Three A10 representatives played in the NIT last night with VCU being the lone member to move on. Ryan Odom’s Rams will now visit South Florida, a first round winner over UCF, on Sunday.
Seton Hall 75 Saint Joseph’s 72 (OT)
Possessions: 77
Offensive efficiency: Seton Hall 97, Saint Joseph’s 94
Kenpom.com MVP: Al-Amir Dawes, Seton Hall. Led Seton Hall with 26 points, 10 rebounds. Dawes buried six three pointers, two of them big factors in deciding the outcome.
Top seed Seton Hall needed an extra session to eliminate Billy Lange’s Hawks. In a game of runs, featuring 12 ties and nine lead changes, Saint Joseph’s went into the final minute of regulation nursing a three point lead. Following a time out with 41 seconds to play, Al-Amir Dawes buried a three pointer to tie the game and eventually force overtime. In the extra session Dawes came up big once again, canning another three to put Seton Hall in front with 48 seconds to go. Saint Joseph’s last second attempt from beyond the arc was blocked. Erik Reynolds II paced the Hawks with a game-high 27 points.
Records: Seton Hall 21-12. Saint Joseph’s 21-14
Bradley 74 Loyola Chicago 62
Possessions: 66
Offensive efficiency: Bradley 112, Loyola Chicago 94
Kenpom.com MVP: Malevy Leons. The 6’9” Bradley senior finished with 14 points, 8 for 8 from the line, along with game-highs in rebounds (10) and blocks (5).
Loyola Chicago fell behind by 20 in the first half. Drew Valentine’s Ramblers then made a second half run to get within two points. Braden Norris sparked the rally scoring all 17 of his team-high 17 points following intermission. The host Braves regrouped and answered in the final six minutes to put the game away. Loyola Chicago was effective on the glass owning a 38-33 advantage. The Ramblers enjoyed a 19-8 edge on second chance points. The offensive rebounding percentage was 39-27 in Loyola Chicago’s favor with Dame Adelekun pulling down six off the offensive glass.
Records: Bradley 23-11, Loyola Chicago 23-10
VCU 70 Villanova 61
Possessions: 68
Offensive efficiency: VCU 103, Villanova 90
Kenpom.com MVP: Eric Dixon. The Villanova senior forward paced all scorers with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Villanova was the lone number one seed to exit in the first round as VCU posted a big road win over the Wildcats. In a back and forth affair with 10 ties and 17 lead changes, Ryan Odom’s Rams came up clutch down the stretch to secure the victory. The crucial 12-3 run came in the last 4:40, sending VCU to the second round. On the night, the Rams hit 11 of 30 (37%) from beyond the arc while Villanova struggled shooting 6 for 23 (26%). Joe Bamisile led VCU with 17 points while Max Shulga added 10. Rams also showed good depth and balance with a 42-12 advantage in bench points.
Records: VCU 23-13, Villanova 18-16
