Atlantic 10 Foes Clash as Bonnies Visit Duquesne

PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Two teams jockeying for position in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings meet Wednesday night when the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies visit the Duquesne Dukes at A.J. Palumbo Center.

The Bonnies (12-8, 2-5 A-10) aim to rebound from a severe 97-62 home loss to Saint Louis last Friday. That defeat snapped a brief two-game win streak and highlighted recent defensive struggles for Saint Bonaventure, which has allowed an average of 84.4 points in its five conference losses.

Guard Dasonte Bowen has been a bright spot, averaging 12.0 points and 5.0 assists over his last seven games. He scored 17 points in the loss to Saint Louis and posted a triple-double with 12 points and 10 assists in a narrow loss at La Salle on Jan. 17.

The Dukes (11-9, 3-4) enter with momentum after a 71-59 road victory at Loyola Chicago last Saturday. Duquesne has shown resilience, with three of its four A-10 losses coming by six points or fewer.

Duquesne is led by guard Tarence Guinyard, who is averaging 18.1 points over his last seven contests. He erupted for 23 points in the win at Loyola and has scored 20 or more points four times during that stretch. His backcourt play will be pivotal against Bowen and the Bonnies’ perimeter attack.

Both teams sit in the middle tier of the A-10, making this a crucial game for conference tournament seeding. Saint Bonaventure holds a slight edge in the overall season record, but Duquesne has the home-court advantage where they are 8-3 this season.

The Bonnies will need to tighten a defense that allowed Saint Louis to shoot 56.7% from the field. Duquesne, which has topped 70 points in six of its last seven games, will look to exploit that vulnerability.

The rematch is scheduled for Feb. 14 at Saint Bonaventure.