GAME NOTES: After notching their first Atlantic 10 Conference win of the season, the Duquesne Dukes go in search of back-to-back wins at home when they entertain the Rhode Island Rams on Saturday afternoon at the Palumbo Center.

Rhode Island heads to Duquesne on a five-game win streak, which includes a 68-65 victory over the Fordham Rams on Wednesday. The win elevated URI's conference record to 2-0 and overall mark to 10-3.

After losing at Dayton last Saturday, Duquesne got its first conference win on Wednesday night against the Saint Joseph's Hawks, 71-68. The victory bumped Duquesne's league ledger to 1-1, and its overall record to 6-7.

This bout marks the 55th meeting between these two teams, with Rhode Island leading the series, 29-25. The most recent game was on Feb. 15 of last year, where the Dukes won, 83-71.

In their recent victory over Fordham, Rhode Island connected on 47.1 percent of its field goal attempts despite a dismal 1-of-14 mark from 3-point distance. URi forced 18 turnovers and outscored the opposition in bench points, 20-5. Leading Rhode Island in scoring was E.C. Matthews, who netted 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Other contributors were T.J. Buchanan (12 points, five steals) and Hassan Martin (10 rebounds, eight points, seven blocks).

Matthews currently leads the Rams in scoring with 17.3 ppg, the second-best average in the Atlantic 10. Martin is second on the team with 11.5 ppg, and is the top rebounder with 6.7 rebounds per game. Rhode Island is netting 70.7 ppg and connecting on a conference-best 47.8 percent of its field goal attempts. Defensively, the Rams are also first in the A-10 in scoring defense (57.2 ppg) and 3-point field goal percent defense (.272). The Rams are also tops in both rebounding margin (+5.1) and turnover margin (+2.38).

The Dukes shot an impressive 50 percent from the field in their recent win over Saint Joseph's, which included a 3-point shooting percentage of .550. The Hawks managed to stay in the game thanks in part to winning the battle in second-chance points (20-5) and off of turnovers (20-8). But the Dukes limited Saint Joseph's field goal percentage to .394 in the second half to secure the victory. Leading the way for the Dukes was Derrick Colter (22 points, six rebounds) and Dominique McKoy (13 points, six rebounds).

Colter (12.5 ppg), Jordan Stevens (10.3 ppg) and Micah Mason (10 ppg) pace Duquesne in the scoring column this season, helping the team net 72.5 ppg (fourth in the A-10). The Dukes are connecting on 45.4 percent of their field goal tries, including 38.3 percent from 3-point range (second in the A-10). Defensively, DU is letting opponents tally 71 ppg (next-to-last in the A-10) and convert 43.1 percent of their shots from the field. Another concern is the Dukes' free-throw shooting, as they convert just 61.2 percent from the stripe.

The Rams are playing solid basketball right now while the Dukes barely defeated a mediocre Saint Joseph's squad. Expect URI to extend its winning streak to six in a row.