It seems like every team in the Atlantic 10 Conference has an exceptional 3-point shooter -- except for Duquesne.

That's the most simple and easy explanation for Duquesne's problems of late.

"We don't have those kind of shooters," Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said. "We're at a disadvantage that way."

---

Scouting report

• Matchup: La Salle (12-13, 6-5) vs. Duquesne (16-9, 6-6), 2 p.m. today, Palumbo Center.
• Radio/Internet: KQV-AM (1410)/redzonemedia.com, GoDuquesne.com.
• La Salle: Coming off an 81-78 overtime victory against Dayton for its third consecutive win. ... Leading scorers are 6-1 Darnell Harris (16.3 ppg), 6-5 Rodney Green (13.3 ppg) and 6-8 Jerrell Williams (9.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg). ... Averages 75.8 ppg, allows 74.0 ppg. ... Leads the series, 34-27.
• Duquesne: Coming off a 75-48 defeat at Xavier in its most lopsided loss of the season. ... Leads the A-10 in blocks (7.64 per game), assists (18.56) and steals (9.48). ... Is second in scoring (82.7 ppg) and 12th in defense (73.2 ppg). ... Has blocked 191 shots for a school season record.
• Hidden stat: Duquesne has scored 111 and 101 points in the past two games against La Salle.

---

One of the league's hottest 3-point shooters is La Salle's Darnell Harris, the catalyst for the team's three-game winning streak heading into the game today against Duquesne (16-9, 6-6) at 2 p.m. at Palumbo Center.

Harris, a 6-foot-1 senior who is the school's all-time leader with 319 3-pointers, made 8 of 15 from beyond the arc and had a team-high 26 points in La Salle's 81-78 overtime victory against Dayton Thursday.

During the win streak that followed a 101-84 loss to Duquesne at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia, Harris made 16 of 31 3-pointers in victories against Dayton, Saint Joseph's, and New Jersey Institute of Technology. For the season, Harris averages 16.3 points and makes .497 of his 3-point attempts.

Harris had a miserable game against Duquesne, making just 2 of 8 3-pointers.

La Salle is third in the league in 3-point percentage at .398 and Duquesne is last at .305. Duquesne's percentage leader is Reggie Jackson (22 for 52, .423). Bill Clark is at .297 (33 for 111), Aaron Jackson .267 (12 for 45) and Kojo Mensah .214 (12 for 56).

Mensah, the team's second-leading scorer with a 12.6 average, has struggled mightily in Duquesne's A-10 games. He has averaged 10.0 points and shot .347 from the field in 11 league games after averaging 14.8 points in 13 non-league games. Mensah missed all nine of his field-goal attempts and scored just two points in Duquesne's 75-48 loss at Xavier Thursday.

The Dukes scored a season-low 48 points and shot a season-low 30.6 percent against the Musketeers (23-4), who won their ninth in a row and boosted their lead in the A-10 to 3¹/₂ games.

Duquesne's offense has disintegrated since the 101 points against La Salle. Kieron Achara had one of his most productive games with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks while playing alongside Shawn James some of the time. The duo hasn't been together on the court for more than a cameo appearance in recent games.

The Dukes have scored 63, 63 and 48 points in the past three games and have seen their season average drop to 82.7 per game. They have shot .364 from the field and .261 (17 of 65) from beyond the arc during their slump.

One of the reasons Duquesne is having difficulty scoring is the lack of a player who consistently puts up big numbers. Six different players have led the team in scoring in the past six games, but James isn't one of them. He still leads the team with 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and a school-record 98 blocks.

"We rely on our defense for a lot of our offense," Everhart said. "When we're not getting steals and turnovers, we're having trouble scoring."

Duquesne's full-court pressure has been ineffective in consecutive losses to Richmond, 66-63, and Xavier. Both teams dissected Duquesne's defense with precision passing and solid ballhandling.

Without creating fastbreak opportunities with their defense, the Dukes often have been forced into a patient half-court style that doesn't fit their personnel. The slower pace limits Duquesne's athleticism and erodes their confidence when it comes to taking perimeter shots.

"We don't have that knock-down shooter," Everhart said. "Every team we play has at least one good shooter."