Game Info: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Hagan Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
Tickets | TV: ESPN+ | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | Duquesne Game Notes

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Opening Tip
Saint Joseph's wraps a two-game homestand, hosting the Duquesne Dukes on Wednesday, January 7. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN+.

Rising To Meet The Moment    
With injuries taking their toll on the Hawks in the past couple of games, St. Joe's has needed players to step up and Khaafiq Myers has answered the call. In the last five games, the redshirt freshman is averaging 11.6 points and 2.2 assists per game. Through his first 10 games of the season, he was tallying 2.1 points and 1.7 dimes per contest. One thing that has remained for Myers throughout the year has been his steady ball-handling with 28 assists and just 13 turnovers, a 2.15:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Props    
For his efforts against Saint Louis and Davidson, Myers was named the Big 5 Rookie of the Week. Against Billikens and Wildcats, he averaged 10.5 points per game and added a pair of steals against DC. The recognition for Myers is deserved as he currently ranks fifth among Big 5 rookies in scoring and is second in assists. Compared to A-10 players, he is 10th in scoring, fifth in assists and second in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.15:1.

One Away    
Already one of only three active players in NCAA Division I with 200+ blocks, Justice Ajogbor needs just one more to further etch his name into the Saint Joseph's record books. With 115 rejections at SJU, he is one shy of Ronald Roberts, Jr. (2010-14) for tenth on the career blocks list. He also enters the game at 2.3 career blocks per game, good for fourth on the St. Joe's career list behind Rodney Blake (1984-1988 - 3.6), C.J. Aiken (2010-13 - 3.3) and Dwayne Jones (2002-05 - 2.4). One more unique note is that by reaching the top-10 in blocks at Saint Joseph's, Ajogbor would become the only active player in NCAA D1 to be in the top-10 in blocked shots at two different schools. He graduated from Harvard 10th on its career list with 97 swats.

Valuing the Rock    
In the last handful of games, SJU has done a much better job of not giving the ball away to its opponents. During the last four games, the Hawks have turned the ball over just 10.0 times per game, a mark that would lead the A-10. Included in the stretch was a season-low six turnovers at Saint Louis on December 31. This improvement follows a nine-game stretch where St. Joe's coughed up the rock 13.9 times a contest.

Team Effort    
St. Joe's enters Wednesday 49th in rebounds per game nationally and is third in the Atlantic 10 at 40.0 boards per night. What is notable about that mark is the Hawks do not have a single player pulling in more than 5.7 boards a contest. Dasear Haskins leads the team with that 5.7 per game mark while Derek Simpson (5.4), Jaiden Glover-Toscano (4.5), Justice Ajogbor (4.3) and  Austin Williford (4.1) give SJU five players with four or more rebounds per game. Size hasn't mattered as only Ajogbor stands taller than 6'8" and four of the five are listed as guards on the roster. The +7.4 rebounding margin would be the highest for Saint Joseph's since the 1991-92 team was 6.7 boards per game better than its opponents. That team included Carlin Warley and Bernard Blunt, who are both in the top-20 in program history in rebounds with 1,138 and 734, respectively.

Scouting Report    

• Duquesne enters play 9-6 overall and is 1-1 in the Atlantic 10 following a 93-80 loss against VCU on Saturday. The Dukes were selected ninth in the A-10 Preseason Poll.
• Three players average double figures for DU, led by Tarence Guinyard at 16.7 points per game. John Hugley IV is at 15.4 while Jimmie Williams nets 15.1. It should be noted that Hugley has not played since December 10 at Boise State. Jakub Necas tops the team in rebounding at 6.1 per outing. Guinyard has 78 assists and his 5.2 dimes per game are second in the conference.
• The Dukes like to get out and run, ranking second in the A-10 and 16th nationally with 17.5 bench points per game. Getting ahead of the defense for uncontested shots has also helped them to a high field goal percentage, sitting 28th in Division I at 49.9 percent.
• Defense has been the main issue for Duquesne as it ranks last in the Atlantic 10 and 290th in NCAA D1 with 77.9 points per contest allowed. It has also struggled to hold on to the ball as DU is in the bottom-35 nationally and is last in the conference at 14.2 turnovers per game.
• Dru Joyce III is in his second season as head coach and his fourth 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 meeting between the longstanding A-10 rivals with St. Joe's holding a 41-21 series advantage. The teams split last year's two matchups with each game decided by four points. Duquesne claimed an 85-81 overtime victory in Pittsburgh and SJU winning 76-72 at Hagan Arena. The Hawks are 23-5 against the Dukes at home. This is the first time since the 2021-22 season the schools play only once in the regular season.

Last Time Against Duquesne    
Erik Reynolds II led SJU with 20 points as the Hawks held on for a 76-72 victory against Duquesne on January 29, 2025. Rasheer Fleming scored 13. Dasear Haskins netted 10. Justice Ajogbor blocked four shots. After a low-scoring first half that saw the Dukes up 26-24 at the break, St. Joe's exploded for a 52-point second stanza, taking control of the game with a 21-9 run.

Towering Over The Competition...    
With Justice Ajogbor (6'10"), Jaden Smith (6'11") and Steven Solano (7'0"), the Hawks' roster is loaded with height. Only eight of St. Joe's opponents have three or more players who are 6'10" or taller, led by five on Duquesne's roster. Two teams – Princeton and Rutgers-Camden – do not have a player on their squad that is taller than 6'9".

...Most Of The Time    
As mentioned, the Dukes have the ability to match the Hawks in the height department with five players standing at 6'10". John Hugley IV, Frederik Jellum, Lazar Miloševic, Jakub Necas and Stef van Bussel all stand at exactly 6'10". While there are five players of size for the Dukes, only two of them (Hugley and Necas) play more than 10 minutes a game while Miloševic and van Bussel average 7.5 and 6.5 minutes per night, respectively. Jellum has yet to see the floor this season.

Next Up    
The Hawks remain at home, hosting Duquesne on Wednesday, January 7. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game to air on ESPN+.