Day two of the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Conference Tournament is in the books! #8 Loyola Chicago earn their first win ever in the conference tournament in a thrilling fashion. #5 Duquense bounces back after #13 UMass started out hot. #7 Saint Louis made a comeback in the fourth quarter over #10 George Washington. #6 Rhode Island pulled away in the second half from #11 Dayton to beat them twice in less than a week.
The #8 Loyola Chicago Ramblers (15-15, 8-10 A-10) defeated the #9 Fordham Rams (13-17, 8-10 A-10) 52-53 in the first game of the day. The #5 Duquesne Dukes (19-11, 13-5 A-10) defeated the #13 Massachusetts Minutewomen (5-27, 2-16 A-10) 81-57 in the second game of the day. The #7 Saint Louis Billikens (16-17, 9-9 A-10) defeated the #10 George Washington Revolutionaries (13-18, 6-12 A-10) 75-68 in the third game of the day. The #6 Rhode Island Rams (19-13, 10-8 A-10) defeated the #11 Dayton Flyers (12-19, 5-13 A-10) 70-57 in the final game of day two.
Ramblers Earn First A-10 Conference Tournament Win Over the Rams in a Thriller:
The #8 Loyola Chicago Ramblers kept their season alive in a fourth-quarter comeback over the #9 Fordham Rams. The Ramblers earned their first conference tournament win in their time in the Atlantic 10 conference.
This game had a whole bunch of lead changes and shifts in the momentum, and it even came down to the final play of the game to decide the winner of the game. There were fourteen lead changes and six times where the score was tied. The Rams had two chances right at the but both shots did not go in but were good looks at winning the game.
The Ramblers had two players in double-figure scoring. Alyssa Fisher led the way for Loyola Chicago with 14 points, and Sam Galanopoulos had 10 points and 5 assists to round out all scorers in double digits. Ali Berg had 8 points and 10 rebounds, Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr had 7 points and 5 rebounds, Sitori Tanin had 4 points and 6 rebounds, Kira Chivers and Emma Nolan each had 4 points, and Aaliyah Moore had 2 points and 5 rebounds to round out all scorers for the Ramblers.
The Rams had three players in double-figure scoring. Taylor Donaldson led the way for Fordham with 15 points and 8 rebounds, Emy Hayford had 12 points, and Rose Nelson had 12 points and 4 blocks to round out all scorers in double digits. Aminata Ly had 9 points and 9 rebounds, Matilda Flood had 2 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and Taya Davis had 2 points to round out all scorers for the Rams.
Loyola Chicago moves on to the quarterfinals to face the #1 Richmond Spiders (26-5, 16-2 A-10) on Friday, March 8th at 11am on ESPN+. Fordham ends their season off 13-17 overall and 8-10 in conference play.
Dukes Shutdown the Minutewomen’s Momentum Early on in Dominant Win:
The #5 Duquesne Dukes keep their season alive by defeating the #13 Massachusetts Minutewomen. The Dukes snapped a two-game losing streak that they had going into the conference tournament.
UMass started out scoring four straight points, while Duquesne committed four turnovers in the first four possessions that the Dukes finally called a timeout to try and right the ship. Duquesne was able to right the ship after the timeout, and took the lead, and never looked back. UMass tried to keep it close but got outrebounded on both the offensive and defensive boards.
The Dukes had three players in double-figure scoring. Megan McConnell led the way for Duquesne with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists, Precious Johnson had 13 points (and earned her 1,000th career point, and is the 6th player this season to surpass this mark on the Dukes) and 8 rebounds, and Tess Myers had 11 points to round out scorers in double digits. Amaya Hamilton had 8 points and 8 rebounds, Jerni Kiaku had 8 points and 6 rebounds, Naelle Bernard had 8 points, and Ayanna Townsend, Lauren Wasylson, and Kiandra Browne each had 4 points to round out all scorers for the Dukes.
