PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Sara Lewis scored 17 points and Kamari Sims added 13 as George Washington snapped a three-game losing streak with a methodical 59-45 victory over Duquesne in an Atlantic 10 Conference women’s basketball game Wednesday night at A.J. Palumbo Center.

The Revolutionaries, who never trailed, improved to 10-9 overall and 1-3 in the conference. The Dukes fell to 7-10 and 0-4.

The most important stretch of the game came early in the third quarter, when George Washington transformed a narrow halftime lead into a commanding advantage. Leading just 18-14 at the break after a sluggish first half from both teams, the Revolutionaries opened the third quarter with a decisive 11-3 run. Sims, a 6-foot-1 guard from Severn, Maryland, ignited the surge with back-to-back 3-pointers, both assisted by Lewis. Sims’ second triple gave George Washington a 29-17 lead with 8:38 remaining in the period, forcing a Duquesne timeout.

The Dukes, who shot poorly throughout the contest, could not mount a sustained response. Alexis Bordas led Duquesne with 20 points, but the team managed only 13 points in the third quarter as the Revolutionaries extended their lead. George Washington outscored Duquesne 20-13 in the period to take a 38-27 lead into the final quarter.

Duquesne made a final push early in the fourth, cutting the deficit to nine points on several occasions, but each time George Washington answered. A layup by Jaeda Wilson and a critical 3-pointer from Emma Theodorsson, assisted by Lewis, pushed the lead back to 14 with under five minutes to play, effectively sealing the game.

Lewis, a 6-1 junior from Atlanta, Georgia, filled the stat sheet with four assists and two steals in 33 minutes. Sims’ scoring burst in the third quarter provided the necessary separation for a George Washington team that had struggled offensively in recent losses. Gabby Reynolds contributed seven points, a game-high eight rebounds, and a block for the Revolutionaries.

For Duquesne, Bordas, a 5-8 guard from Wheeling, West Virginia, was the lone consistent offensive threat, playing 38 minutes. Reina Green added nine points. The Dukes’ offensive woes were emblematic of their conference season, as they failed to reach 50 points for the third time in four A-10 games.

The game was a defensive struggle from the outset. George Washington led 10-7 after a first quarter plagued by turnovers and missed shots from both sides. The pace scarcely improved in the second quarter, with the Revolutionaries taking an 18-14 lead into halftime after holding Duquesne to just seven points in each of the first two periods.

George Washington’s defense was the cornerstone of the victory, generating 15 Duquesne turnovers and limiting the Dukes to one-and-done possessions for much of the night. The Revolutionaries also controlled the glass, outrebounding Duquesne.

The win provides a crucial conference foothold for George Washington as it looks to climb the Atlantic 10 standings. The loss deepens the early-season hole for Duquesne, which was projected as a significant favorite by advanced metrics entering the contest.

An announced crowd of 676 watched the game at Palumbo Center.

George Washington returns home to face Loyola Chicago on Saturday. Duquesne travels to face Rhode Island on Sunday.