where she excelled in nearly every statistical category. She not only topped the A-10 but also led the nation in minutes played, averaging 38.6 per game. In total rebounding, she led the league with 294 rebounds and was third in rebounds per game at 8.6. Additionally, she had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference at 2.2, ranking third in both total assists (155) and assists per game (4.6). On the defensive side, McConnell ranked fourth in total steals with 64 and fifth in steals per game at 1.9.
Throughout last season, McConnell scored in double figures 25 times, including four games where she reached 20 or more points. She led the Dukes with 10 double-doubles, averaging 13.1 points per game while shooting .456 percent from the field. McConnell was the top shooter from three-point range on the team, hitting .400 percent of her attempts, which placed her ninth in the league; her 56 three-pointers for the season set a personal best.
Standing at 5’7, McConnell was one of six Dukes to exceed the 1,000-point milestone in 2023-24, achieving this with a three-pointer at the end of the first quarter against UMass (2/7). In that game, she narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, three three-pointers, nine rebounds, and seven assists, along with a steal. Later in the season, she recorded a season-high with 21 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and three three-pointers in a win over the Minutewomen. Her first 20-point game came against cross-town rival Pitt, where she scored 20 points with four three-pointers, along with four steals, three assists, and three rebounds in the victory.
“Meg is the definition of hard work, high basketball IQ and having fun on the court,” head coach Dan Burt said. “She has been a joy to be around since the day she arrived on campus. Meg is certainly deserving of inclusion on this list for this prestigious award. With a good year individually and team-wise, we expect Meg to be a contender to win it in March.”
In 110 career games with the Dukes, including 102 starts, McConnell has accumulated 1,169 points, 835 rebounds, 489 assists, and 232 steals. During this upcoming season, she can become just the second player in Duquesne history to gather 1,000 career rebounds and 1,000 career points, joining Duquesne Hall of Famer, Beth Friday. McConnell is just 11 assists shy of 500 for her career and can be the sixth member to conquer the honor.
Duquesne opens its 2024-25 season, Monday, Nov. 4, with a 5:00 p.m. tip against Princeton inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. It is part of a doubleheader Duquesne Basketball Palooza, with the men’s team hosting Lipscomb at 8:00 p.m. and features a tailgate party with food trucks, face painting, games and music as well as a happy hour, rally towel giveaway and raffle prizes at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by using the following link.
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