PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — The Saint Joseph’s Hawks will look to solidify their standing near the top of the Atlantic 10 Conference when they host the Duquesne Dukes in a women’s basketball rematch Wednesday night at Hagan Arena. The Hawks (17-8, 9-3 A-10) enter on a two-game winning streak and sit in a tie for second place in the conference. They handily defeated the Dukes 72-53 in Pittsburgh just over three weeks ago on Jan. 24, a game in which they led by 20 points at halftime. Saint Joseph’s is led by guard Aleah Snead, who is coming off a 16-point, six-assist performance in a 63-50 win at Loyola Chicago on Saturday. Snead averaged 15.7 points over a three-game stretch earlier this month. Duquesne (9-16, 4-8) arrives with renewed confidence after securing its first consecutive wins of the conference season, defeating Loyola Chicago and Fordham last week. The Dukes’ offense runs through guard Mackenzie Blackford, who has been on a scoring tear. She poured in 23 points in the 80-67 victory at Fordham and has averaged 21.2 points over her last five games, including a 27-point effort in a narrow overtime loss at Saint Bonaventure. Despite the recent surge, the Dukes face a steep challenge. Their Jan. 24 loss to the Hawks was part of a seven-game skid, and they have struggled on the road in A-10 play. Saint Joseph’s has been strong at home this season, with its last loss at Hagan Arena coming against Dayton on Feb. 7. The Hawks’ defense, which allows just 60.2 points per game in conference play, will aim to contain Blackford and force other Dukes to score. Duquesne will need contributions from players like Harriet Ford and Fatou Sane, who combined for 21 points and 13 rebounds in the win at Fordham, to challenge a deeper Saint Joseph’s roster. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST Wednesday. The Hawks won both meetings between the teams last season. Following this game, Saint Joseph’s travels to Saint Louis on Saturday, while Duquesne hosts VCU.