Saturday gave us a veritable smorgasbord of A10 action. Five games starting at noon with action wrapping up around at 8 p.m…..
UMass 80 La Salle 74
Possessions: 72
Offensive efficiency: UMass 111, La Salle 103
What UMass did well. Limit their turnovers and hit the three. Minutemen committed 10 turnovers for an outstanding 14% TO rate. UMass got back in the win column hitting 7 of 19 for 37% from three. Rich Kelly scored 17 for UMass with 2 of 4 from three.
What La Salle did well. Battle back and show balanced scoring. Explorers were down a dozen at intermission. They came out on a 20-8 run the early part of the final stanza. Jhamir Brickus and Jack Clark led four double figure scorers with a game-highs of 18 points. The Explorer offensive efficiency was four above their A10 average to date.
Records: UMass (12-13) 5-8 A10
La Salle (7-17) 2-12
Dayton 74 SAint Joseph’s 63
Possessions: 65
Offensive efficiency: Dayton 114, Saint Joseph’s 95
What Dayton did well. Put five players in double figures and shoot the ball very well. DaRon Holmes led all scorers with 18 points. He was followed by Malachi Smith (16), Kobe Elvis (13), Toumani Camara (12) and Koby Brea (10). Anthony Grant’s Flyers connected for a 58 eFG percentage.
What Saint Joseph’s did well. Limit turnovers. Hawks were guilty of only 10 miscues for an above average 15% TO rate. Freshman guard Erik Reynolds enjoyed another solid outing with a team-high 16 points, four assists and zero turnovers in 35 minutes.
Records: Dayton (19-8) 11-3
Saint Joseph’s 10-15 (4-10)
George Washington 72 Rhode Island 61
Possessions: 70
Offensive efficiency: George Washington 103, Rhode Island 87
What George Washington did well. Grab the lead early and not let up. Visiting Rhode Island grabbed a 3-0 lead on a conventional three pointer by Ishmael Leggett in the first minute. The Colonials gained their first lead a minute later and never looked back. Jamion Christian’s Colonials made it three of their last four with Joe Bamisile canning four treys en route to a game-high 20 points.
What Rhode Island did well. Lead in points in the paint and second chance points. The Rams held advantages in points in the paint, 34-26, and second chance points, 12-4. Malik Martin, 12 points and five offensive boards, was instrumental in that effort. The Rams shot 52% from two point range but struggled beyond the arc, going 3 of 13 for 23%. Three were in double digits with Makhel Mitchell leading the way with 15.
Records: George Washington (11-14) 7-6
Rhode Island (13-12) 4-9
St. Bonaventure 81 Duquesne 55
Possessions: 66
Offensive efficiency: St. Bonaventure 123, Duquesne 83
What St. Bonaventure did well. Establish a lead at the break and never let up on the way to a fifth straight victory. Bonnies led by 17 at intermission and came out strong to build on the lead that reached 36 at one point. Bonnies hit 60% from two point range and committed just 12 turnovers (18%) rate en route to a very efficient outing. Jalen Adaway led all scorers with 22 points while Osun Osunniyi posted a 18 point, 10 rebound double-double.
What Duquesne did well. Limit turnovers and get production off the bench. A tough outing yet a silver lining was that Duquesne was forced into only ten turnovers for a 15% TO rate. Duquesne’s lone double figure scorer was Leon Ayers with 12. Ayers starred in a reserve role contributing to Duquesne’s 32 points off the bench.
Records: St. Bonaventure (17-7) 9-4
Duquesne (6-19) 1-12
Davidson 79 Saint Louis 58
Possessions: 66
Offensive efficiency: Davidson 120, Saint Louis 88
What Davidson did well. Bury the threes, care for the ball. Bob McKillop’s Wildcats knocked down 14 of 24 (58%) from long distance. The wealth was spread as Michael Jones (18 points) , Luka Brajkovic (16 points) and Hyunjung Lee (game-high 29 points) all had four treys. Davidson committed 11 turnovers for a tidy 17% TO rate.
What Saint Louis did well. Limit turnovers. The lone bright spot for the visiting Billikens, who have dropped three of their last four. Only ten turnovers resulted in a noteworthy 15% TO rate. Other than that bright spot was the six assists for Fred Thatch and five for Yuri Collins, it was a long night for Travis Ford’s club as Collins was the lone double figure scorer with ten.
Records: Davidson (22-4) 12-2
Saint Louis (18-9) 9-5
