Game of the Night
George Mason Patriots 76, VCU Rams 69
In the surprise of the night, VCU was upended by George Mason behind 17 points and 12 rebounds from Shevon Thompson. While the game stayed close throughout, Mason was able to pull away with a late 13-4 run to seal the deal. Melvin Johnson led the Rams in scoring with 24 points.
Big picture, this is a very unfortunate and untimely loss for VCU. The Rams now likely find themselves in the thick of the bubble with a stock trending down. While this team still has a very legitimate shot at making the NCAA tourney, a game at George Washington this weekend is almost certainly a must-win.
Elsewhere in A-10 Action
George Washington Colonials 73, Richmond Spiders 61
GW took care of business over Richmond as four starters scored in double-figures. Patricio Garino led the team with 16 points including 7-7 from the free throw line. Tyler Cavanaugh added 13 points and 12 rebounds, continuing his streak of having scored in double-digits each game this season. The Colonials are safe for now, but must prepare for a major tilt against VCU this weekend. The winner of that game may be going to the tournament, while the loser would be in serious trouble of dropping out of the race altogether.
St. Joseph’s Hawks 74, Massachusetts Minutemen 57
Isaiah Miles and DeAndre’ Bembry carried the Hawks with a combined 38 points and 18 rebounds en route to an easy win over UMass. As a team, St. Joe’s shot 45.5% (10-22) from three on the game, accounting for over 40% of their points. SJU improves to 23-5 overall and 12-3 in the A-10, moving them into a three-way tie with Dayton and VCU for sole lead in the conference. They get Saint Louis at home on Sunday.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies 80, Duquesne Dukes 76
Despite all five starters for Duquesne scoring in double-digits, St. Bonaventure was able to escape with a victory and win their second straight game. Jaylen Adams led all scorers with 24 points on 12-14 from the free throw line while Dion Wright added 15 points and 8 rebounds, playing all 40 minutes. Wright iced the game from the line late, hitting three out of four with less than 19 seconds remaining. The Bonnies take on UMass this Saturday.
Fordham Rams 56, La Salle Explorers 53
It was a hard fought game, but Fordham took the lead over La Salle with 2:00 remaining in regulation and was able to hold on for it’s fifth win of the conference season. Christian Sengfelder led the Rams with 16 points and 8 rebounds, playing all 40 minutes. On the losing end, Jordan Price and Cleon Roberts both scored 13 points. Fordham plays Davidson this weekend and La Salle takes on George Mason.
