The Chinese New Year tells us us we are in the Year of the Rabbit. Wednesday night was the night of the Ram. Rhode Island, VCU and Fordham all earned victories. Fordham, for quite some time, was one of the first four teams playing in the A10 Tournament. Now Keith Urgo’s club is rolling along and currently in the top four conversation.
Davidson 64 La salle 57
Possessions: 62
Offensive efficiency: Davidson 103, La Salle 92
Visiting Wildcats snapped a four game slide while extending the Explorers’ losing streak to four. A 13-4 second half run by Davidson was instrumental, Sam Mennenga’s career high 27 point, 11 rebound outing was also a big factor in the outcome. Foster Loyer added 12 points including his 1000th of his career. Daeshon Shepherd paced La Salle, in a game featuring three ties and six lead changes, with 14 points.
Wednesday:
Fordham 79 St. Bonaventure 68
Possessions: 69
Offensive efficiency: Fordham 114, St. Bona 99
Fordham scored 51 second half points en route to their first win over the Bonnies since 2013. The Rams used an 11-0 run, giving them a 15 point lead late and basically sealing the verdict. Khalid Moore scored 19 to lead the visiting Rams. Darius Quisenberry added 17 and Will Richardson 16. Bona’s Daryl Banks III paced all scorers with 29 points. Rams shot 31% the first half while blistering the nets to a 58% mark after intermission. Fordham is on a three game win streak with all three coming on the road.
Rhode Island 75 Dayton 70
Possessions: 65
Offensive efficiency: URI 115, Dayton 108
Archie Miller’s Rams earned an upset victory over his former school, snapping a three game losing streak in the process. Dayton has now dropped three of their last four contests. Flyers went through a nine minute stretch in the first half without a field goal. Ishmael Leggett of Rhode Island was a game high scorer with 25. DaRon Holmes led Dayton with 19. Rhode Island shot 6 of 22 (27%) from beyond the arc while going 17 of 28 (61%) from two point range.
VCU 72 George Mason 52
Possessions: 66
Offensive efficiency: VCU 109, George Mason 79
The host Rams built a 16 point halftime lead. George Mason got within ten the final stanza but no closer. Mike Rhoades’ club has now posted six straight conference wins with five of those by double digits. Balance was the key as VCU had three players in double figures with David Shriver leading the way with 13 points. Josh Oduro led George Mason with a game high 19 points.
Duquesne 72 Loyola 58
Possessions: 66
Offensive efficiency: Duquesne 109, Loyola 88
Duquesne battled back from a nine point halftime deficit. The Dukes scored the first ten points after intermission to take the lead. The lead changed seven times and there were four ties before host Duquesne pulled away late to seal the victory. Phil Alston scored a season high 25 points to lead all scorers. Duquesne’s Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark shared team scoring honors with 13 apiece. Loyola turned it over 18 times (a 27% TO rate).
UMass 85 Richmond 76
Possessions: 69
Offensive efficiency: UMass 123, Richmond 110
A 12-0 game closing run gave UMass coach Frank Martin his 300th career victory. The win snapped a two game UMass losing streak while Richmond has now dropped two straight. The game had 12 ties and 14 lead changes. RJ Luis scored a game high 23 points while grabbing seven rebounds and handing out five assists for the host Minutemen. Richmond was led by Tyler Burton with 20 points. Burton also pulled down a game high 10 boards. The two teams combined for just 15 turnovers, Richmond had eight, UMass seven.
George Washington 92 Saint Joseph’s 91 (OT)
Possessions: 81
Offensive efficiency: GW 114, Saint Joseph’s 112
Colonials made it three straight and four of their last five with this extra session thriller. Game featured seven ties and ten lead changes. Visiting Hawks held a 46-28 edge on points in the paint. Lynn Greer III led Saint Joseph’s with a career-high 31 points and tied the game on a tip-in with seconds left in regulation. Hawks led by four with just under two minutes remaining in overtime before George Washington rallied. Brendan Adams led the Colonials with a game high 32 points while James Bishop added 22. Cameron Brown (9 points) scored his 1000th career point for Saint Joseph’s.
