Chris Matthews tied his career-high with 28 points and Andrew Nicholson scored 25 as St. Bonaventure defeated Duquesne 83-71 on Tuesday night in the first round of Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.
Matthews hit six 3-pointers, Nicholson had his third straight 20-point effort and Jonathan Hall chipped in 10 for the Bonnies (15-15), who will play top-seeded Temple on Friday in Atlantic City, N.J.
Damian Saunders had 18 points and 10 rebounds, B.J. Montero added 13 points and Jason Duty had 11 for Duquesne (16-15).
The Bonnies sealed the victory when Nicholson converted a successful three-point play after a monstrous one-handed dunk with 13:11 remaining in the second half. The Dukes failed to score on their next possession and Matthews buried a 3-pointer from the left corner for a 53-45 lead.
Those baskets keyed a 14-0 run and the Bonnies never looked back.
