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GAME NOTES: The 19th-ranked Temple Owls welcome the Duquesne Dukes to Philadelphia this evening for an Atlantic 10 Conference clash.

Duquesne has won two of its last three games to move to 11-10 overall, but the team is just 2-5 in A-10 action. The fact that the squad is just 1-7 in true road games doesn't exactly serve as a source of confidence for tonight's affair. On Sunday, the Dukes defeated Saint Joseph's at home, 74-71.

As for Temple, it has won seven of its last eight games to improve to 18-4 overall and 6-1 in conference. On Saturday, the Owls played tremendous team defense once again in a 64-52 victory over Philadelphia rival La Salle. The team is 9-1 at home this season and the clear favorite this evening.

Temple owns a 38-13 series advantage over Duquesne, which includes wins in 14 of the last 16 meetings.

There are five double-digit scorers on the Duquesne roster, but the team is averaging just 67.1 ppg while allowing 67.7 ppg to opponents. Damian Sanders leads the Dukes with 14.7 ppg on 51.5 percent shooting from the floor, and the fact that he is also contributing 12.5 rpg and 71 blocks makes the frontcourt standout one of the A-10's best players. He has also recorded 56 steals, and his 48 assists rank second on the roster. Bill Clark provides 13.2 ppg, and Melquan Bolding brings 12.6 ppg to the mix. B.J. Monteiro (10.8 ppg) and Eric Evans (10.5 ppg) are both solid performers. Bolding scored 24 points on 9- of-13 shooting from the floor in the narrow win over Saint Joseph's last time out, and Saunders posted 15 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks in that affair. The Dukes connected on 52.8 percent of their field goal attempts and held the Hawks to 37.9 percent shooting.

Strong defense has been the key to Temple's success all season, as the team is limiting opponents to 56.9 ppg on 37.7 percent shooting from the floor, including 27.3 percent three-point efficiency. At the offensive end, the Owls are putting up 65.0 ppg, and Ryan Brooks is the top performer with his 15.9 ppg. Juan Fernandez provides 12.6 ppg, and Lavoy Allen checks in with 10.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 35 blocked shots. The fact that Temple was able to hold La Salle to 29.8 percent shooting from the field on Saturday is proof of just how dominant the Owls can be defensively. They made good on 47.4 percent of their own shots and finished with 16 assists against only eight turnovers. Ramone Moore scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench to pace Temple, and Michael Eric added 13 points.

There is no reason to expect Temple to lose this game, but it should be pointed out that Saunders will be the best player on the floor. For that reason, the Dukes should be able to keep the score respectable.