NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Atlantic 10 Conference has released its 2016-17 league schedule today. The A-10's 14 members will face each school once and three schools twice as part of the 16-game schedule.

Duquesne's home-and-home opponents include long-time rival St. Bonaventure, Dayton and George Washington.

The other five home opponents are Davidson, George Mason, Richmond, Saint Louis and VCU.

On the road, the Dukes face Fordham, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph's.

"Our A-10 schedule is going to be challenging with many great opponents and rivalries," said head coach Dan Burt. "We are excited about increasing TV exposure. We will be tested right out of the game with contest at Fordham."

Conference play will have its earliest start since their first year in the A-10 when they visit Fordham on Dec. 1st. The Rams (14-17, 8-8) return their top 3-point specialist senior guard Hannah Missry, who was second in the A-10 with 78 3-pointers last season. However they graduated leading scorer and rebounder, All-Defensive Team member Samantha Clark (12.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg). Duquesne had a pair of wins over Fordham last season, a 55-40 victory at the Palumbo Center and a 70-65 win in the quarterfinal round of the A-10 Championship.

The conference home opener is New Year's Day against George Washington (26-7, 13-3). The defending A-10 Tournament champions will have a new look with a new coaching staff and two key graduations - Jonquel Jones (16.2 ppg, 14.6 rpg), who was selected fifth overall in the WNBA Draft and Second-Team All-Conference selection Lauren Chase (9.7 ppg, 5.9 apg). The Colonials return First-Team All-Conference selection senior forward Ciara Washington (13.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and All-Rookie performer sophomore guard Mei-Lyn Bautista (3.2 ppg). Last year, GW defeated Duquesne 70-52 at the Palumbo Center and 63-60 in the A-10 Tournament championship game. The game will be nationally televised on the CBS Sports Network.

The Dukes visit La Salle on Jan. 5th. The Explorers (5-25, 2-14) return the A-10's leading scorer and Third-Team All-Conference selection junior forward Amy Griffin (17.7 ppg). Last year, Duquesne was a 74-49 winner over La Salle. The Dukes have won seven of the last eight matchups against the Explorers.

Duquesne returns to the Palumbo Center for a pair of games. The homestand starts with Davidson (11-19, 5-11) on Jan. 7th. The Wildcats improved by six wins last season and return leading scorer junior forward Mackenzie Latt (14.2 ppg). Last season, the Dukes were 77-62 winners over the Wildcats in their first-ever trip to Davidson.

On Jan. 10th, Dayton (14-15, 7-9) comes to town. The Flyers are coming off an injury-riddled season and a head coaching change. Although they graduated the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year Jodie Cornelie-Sigmundova (3.6 blocks, 6.9 rebounds per game) they return leading scorer and Third-Team All-Conference selection Jenna Burdette (11.5 ppg) and A-10 Rookie of the Year Lauren Cannatelli (10.4 ppg). Last season, the Dukes swept the Flyers -- both national televised games -- 89-58 at the Palumbo Center and 76-72 in overtime at UD Arena.

Saint Louis comes to the Palumbo Center on Jan. 18th. The Billikens (26-8, 13-3) are coming off their best season in program history. SLU returns junior guard and A-10 Co-Player of the Year Jackie Kemph (16.6 ppg, 7.0 apg). The teams split the two meetings last year, with the Billikens winning in St. Louis 84-81 and the Dukes winning in Richmond 56-52 in the championship semifinals. SLU advanced to the third round of the WNIT last year.

The long-time rivalry against St. Bonaventure (24-8, 12-4) continues on Jan. 21st in Olean, N.Y. The Bonnies, who have a new head coach, will be without their top scorers in Katie Healey (15.3 ppg) who graduated and Miranda Drummond (12.3 ppg) who transferred to Syracuse. The steams split their games last season with the home team holding court -- 74-62 at Palumbo and 60-48 at Reilly Center. The Bonnies advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

Richmond comes to the Palumbo Center on Jan. 25th. The Spiders (13-18, 5-11) return senior guard and Second-Team All-Conference selection Janelle Hubbard (15.9 ppg). Last year, Duquesne defeated Richmond 65-44 at the Robins Center.

The Dukes head to our nation's capital to face George Washington on Jan. 29th before heading to Philadelphia to play Saint Joseph's on Feb. 1st. The Hawks (14-15, 8-8) return junior guard Chelsea Woods (.532 FG%). Duquesne, who is still looking for their first-ever victory over SJU at Hagan Arena, were 73-59 winners at Palumbo last year. The Colonials fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The game will be nationally televised on the American Sports Network.

On Feb. 4th, George Mason will play at Palumbo. The Patriots (12-19, 6-10) lost their top scorer Taylor Brown (15.0 ppg) to graduation. Last year, Duquesne was a 72-56 winner over Mason in Fairfax. The Dukes have not lost to the Patriots since they joined the Atlantic 10 Conference. The game will be nationally televised on the American Sports Network.

After a week off, Duquesne will host VCU on Feb. 12th. The Rams (23-10, 10-6) lost Third-Team All-Conference Performer Adaeze Alaeze (11.6 ppg) to graduation. In one of Duquesne's hardest fought wins of season, they were 71-67 winners over the Rams in Richmond last year. The Rams played in the WNIT last season.

The Dukes head to Dayton on Feb. 15th before returning to New England to face Rhode Island on Feb. 18th. The Rams (12-18, 5-11) return junior guard and Second-Team All-Conference performer Charise Wilson (17.2 ppg). Wilson finished second in the A-10 in scoring. The Dukes swept the Rams 79-70 and 61-56 last season.

The 2017 A-10 Championship will feature a new, enhanced format, with six first-round games being played on campus sites before heading to Richmond, Friday through Sunday, for the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship final games. The top two championship seeds will receive a bye, with the remainder of the field facing off in games hosted by seeds 3-8 for the first round. The first round will take place on the Saturday and Sunday prior to the weekend of the quarterfinals, semifinals and final. In 2017 the first round will be Feb. 25-26 with the three final rounds being played March 3-5.