Duquesne (15-10) is playing its best basketball of the season. The Dukes have won four in a row and five of their last six. Coach Dru Joyce III’s club is now up to a three-way tie for fourth place in the Atlantic 10 with Saint Joseph’s and Dayton at 7-5.
Wednesday night, they host struggling La Salle. It’s the 84th meeting between the schools. The Explorers (7-18) have dropped five in a row and are tied for 12th place in the 14-team conference at 3-9 in league competition.
It looks like a prime opportunity for Duquesne to extend its winning streak and stay perfect in February. But the Dukes have to take care of a few things before prematurely putting this one in the win column.
Here’s a five-point checklist for what the Dukes need to do to secure victory on the Bluff against their long-time conference rivals from the other end of the state.
• Own the Arc: Duquesne is middle of the pack in the Atlantic 10 when it comes to defending the 3-pointer (33.9%, eighth in the conference) and shooting it (35.6%, seventh in the conference).
But La Salle is last in 3-point shooting percentage (29.1%) and second from the bottom when it comes to defending the 3-point arc (36.5%).
Duquesne took 30 3-pointers against St. Bonaventure in its last game, making 11 of them. Joyce wasn’t disturbed by the number of attempts because he thought a lot of them were the result of early paint touches and good ball movement.
The Dukes should get a good number of open looks Wednesday. Executing the open jumpers could be the team’s most direct path to success.
• Who is No. 3?: It seems like the Dukes can always count on consistent scoring from guards Tarence Guinyard (16.6 points per game) and Jimmy Williams (16.2 points per game). They are second and third in the Atlantic 10 in scoring.
Guinyard has failed to hit double digits in just one game that he’s played since A-10 action began (nine points versus Dayton on Jan. 13).
GUINYARD. pic.twitter.com/wZRF5S7miv
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) February 14, 2026
Williams has been in double digits in 23 of 25 games this season.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME ???? pic.twitter.com/ETb9UmeAcM
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) February 14, 2026
The third scorer has rotated on a nightly basis. Since John Hughley’s minutes have been reduced, most frequently it’s been Jakub Necas, Alex Williams or David Dixon.
Of late, it’s been Alex Williams. He has averaged 14 points per game over the last four contests.
ALEX. WILLIAMS.???? pic.twitter.com/B44KDJMqck
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) February 14, 2026
Given the Explorers’ issues defending the 3-point line, this could be a night where Cam Crawford steps up. He’s looking for his first game in double-digits since a 16-point effort against Fordham on Jan. 17.
• Needing Necas: At 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, Necas is one of Duquesne’s best defenders. He is also the team’s leading rebounder at 5.5 per contest.
Necas isn’t a huge scorer (8.1 ppg), but he’s efficient. The junior forward shoots 53% from the floor, 45% from the arc and 70% from the free-throw line.
Saturday’s outing against the Bonnies was a rare, spotty offensive showing from Necas. He missed 5 of 6 shots, including his only 3-pointer and didn’t get to the free-throw line, registering just two points.
VCU’s Lazar Djokovic (6-11, 235) had 26 points on 10 field goals to go along with eight rebounds against the Explorers in their most recent game. Look for Necas to take advantage inside in a similar way.
He doesn’t need 26 points on 17 field goal attempts as Djokovic did. But 10-12 points on four or five makes from the floor would be just fine.
• Hot after half: Despite La Salle’s recent struggles, they’ve generally been very competitive early in games. During their five-game losing streak, the Explorers have trailed by an average of just 4.3 points per game at halftime.
But, due to the injuries and extended minutes for some players playing expanded roles, they faded late in those games and ended up losing by 10 points per outing.
La Salle’s players have stayed engaged and played hard under West Virginia alum Darris Nichols in his first year as head coach. The Dukes should expect a hard-fought game, especially through the first 20 minutes.
But if they stick to their scouting report and don’t get rattled if the game is closer than expected late, the Dukes should be able to grind down the Explorers, especially if their big players can stay out of foul trouble.
• Protect possessions: Duquesne’s win over St. Bonaventure featured just six turnovers that yielded only nine points for the Bonnies. Meanwhile, they forced 14.
The Dukes tend to be a “high event” team in that regard. Their 320 turnovers on offense are the third-most in the A-10. Their 330 forced turnovers on defense are the fourth most. La Salle is 12th among A-10 schools in turnover margin at minus-0.88.
If the Dukes can win the turnover battle and get their guards running, that will make for an easier night.
