DUBOIS - Duquesne had the size, but Union had the will.

Facing a team whose star player - LaTesha Reddick - stands 6-foot-1, Union's girls basketball team used a solid team effort to down the Lady Dukes, 74-53, in a PIAA Class A first-round playoff Saturday at DuBois Area Middle School.

Union (26-2) will face Conemaugh Valley in a second-round affair at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Indiana (Pa.) University's Memorial Fieldhouse.

The Damsels walked away with a 32-26 advantage in rebounds and held Duquesne to an 18-of-67 (27 percent) shooting performance from the field.

"We were expecting to rebound better," said Duquesne coach Gerald Grayson. "We had the size advantage on Union, but they hustled after every loose ball. That kind of play compensates for not having much size."

"Our primary focus was on (Reddick)," said Union coach Josh Meeker. "We told the girls that once the ball is in the air, concentrate on not letting her get the rebound."

Union junior forward Andrea Mortimer led all scorers with 21 points, surpassing the 1,000-career point mark in the process.

The Damsels never trailed after opening the game with an 8-1 run in the first two and a half minutes of play. They forced Duquesne into 11 turnovers in the first period alone, after which Union led 23-12.

"Our girls had some jitters, but Union caused a lot of our mistakes," said Grayson. "We've faced press defenses all season long, but Union just keeps coming after you. They're a great team."

Bethany Koch, who scored 17 points in the game, led the Damsels out of the gate with nine first-period points.

"We told the girls to look at the game like a boxing match," said Meeker. "…come out and try to get a knockout punch right off the bat. We were able to do that."

Reddick, who entered the contest with a 14 points-per game average, scored just three points in the first half before ending the day with 11.

Chereave Robinson scored 20 points to pace the Dukes (12-15), while Erica Wright added 13.

Leading 39-20 at intermission, the Damsels hit all 17 of their free throw attempts in the second half to keep the Dukes at bay. For the game, the Damsels were 30-of-34 (88 percent) at the foul line.

"(Free-throw shooting) is something that sometimes gets overlooked during the season because you're so worried about execution on both ends of the floor," said Meeker. "But we stressed to the girls that those are big points."

DUQUESNE 53

Bridget Walker 2 1-1 5, Chereave Robinson 7 3-5 20, Erica Wright 4 2-2 13, LaTesha Reddick 4 3-10 11, Vana-Tee Ausbrook 1 0-1 2, Tyeneka Barlow 0 2-2 2, Tameka Durrant 0 0-0 0, Suteakee King 0 0-0 0, Christina Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 11-21 53.

UNION 74

Tiffany Corle 1 8-9 10, Andrea Mortimer 7 7-9 21, Janele Divins 1 6-6 9, Mackenzie Shirey 0 2-2 2, Beth Koch 8 0-0 17, Nikki Davis 1 0-0 2, Molly Scott 1 1-2 3, Courtney Horner 1 2-2 4, Denyelle Painter 1 4-4 6, Kayla Hepler 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21 30-34 74.

3-point goals:

Robinson 3, Wright 3; Divins, Koch.

Wednesday:

Union vs. Conemaugh Valley, PIAA Class A second-round playoff, 6 p.m. @ Indiana (Pa.) University