GAME NOTES: After dropping their first Atlantic 10 Conference game on Saturday at Dayton, the Duquesne Dukes look to get back on track as they play host to the Saint Joseph's Hawks on Wednesday night in conference action at the A.J. Palumbo Center.

The Hawks head to Duquesne on a two-game losing streak which includes a 77-73 overtime loss at the University of Denver on December 29, and a 64-60 loss against the George Washington Colonials on Saturday. Saint Joseph's now holds an overall record of 6-6 this season.

Before being defeated 81-55 by the Dayton Flyers on Saturday, Duquesne completed a four-game homestand in which it went 2-2. The Dukes' record currently sits at 5-7.

The Dukes and Hawks will battle it out on the hardwood for the 50th time in their programs' history, with Saint Joseph's leading the all-time series 37-12. They last met in January of this year where the Hawks knocked off the Dukes, 84-75.

In their first conference game of the season, the Hawks shot a dreadful 26.9 percent against the Colonials in the first half, and faced a 31-18 deficit going into halftime. Saint Joseph's shot much better in the final period, as it connected on 55.2 percent of it's field-goal attempts. But the Hawks went 8-of-14 from the free-throw line and lost by four to George Washington. The top contributors for Saint Joseph's in the loss were DeAndre' Bembry (22 points, eight rebounds) and Chris Wilson (15 points, nine rebounds, four assists).

Bembry is currently the Hawks top scorer (15.9 ppg) and top rebounder (6.9 rpg) this season. Those averages also make Bembry the seventh best scorer and eight best rebounder in the A-10. Isaiah Miles is the only other player on Saint Joseph's to average double figures with 10.6 ppg. The Hawks are only scoring an average of 61.0 ppg (second to last in the A-10), and converting just 40.5 percent of their field goal attempts (last in the A-10) including 26.4 percent of their 3-point tries (last in the A-10). Defensively, Saint Joseph's allows opponents to score 63.7 ppg and connect on 43.1 percent of their field goal tries.

Duquesne played poorly in its recent loss to Dayton. The Dukes shot just 34.4 percent from the field which included a forgettable 5-of-24 mark from 3-point range. The Flyers meanwhile were able to make 56.6 percent of their field-goal attempts , including 7-of-15 from 3-point range in the first half. Duquesne's top contributors were Jeremiah Jones (10 points) and reserve Eric James (9 points, six rebounds). Dayton outscored the Dukes on points in the paint, 36-28.

Derrick Colter (11.8 ppg), Micah Mason (10.1 ppg) and Jordan Stevens (10.9 ppg) are all averaging double figures for the Dukes this season. Duquesne currently nets 72.6 ppg (fourth in the A-10), and connects on 45.0 percent of its field goal attempts (sixth in the A-10) which includes a 3-point field goal shooting percentage of 37.1 (second in the A-10). However, the Dukes have allowed opponents to score 71.2 ppg (second to last in the A-10), and connect on 43.3 percent of their field goal attempts (ninth in the A-10) which includes a 3-point field-goal percentage of .372 (third to last in the A-10).

Saint Joseph's looked a tad better than Duquesne in its last game, and the hawks should outplay the Dukes in what will likely be a close contest between two teams that match up well against one another.