The Minutewomen had two players in double-figure scoring. Kristin Williams and Stefanie Kulesza led the way for UMass with 11 points apiece. Alexsia Rose had 9 points, Lilly Taulelei and Tori Hyduke each had 7 points, Chinenye Odenigbo had 4 points, Bre Bellamy had 3 points, Dallas Pierce and Avery Childers each had 2 points (Childers scored her first collegiate points), and Mikenzie Jones had 1 point to round out all scorers for UMass.
Duquesne moves on to the quarterfinals to face the #4 George Mason Patriots (23-6, 14-4 A-10) on Friday, March 8th at 1:30pm on ESPN+. UMass finishes the season off 5-27 overall, and 2-16 in conference play.
Billikens Complete the Fourth Quarter Comeback Over the Revolutionaries:
The #7 Saint Louis Billikens keep their season alive by defeating the #10 George Washington Revolutionaries in a fourth-quarter thriller.
George Washington opened up the game by scoring the game’s first basket. Saint Louis kept it close, but the Revolutionaries held onto the lead until midway through the fourth quarter. The momentum shifted in the favor of the Billikens heavily in the fourth quarter after George Washington could not get many shots or free throws to fall.
The Billikens had four players in double-figure scoring. Kyla McMakin led the way for Saint Louis with 22 points, Peyton Kennedy had 15 points, Brooklyn Gray had 13 points, and Tierra Simon had 11 points and 13 rebounds to round out scorers in double digits. Julia Martinez had 7 points and 5 rebounds, Kennedy Calhoun had 5 points, and Marcavia Shavers had 2 points to round out all scorers for the Billikens.
The Revolutionaries had four players in double-figure scoring. Nya Robertson led the way for George Washington with 23 points, Nya Lokk had 15 points, Asjah Inniss had 12 points, and Essence Brown had 10 points and 7 rebounds to round out all scorers in double digits. Kamari Sims had 5 points and Mayowa Taiwo had 3 points and 11 rebounds to round out all scorers for the Revolutionaries.
Saint Louis moves on to the quarterfinals to face the #2 Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams (26-4, 15-3 A-10) on Friday, March 8th at 5:00pm on ESPN+. George Washington finishes the season off 13-18 overall, and 6-12 in conference play.
The Rams Avoid Being Upsetted by the Flyers, and Fly Into the Quarterfinals:
The #6 Rhode Island Rams keep their season alive by defeating the #11 Dayton Flyers in a second-half thriller. The Rams defeated the Flyers twice in less than a week.
Dayton came out of the gate and started out hot, which helped them stay in the game. There were a total of twelve lead changes and four times that the game was tied. Rhode Island struggled from the field in the first half but then heated up in the second half. The Rams then gained full control of the lead and got more comfortable in the game.
The Rams had three players in double-figure scoring. Dee Dee Davis led the way for Rhode Island with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Teisha Hyman had 13 points and 5 rebounds, and Ines Debroise had 10 points to round out scorers in double digits. Maye Toure had 9 points and 10 rebounds, Sophie Phillips had 5 points, Tenin Magassa and Hawa Komara had 4 points apiece and Anaelle Dutat had 2 points to round out scorers for the Rams.
The Flyers had two players in double-figure scoring. Arianna Smith led the way for Dayton with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Nayo Lear had 10 points and 5 assists to round out scorers in double digits. Ivy Wolf had 9 points and 5 assists, Anyssa Jones had 8 points, Destiny Bohanon had 6 points, Eve Fiala had 5 points, Mariah Perez had 4 points, Riley Rismiller had 2 points, and Shannon Wheeler had 1 point and 5 rebounds to round out all scorers for the Flyers.
Rhode Island moves on to the quarterfinals to face the #3 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (26-4, 15-3 A-10) on Friday, March 8th at 7:30pm on ESPN+. The Rams and the Hawks face off against each other for the third time this season, and Rhode Island is looking to prevent a clean sweep. Dayton finishes the season off 12-19 overall, and 5-13 in conference play.
Featured Image: Daniel Frank, A10 Talk
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.
