Game of the Night
St. Joseph’s Hawks 77, Richmond Spiders 73
DeAndre’ Bembry’s step-back jumper with just under a minute to go ended up being the shot that sealed the deal for the Hawks. Bembry had 16 points to go along with 6 assists and 6 rebounds to help St. Joseph’s grab a huge road victory on Saturday. Isaiah Miles was huge for the Hawks as well, as he had 17 points and pulled down an incredible 16 rebounds.
Though the Hawks trailed by 5 at the half, they fought back thanks to 45 second half points that would put Richmond away late. Improving to 11-2 on the season, St. Joseph’s has proven it can win some tight games down the stretch, and this win over Richmond has to be the best for the Hawks all season. They improve to 1-0 in conference play while the Spiders drop to 0-1.
Richmond got really good performances out of Terry Allen and Shawndre’ Jones. The two combined for 43 points and 13 rebounds, but it wouldn’t be enough to win their home opener. St. Joseph’s got this win because it was able to control the glass and knock down the three. The Hawks hit 11 shots from behind the arc and enjoyed a +7 rebounding margin on the night. All in all, this way a very good matchup between two top-tier teams. Expect both of them to compete for the Atlantic 10 title this year.
Elsewhere in A10 Action
Dayton Flyers 66, Duquesne Dukes 58
The Flyers outlasted the Dukes on the road on Saturday to win their Atlantic 10 opener. Both teams struggled immensely from behind the arc in this one; they were a combined 5 for 37. With shooting woes plaguing both teams, this one came down to extra opportunities, which Dayton got plenty of thanks to 18 Duquesne turnovers. While Dayton did foul the Dukes 26 times, it managed to play good defense and only allow them to shoot 33% from the floor. This win could prove to be solid for Dayton, as Duquesne could be one of the better Atlantic 10 teams this year. Charles Cooke led the Flyers with 21 points; Derrick Colter had 14 for Duquesne.
Saint Louis Billikens 57, Rhode Island Rams 85
Rhode Island had no issue taking care of Saint Louis in its Atlantic Ten opener on Saturday. The Rams shot 50% from the field and had 5 players in double figures. Leading the way for Rhode Island was Four McGlynn with 16 points. Saint Louis has now lost 8 of its last 9 and looks like it will struggle immensely this year. Miles Reynolds led the Billikens with 12 points, but they shot just 40% from the floor and got outrebounded 38-26.
VCU Rams 71, George Mason Patriots 47
VCU got another good win on Saturday, its fourth straight, to improve to 9-5 on the season. The Rams got a really good showing from Melvin Johnson who dropped 22 points and hit 4 of 9 three pointers. Ahmed Hamdy Mohamed had 16 points and 8 rebounds for VCU. George Mason drops to 6-8 on the season after losing its conference home-opener. The Patriots struggled to get anything going from the field as they shot just 32% from the floor. Marquise Moore led the way with 14 points.
Davidson Wildcats 85, St. Bonaventure Bonnies 97
The Bonnies had quite the offensive night on Saturday when they were able to top Davidson in their conference home-opener. St. Bonaventure shot 52% from the floor and got a career-high 30 points from Jaylen Adams. He was 7-13 from the floor and made all 11 of his free throw attempts. Davidson struggled due to numerous injuries: Jake Belford, Jordan Barham, and Brian Sullivan. Jordan Watkins led the Wildcats in scoring with 23. Their primary concern needs to be getting healthy moving forward.
