Back and forth they went. This one was going to the wire.

Even with Duquesne’s Tarence Guinyard scoring 16 of his 27 points in succession during a crucial stretch late, Duquesne struggled to break free from George Washington before surviving Trey Autry’s potential game-winning 3-pointer as time expired to claim an 88-86 victory on Saturday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

It was the third consecutive victory for Duquesne, while George Washington lost its fourth in a row.

In a fierce Atlantic 10 battle between two teams fighting to stay alive for a conference tournament double-bye, Guinyard’s 3-pointer with 4 minutes, 44 seconds left gave Duquesne a 76-74 lead, and the Dukes never trailed again.

But barely.

Guinyard’s scoring spree helped Duquesne (14-10, 6-5) to a seemingly comfortable 85-78 lead with 51 seconds left.

But George Washington (13-11, 4-7) didn’t fold, creeping within 87-86 on two free throws by Garrett Johnson with 7 seconds left.

Jakub Necas hit 1 of 2 from the line for Duquesne with 2.5 seconds to go before Autry took a line-drive inbounds pass and fired up a 3-pointer that was just off the mark as the final buzzer sounded.

Guinyard shot 9 for 13, including 3 for 5 from behind the arc for Duquesne, which also got 20 points from Jimmie Williams, 17 from David Dixon and 10 from Necas.

Jean Aranguren’s triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists led GW. Luke Hunger added 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Revolutionaries, who also received 15 points from Autry, 14 from Johnson and 11 from Tyrone Marshall Jr.

With Guinyard, Duquesne’s leading scorer and Necas, its top rebounder, back in the lineup after a one-game absence while nursing injuries, the Dukes were hoping to capitalize on the absence of George Washington’s Rafael Castro, one of the Atlantic 10’s top big men.

It was a struggle.

It was the third consecutive game the 6-foot-11 Castro has missed, all losses.

He ranked third in rebounding, was tied for fourth in blocks and was ninth in scoring in the conference when he injured a foot following a 12-point, 18-rebound night in GW’s 79-76 loss to No. 19 Saint Louis on Jan. 27.

The teams played the first half to a 40-40 tie. But not before George Washington led by as many as nine points (23-14). However, Duquesne rallied and was ahead by 40-25 before GW closed out the half on a 5-0 run.