Sunday’s slate of Atlantic 10 women’s basketball games did not disappoint the A-10 fans out there. With three nationally televised games the Atlantic 10 teams managed to have two of those three games be extremely close amongst the top teams in the conference. In our first game of the day the George Mason Patriots (13-3, 3-2 Atlantic 10) took down the Rhode Island Rams (7-10, 2-2 Atlantic 10) 71-65 at the Ryan Center. In the second game of the day, the Massachusetts Minutewomen (8-8, 3-2 Atlantic 10) took down the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (5-11, 1-4 Atlantic 10) 67-58 in the Riley Center. in the third game of the day, the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (9-8, 3-2 Atlantic 10) took down the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (12-4, 3-2 Atlantic 10) 57-50 at the Seigel Center. In the final game of the day, the Richmond Spiders (13-5, 4-1 Atlantic 10) took down the Davidson Wildcats (9-8, 4-1 Atlantic 10) 63-41 at Belk Arena to wrap up this weekend slate of games for Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball. Without further ado let’s take a look at what happened on Sunday’s slate of games!
The Patriots Hold Off the Rams’ Late Comeback Attempt to Earn Third Conference Win
The start of this game seemed like it was going to be a Rhode Island dominated game as George Mason struggled to make shots in the first quarter, and found themselves down 12-7 after the first quarter. The Rams saw Harsimran “Honey” Kaur score 6 of their 12 first-quarter points. The Patriots came out in the second quarter swinging with Zahirah “Zaza” Walton scoring 16 of their 26 points in the quarter giving them their first lead of the game at halftime of 36-30. Rhode Island responded to tie the game at 37 in the third quarter, but George Mason responded and retook the lead and ran off of it in the third quarter going into the fourth quarter. The Rams were able to hold the Patriots without a field goal for the final six and a half minutes.
Rhode Island had four players in double-figure scoring. Honey Kaur had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Hawa Komara had 14 points and 4 rebounds, and Ines Debroise and Sophia Vital each had 12 points to round out scorers in double-digit scoring. Sophie Phillips had 8 points and Palmire Mbu had 2 points to round out all scorers for the Rams.
George Mason had three players in double-figure scoring. Zaza Walton had 22 points and 7 rebounds, Paula Suarez had 19 points, and Kennedy Harris had 18 points to round out scorers in double-digits. Louis Volker had 7 points, Nekhu Mitchell and Nalani Kaysia had 2 points, and Ta’Vyanna Habib had 1 point to round out all scorers for the Patriots.
The Minutewomen Snap Their Two-Game Losing Streak in Win Over the Bonnies
The Minutewomen started strong to gain a lead over the Bonnies. UMass had an advantage in rebounding, 40-26 over St. Bonaventure. Turnovers were a factor in the game as both teams combined to commit 43 turnovers. While the Bonnies were able to keep the Minutewomen close for most of the game, but just could not gain the lead at any point of the game.
UMass had three players in double-figure scoring. Megan Olbrys had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Yahmani McKayle had 14 points, and Chinenye Odenigbo had 12 points and 7 rebounds to round out scorers in double-digit scoring. Allie Palmieri and Stefanie Kulesza each had 7 points and 6 rebounds, Lilly Ferguson had 6 points, Momo LaClair had 2 points, and Aleah Sorrentino had 1 point to round out scorers for the Minutewomen.
St. Bonaventure had two players in double-figure scoring. Dani Haskell had 29 points and Zoe Shaw had 13 points to round out scorers in double-digits. Caitlin Frost had 7 points, Mackenzie Pettinelli had 5 points, and Macy Smith and Aurore Eyango each 2 points to round out scorers for the Bonnies.
The Rams Extend Win Streak to Two Games and Split the Season Series with the Hawks
VCU had two players in double-figure scoring. Mary-Anna Asare had 26 points and Valentina Ojeda had 17 points to round out scorers in double-digit scoring. Zoli Khalil had 8 points, Mykel Parham had 2 points, and Lucia Sotelo Miguez had 1 point to round out all scorers for the Rams.
Saint Joseph’s had three players in double-figure scoring. Laura Ziegler had 19 points and 8 rebounds, Mackenzie Smith had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Tayla Brugler had 10 points and 11 rebounds to round out scorers in double-digits. Aleah Snead had 4 points, Gabby Casey and Emma Boslet each had 2 points, and Rhian Stokes had 1 point to round out all scorers for the Patriots.
The Spiders End the Wildcats’ Four-Game Winning Streak in Big Road Win
Richmond had two players in double-figure scoring. Maggie Doogan had 26 points and Rachel Ullstrom had 17 points to round out scorers in double-digit scoring. Addie Budnik had 7 points, Ally Sweeney had 6 points, Faith Alston, Katie Hill, and Alyssa Jimenez each had 2 points, and Jada Green had 1 point to round out all scorers for the Spiders.
Davidson did not have any players in double-figure scoring. Issy Morgan had 9 points, Kyra Bruyndoncx had 7 points, Millie Prior and Candice Lienafa had 6 points each, Sienna Dauer had 5 points, Charlise Dunn had 4 points, and Katie Donovan and Emilie Bessell each had 2 points to round out all scorers for the Patriots.
Upcoming Schedule Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball:
- Wednesday, January 15th
- La Salle Explorers (7-11, 1-4) at Massachusetts Minutewomen (8-8, 3-2) at 11am.
- Dayton Flyers (10-6, 4-1) at Duquesne Dukes (11-5, 2-3) at 6pm.
- Rhode Island Rams (7-10, 2-2) at Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (9-8, 3-2) at 6pm.
- St. Bonaventure Bonnies (5-11, 1-4) at Richmond Spiders (13-5, 4-1) at 6pm.
- Fordham Rams (10-6, 4-1) at Saint Joseph’s Hawks (12-4, 3-2) at 7pm.
- Loyola Chicago Ramblers (10-7, 2-4) at George Mason Patriots (13-3, 3-2) at 7pm.
- George Washington Revolutionaries (8-8, 1-4) at Saint Louis Billikens (6-11, 0-4) at 8pm.
Featured Image: Domenic Allegra, The Next
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 either Sports Broadcasting and Journalism or Coaching. You can follow Kaily on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kgumass23.