Game of the Night
George Washington Colonials 72, VCU Rams 69
Every single time it looked like VCU was going to put the game away, GW had an answer. Or more accurately, Patricio Garino had an answer. The Senior had a career-high 27 points to lead the Colonials, along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. The Colonials hit several timely threes, going 8-18 from deep the whole game, with four of them coming from Garino.
The first half was closely contested, but the Rams lead through most of it, taking a 31-29 lead into halftime. VCU started the second half on an 11-2 run, and it looked like the Colonials were finished. Mike Lonergan called timeout to regroup, and in the blink of an eye, GW had drawn right back to within four points.
VCU retained their lead until Garino drilled a three with 3:38 left to tie the 64-64. Moments later, the Colonials took their first lead since early in the first half on a beautiful layup from Kevin Larsen. George Washington took the lead for good with 1:12 left on a Joe McDonald three to make it 71-69. VCU had several opportunities in the final 72 seconds, but the Colonials’ defense stood their ground.
Senior Joe McDonald hit a jumper one minute into the game to score his 1,000th point at GW. McDonald and Tyler Cavanaugh both scored 11 points, while Larsen added nine. JeQuan Lewis lead VCU with 16 points, while Mo Alie-Cox, Melvin Johnson, and Doug Brooks all had 12 points. GW plays next on February 10th against Saint Joseph’s at 7 PM, while VCU next plays on February 11th at UMass at 7 PM.
Elsewhere in A10 Play
Davidson Wildcats 93, Duquesne Dukes 82
Jack Gibbs had a game-high 25 points to lead Davidson to a bounce-back win in Pittsburgh. The Wildcats controlled the game from the opening tip, and coasted to the finish. Brian Sullivan had 22 points, Nathan Ekwu had 14 and Jordan Barham had 10 points to lead Davidson. Derrick Colter had 22 points for Duquesne, while Micah Mason added 21, LG Gill added 16 and Mar’Qywell Jackson had 13 for the Dukes. Davidson next plays La Salle on February 10th at 7PM, while Duquesne next plays at Dayton on February 9th at 7PM.
Saint Joseph’s Hawks 82, Fordham Rams 60
Shavar Newkirk lead the Hawks with 17 points as they were able to cruise to an easy with. This was a big bounce-back game for Saint Joe’s after losing its last game at home against Saint Bonaventure. The Hawks should be in NCAA Tournament field when the newest Bracketology predictions come out on Monday. DeAndre Bembry had 16 points for Saint Joe’s, while Isaiah Miles and Lamarr Kimble both had 13 points. Christian Sengfelder and Ryan Rhoomes both had 16 points to lead Fordham. Saint Joseph’s plays next on February 10th at GW at 7 PM, while Fordham plays next on February 10th against Saint Bonaventure at 7 PM.
#24 Dayton Flyers 98, George Mason Patriots 64
Finally, Dayton was able to snap their losing streak. Well, losing streak while ranked, at least. The #24 Flyers cruised to an easy victory in Fairfax over George Mason. Charles Cooke led all scorers with 24 points along with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Dyshawn Pierre had 15 points, Kendall Pollard had 13, and Scoochie Smith and John Crosby both had 10. Otis Livingston lead Mason with 21 points and 5 assists. Dayton next plays February 9th against Duquesne at 7 PM, while George Mason next plays February 9th at Rhode Island at 7 PM.
Richmond Spiders 69, Massachusetts Minutemen 53
T.J. Cline lead the Spiders with 24 points, along with 6 boards, as the Spiders coasted for another win. Shawn’Dre Jones added 12 points, while Marshall Woods had 10. Donte Clark lead UMass with 23 points, as the Minutemen have now lost eight of their last nine. Richmond next plays February 10th at Saint Louis at 8 PM, while UMass next plays February 11th against VCU at 7 PM.
Rhode Island Rams 79, La Salle Explorers 62
The Rams came out of the gates a but sluggish but were able to control the game and cruise to an easy road win. After trailing by nine early, URI used a 11-1 run to take the lead, spearheaded by Hassan Martin and Jarvis Garrett. Garrett lead all scorers with a career-high 28 points, while Jared Terrell had 22, Nicola Akele had 15, and Hassan Martin had 14. Jounnie Shuler and Cleon Roberts lead the Explorers with 15 points each. URI next plays February 9th against George Mason at at 7 PM, while next plays La Salle at Davidson on February 10th at 7 PM.
