Game Info: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Hagan Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
TV: ESPN+ | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | Duquesne Game Notes | Tickets

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Opening Tip
After a pair of games on the road, the Saint Joseph's men's basketball team returns home for a midweek matchup against Duquesne on Wednesday, January 29. Tipoff at Hagan Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. with the game on ESPN+.

Heating Up    
While he has been good all season long, Xzayvier Brown has found another gear in his last five games. The sophomore is averaging 19.4 points per game and is shooting 48.5 percent (33-for-68) from the floor. He is also delivering 6.0 assists an outing in the span. During the run, he has scored at least 17 points in every game, including 20+ in each of the middle three.

Triple Play    
By scoring 20 or more each against Loyola Chicago, VCU and Davidson, Brown became the second Hawk this season to net 20+ in three consecutive games. Erik Reynolds II posted 23 against American, 25 versus Virginia Tech and 22 against Delaware State. They are the first SJU players to net 20 or more in three straight games since March 2023. The last Saint Joseph's player to score that many points in four games in a row was Ryan Daly from February 29 through March 11, 2020.

Get That Weak Stuff Out Of Here    
With two blocks at Dayton, Justice Ajogbor now has multiple blocks in nine straight games. In the span he is averaging 2.9 rejections a contest. The stretch has moved him to fourth in the A-10 and 29th nationally at 1.9 blocks a game overall. The Benin City, Nigeria native has 12 games overall this season with two or more blocks. Since 2002-03, only eight other St. Joe's players have had 12 or more games with multiple blocks in a season.

Milestone Watch
Erik Reynolds II scored 21 points against Dayton, moving him to 1,928 for his career. He is 16th among active Division I players in career scoring. Reynolds now stands 57 points behind Bernard Blunt (1990-95) and 63 away from Langston Galloway (2011-14) on the Hawks' all-time scoring list. The senior also delivered four three-pointers versus the Flyers, giving him 312 in his career and moving into a tie with LJ Cryer of Houston for 10th among active players. With those 312 career treys, he is 31 away from matching Galloway's program standard.

Protecting The Ball    
After giving up the rock nine times in the opening 19:23 against Dayton, it looked unlikely the Hawks would keep the turnovers in single digits. They did just that, however, not coughing it up a single time in the second half. The game was part of a larger trend of holding on to the ball since the calendar turned to 2025. In its last six games, SJU has committed just 9.2 turnovers a game and has three contests with less than 10.

Cleaning The Glass    
Rasheer Fleming maintained his position at second in the conference in rebounding at 9.2 per game, also placing 27th in NCAA Division I. While his overall numbers are impressive in their own right, the junior from Camden has been even better at making the opposition go one-and-done. He ranks in the top-15 in the country in defensive rebounds a contest at 7.10. He took all seven of his caroms at Dayton off the defensive glass. Throughout his career, Fleming has rebounded well against Duquesne, with three double figure rebounding games in five matchups against the Dukes. His average of 9.6 boards a contest against Duquesne is more than two better than his career average.

Scouting Report    
Duquesne enters play 9-11 overall and is 4-3 in the A-10 following a 65-63 loss at Fordham on Sunday. The Dukes were selected eighth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. DU has made an impressive turnaround, going 8-4 in its last dozen contests following a 1-7 opening to the season.

Leading the offense for the Dukes is Tre Dinkins III, posting 11.4  an outing with Jahsean Corbett netting 9.7. Dinkins has been on a tear in his last five games, scoring 14.6 a night. Corbett tops the team at 5.5 rebounds a contest. Kareem Rozier has 77 assists.

Defense has been the calling card for Duquesne this season as it is fourth in the A-10 and 45th nationally in points per game allowed at 66.1. It also gets scoring contributions up and down the roster as it tops the conference and are 27th in NCAA Division I at 27.8 bench points an outing.

The Dukes have struggled in all areas of the free throw line this season, ranking last in the conference in free throw attempts per game (17.6), free throw makes per game (10.7) and is in the bottom-15 nationally in free throw percentage (64.0). They also rank at the bottom of the Atlantic 10 in three-point percentage defense at 36.5, but that it mitigated by allowing the third fewest three-point attempts.

Dru Joyce III is in his first season as head coach and his third season overall on the Duquesne staff. Following a standout career at Akron, Joyce played professionally in Europe for 12 seasons.

All-Time Series    
Wednesday is the 63rd matchup between the Hawks and Dukes in a series that dates back to 1938. Saint Joseph's holds a 43-19 series advantage. SJU dominated the series for the majority of the time, but Duquesne has won seven of the last 10. The Hawks are 4-4 against the Dukes at Hagan Arena and won the last game there between the schools on January 20, 2024.

Last Time Against Duquesne
St. Joe's erased a double-digit second half deficit, but were upended 85-81 in overtime by the Duquesne Dukes on January 8, 2025. Rasheer Fleming had his sixth double-double of the season and his fourth game with 20+ points, scoring 20, pulling down 10 boards. Xzayvier Brown also notched twin figures in two categories, posting 17 with 10 assists. Dasear Haskins had a big game with 12 points and six rebounds. Justice Ajogbor had his first game in double figures for the Hawks, tallying 10. He also had six caroms and two blocks. Derek Simpson added 12 points. SJU trailed 50-38 with 15:07 to play, but went on a 22-9 run that helped force overtime. In the extra session, the Hawks took an 80-75 lead, but the Dukes scored 10 of the final 11 points.

Wait, since When???    
With their win on January 21, the Hawks claimed a victory more than half a century in the making. It had been an astonishing 54 years and five days since Saint Joesph's last won a game at Davidson. The Hawks most recent road victory at the Wildcats on January 16, 1971, an 85-84 victory at Johnston Gym. It was the first win at Belk Arena for the Hawks in nine tries.

Up Next    
It's a quick turnaround for the Hawks who travel to Loyola Chicago for an afternoon game on Saturday, February 1. Tipoff from Joseph J. Gentile Arena is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET with the game to air on CBS Sports Network.