Day one of the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Conference Tournament is in the books, and it was an exciting one! #13 UMass became the first-ever 13-seed to defeat a 12-seed in the game. Meanwhile, #11 Dayton led the entirety of their game to move onto Thursday. The #13 Massachusetts Minutewomen (5-26, 2-16 A-10) defeated the #12 La Salle Explorers (8-22, 5-13 A-10) 54-49 in the day’s first game. The #11 Dayton Flyers (13-18, 5-13 A-10) defeated the #14 Saint Bonaventure Bonnies (4-26, 1-17 A-10) 66-52 in the second and final game of the day.
The Minutewomen Earn Back-to-Back Wins for the First Time This Season Over the Explorers in the First Round:
The #13 Massachusetts Minutewomen are heating up at the right time as they earn back-to-back wins for the first time of the season with big wins over St. Bonaventure to end the regular season, and now over the #12 La Salle Explorers on day one of the conference tournament.
The game started with UMass taking the lead and holding it for most of the game. La Salle found a way to take the lead in the third quarter but were never able to sustain it for more than five and a half minutes in the quarter. The Minutewomen then were able to retake the lead and never looked back. The Explorers were able to keep it close though for most of the game and did not let the UMass lead get into double digits at all during the game.
The Minutewomen had four different players in double-figure scoring. Tori Hyduke led the way for UMass with 14 points, Chinenye Odenigbo had 13 points, which is a new career-high, and 7 rebounds, Stefanie Kulesza had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Alexsia Rose had 10 points to round out scorers in double digits. Bre Bellamy played in her first game since February 14th and had 5 points, and Kristin Williams had 2 points to round out all scorers for UMass.
The Explorers had two different players in double-figure scoring. Nicole Melious led the way for La Salle with 17 points and Molly Masciantonio had 10 points to round out scorers in double digits. Makayla Miller had 8 points and 8 rebounds, Emilee Tahata had 6 points and 6 rebounds, Tiara Bolden had 5 points, and Jolene Armendariz had 3 points and 6 rebounds to round out all scorers.
UMass moves on to the second round to face the #5 Duquesne Dukes (18-11, 13-5 A-10) on Thursday, March 6th at 1:30pm on ESPN+. La Salle ends their season off with a record of 8-22 overall, and 5-13 in conference play.
The Flyers Dominate the Bonnies for Most of the Game and Are Flying Their Way Into the Second Round:
The #11 Dayton Flyers keep their season alive with a win over the #14 Saint Bonaventure Bonnies in the second game of the first round on Wednesday afternoon. The Flyers bounce back after a tough loss to Rhode Island for their regular season finale.
The game started as being back-and-forth in the first quarter, but then all of the momentum drastically swung in the favor of the Flyers, and they were able to go into cruise control about halfway through the fourth quarter. The Bonnies did not give up and tried to get back in it but it was a little too late.
The Flyers had three different players in double-figure scoring. Ivy Wolf led the way for Dayton with 14 points and 5 assists, Anyssa Jones had 13 points and 6 rebounds, and Mariah Perez had 10 points and 5 rebounds to round out scorers in double digits. Shannon Wheeler had 8 points and 6 rebounds, Destiny Bohanon had 8 points, Nayo Lear had 5 points, Arianna Smith had 4 points and 9 rebounds, and Riley Rismiller and Denika Lightbourne had 2 points each to round out scorers for the Flyers.
The Bonnies had two players in double-figure scoring. Isabellah Middleton led the way for St. Bonaventure with 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Tianna Johnson had 14 points to round out scorers in double digits. Payton Fields had 8 points, Kirah Dandridge had 6 points, and Tamar voor de Poort had 2 points to round out all scorers for the Bonnies.
Dayton moves on to the second round to face the #6 Rhode Island Rams (18-13, 10-8 A-10) on Thursday, March 7th at 7:30pm on ESPN+ for the second time in less than a week. St. Bonaventure ends their season off 4-26 overall, and 1-17 in conference play.
Featured Image: Chris Tucci, UMass Athletics
Kaily “KG” Godek is a current student at Western New England University (WNE). She has been a supporter of UMass Athletics for over 15 years. Kaily focuses on both UMass Basketball teams and occasionally on the other Women’s Basketball teams in the conference. While writing for A10 Talk, she works in the athletic department at WNE. When she graduates from WNE she wants to go into Sports Broadcasting and Journalism. You can follow Kaily on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kgumass23.
