KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan University women's basketball team fought until the final buzzer in a close 72-64 loss to the Duquesne Dukes on Sunday afternoon.

The Broncos hosted their season opener on Sunday at University Arena, improving their overall shooting by over 14% on their home court. But improved shooting wasn't enough for WMU to fend off the visiting Dukes in the eight-point loss. Four Broncos ended the game in double figures with senior guard Alli Carlson and senior forward Ariana Wilkes leading the offense with 11 points each.

It was a back-and-forth game early on Sunday afternoon as both teams took a minute to get their offenses going. But Western Michigan jumped out on an eight-point run midway through the quarter, taking a three-point lead with just over two minutes to go in the first frame. The Brown and Gold grew their first quarter lead to five points on back-to-back shots. But Duquesne ended the first on a four-point run for a 14-13 game after 10 minutes of play.

WMU scored its first points of the second quarter a minute in a half in on a three pointer from guard Ali Harness, retaking the lead from the Dukes who went in front early in the frame. But Harness trey and a free throw shortly after was the only score for the Broncos over the next four minutes. Duquesne took a commanding double-digit lead halfway through the second, leading by 11 with 4:06 left on the clock. Western Michigan's offense came back to life at the end of the first half, going on a 12-4 run to only trail by three going into the locker room.

The Dukes grew their lead back up to seven to begin the second half as the Brown and Gold kept cutting into their scoring drives. But another cold spell on offense for WMU midway through the third quarter let its deficit grow back into double digits. A six-point run for the Broncos got the game back down to only four points. A 6-2 run in Duquesne favor to end the quarter returned Western Michigan to trail by eight with 10 minutes left in University Arena.

The Brown and Gold's offense came out blazing in the fourth quarter on a four-point run. The teams traded shots over the next four minutes until a statement three from the Dukes forced a timeout. After the media break, Duquesne added a four-point run to return to a double-digit lead. WMU got its deficit back into single digits but wasn't able to find enough stops on the defensive end to try and retake the lead.

The Broncos had the advantage throughout the game in field goal percentage at 44% on 55 attempts, but they struggled at the line only making nine of 19 attempts. Western Michigan also led the Dukes in blocks and steals with 5 swats and 11 takeaways. Carlson led the Brown and Gold in steals with another game taking away 4 possessions from Duquesne. On the defensive side of the ball, forward De'Ahna Richardson led the team with seven rebounds while closely followed by forward Emma Dibarboure with five.

WMU returns to action later this week as the team heads to Milwaukee for the first time since 2013. The Broncos will meet the Panthers on Thursday, Nov. 13 with tip-off from the Klotsche Center set for 7:00 p.m. EST.