The Massachusetts women’s basketball team will travel to the City of Brotherly Love for the Atlantic 10 tournament as the sixth seed out of the East.

The Minutewomen (6-21, 2-12 A-10) face Duquesne, the third seed in the West, today at 2 p.m. in the first round. All the A-10 action will be hosted at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the St. Joseph’s campus.

In their last meeting, it was a defensive battle between UMass and the Dukes (15-12, 10-6 A-10) ending in a Duquesne victory, 46-42 on Feb. 8 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Bodies hitting the floor and pressure defense reflected the intensity of the game. Both teams had poor shooting performances with UMass at 30 percent (20-66) and Duquesne at 32 percent (17-54).

The difference in the game was the Dukes perfect performance from the foul line (5 for 5) and hitting seven 3 pointers.

“I’m not trying to make excuses, but we were tired that game,” head coach Marnie Dacko said. “Edris [Bailey] had a huge game with 16 points and 18 rebounds. After Edris, there was no other scoring except for Judit [Zsedenyi]. We need several people step up and score in double figures.”

Duquesne is an offensive-minded team, averaging 67.8 points per game (third in the conference) while giving up 69.4 ppg (12th in A-10). With a highly energized transition offense, the Dukes are deadly behind the arc averaging nearly seven 3 pointers per game.

“We worked on [defending the three] yesterday morning,” Dacko said. “I’m aware their three point ability is a concern, but I’m also concerned with their transition offense. They can really push the tempo and we need to try to disrupt that by switching up our defense between a trap, man to man, and zone. We also need to box out, because we haven’t done that over the last few games.”

Duke’s guard Candace Futrell is an inside-outside player – leading the A-10 in scoring with 21.8 ppg. The 5 foot 10 senior is a solid rebounder, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game. Yesterday, Futrell was named Co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, along with George Washington’s Cathy Jones.

“Candace is a major concern for us,” Dacko said. “I feel she is the best player in the conference. Cleo Foster will play her, but we know she can’t get isolated in the post. She is a great player who I have great respect for. She can’t leave her open.”

The winner of the UMass/Duquesne game will play Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 6, also at 2 p.m.