Duquesne's basketball team has reached a crossroads in a season that has produced high expectations early that have dissolved into disappointment with consecutive defeats against Massachusetts and St. Bonaventure.

It's the way the Dukes have played, not just the losses, that has coach Ron Everhart shaking his head and questioning how to turn things around.

Standing outside the locker room in Reilly Center after a stunning 74-59 road loss to St. Bonaventure Saturday, Everhart was the picture of a troubled coach. A coach who is searching for answers. A coach who isn't sure how to get his players to recapture their joy of playing the game.

"I'm concerned about our ballclub," said Everhart, whose Dukes (13-7, 3-4) meet Saint Joseph's (14-5, 6-1) tomorrow at Palumbo Center. "Some of it's mental."

Saint Joseph's, always a fundamentally sound team under coach Phil Martelli, has won five in a row and 10 of 11 heading into a game against crosstown rival Villanova tonight at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Saint Joseph's features two of the most productive big men in the league: 6-foot-10 Pat Calathes (18.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and 6-9 Ahmad Nivins (14.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg).

This might be the perfect opportunity for Everhart to play 6-10 Shawn James and 6-9 Kieron Achara at the same time and scrap the "1040" rapid-fire substitution pattern and scrambling defense. The Dukes have been outrebounded in three consecutive games and five of the past six. James (14.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg) has had little rebounding help from his teammates. Achara has had a total of seven rebounds in the past three games and averages just 4.3 for the season.

Duquesne's leading rebounder against St. Bonaventure was 6-4 Aaron Jackson with seven.

"It seems like we got beat to every big rebound," Everhart said. "And every time there was a big shot to be made, somebody stepped up for St. Bonaventure."

The loss to St. Bonaventure was particularly disturbing for Everhart because the Dukes had defeated the Bonnies by 16 points just 11 days ago without James, who was out with minor knee injuries.

St. Bonaventure (7-14, 1-6), mired at the bottom of the A-10 standings, had lost six in a row and nine of 10 before the inspired performance against Duquesne.

The Bonnies shot 65 percent in the second half to overcome a 31-28 halftime deficit. They went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to take a 49-38 lead and Duquesne never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

"We took a few real bad shots and started to press," Everhart said. "That dug even a deeper hole."

Duquesne's players stopped running the offense and resorted to firing up 3-pointers. The Dukes, who entered with the worst 3-point percentage in the league at .308, were 6 of 27 against St. Bonaventure.

"We had shots, good shots," Everhart said. "They dared us to shoot the ball. We've got to find somebody who can knock them down."

It seems to be difficult for Duquesne's players to find a smooth shooting rhythm in the "1040" because they don't have an opportunity to get relaxed in a frenetic two or three minutes on the court. Duquesne's most accurate 3-point shooters are Damian Saunders (16-40, .400) and Bill Clark (30-95, .316).

"We can't let these losses hold us back," James said. "We have to take this and move forward."