It was a blistering start for the UMass women’s basketball team against Duquesne on Wednesday. 

The Minutewomen responded well after scoring a season-low 38 points in Saturday’s loss to Davidson, blazing out to a 19-5 lead after the opening 10 minutes before outscoring the Dukes 23-11 in the second quarter to take a 42-16 lead into the half. 

That start allowed UMass to cruise to a 72-52 Atlantic 10 victory in Pittsburgh. 

The Minutewomen (14-11, 9-5 A-10) finished the game 26-56 from the field while Duquesne (15-9, 6-7 A-10) was just 16-55. The Dukes were a dismal 8-37 from 3-point land. 

While UMass got after it defensively, it also attacked the glass. The Minutewomen finished with a 50-23 rebound edge, 18 of UMass’ rebounds coming on the offensive end. 

Megan Olbrys led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds while Stefanie Kulesza recorded 14 points and 22 rebounds for the Minutewomen. Allie Palmieri tallied 16 points while Yahmani McKayle added 13 points in the winning effort. 

Megan McConnell and Andjela Matic each scored 15 points for Duquesne. 

Next up for UMass is a trip to Virginia to face George Mason on Sunday, with the tip set for 3 p.m.