The regular season concluded Saturday with six games on tap. Davidson, despite a narrow loss at Dayton,claimed the A10 regular season title. The tournament begins Wednesday in Washington at Capital one Arena…
Dayton 82 Davidson 76
Possessions: 62
Offensive efficiency: Dayton 132, Davidson 123
The win was Anthony Grant’s 100th at Dayton. Outstanding efficiency on the part of both teams was the highlight in this contest. Numbers behind the efficiency: Davidson had an 8% turnover rate, Dayton 7. The eFG marks saw Davidson at 59% and Dayton 65%. Davidson’s Foster Loyer canned 5 of 7 from deep, leading all scorers with 25 points. DaRon Holmes paced the Flyers with 20 points. The game featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes. Points in the paint saw Dayton with a 32-24 advantage.
La Salle 85 Duquesne 76
Possessions: 65
Offensive efficiency: La Salle 131, Duquesne 117
Visiting Explorers closed out the regular season with their third straight in the win column. Duquesne dropped their 16th straight. La Salle held a 32-23 edge on the boards. Ashley Howard’s team shot 57% from three and 62% inside. Jack Clark led the way with 30 points (4 of 6 from three). For Duquesne, a better offensive showing but not enough. Another strong outing from the Dukes’ Amir Spears with a game-high 34 points. La Salle’s Christian Ray set the pace in the rebounding category with eight. .
Fordham 70 George Washington 66
Possessions: 69
Offensive efficiency: Fordham 101, George Washington 96
Chuba Ohams led the way for the host Rams with another impressive double-double outing, 23 points, 16 rebounds, both game-high figures. It was Oham’s 20th double-double in his final game at Rose Hill. Darius Quisenberry added 18 points. George Washington placed three in double figures with Brayon Freeman leading the way with 17 points. Prolific scorer James Bishop was held to 8 points by Fordham. Colonials shot better from three (53%) than the free throw line (44%). Rams are seeded 8th in the A10 Tournament, their highest seeding since 2016.
Saint Joseph’s 70 Rhode Island 60
Possessions: 66
Offensive efficiency: Saint Joseph’s 106, Rhode Island 91
Despite a 24% turnover rate, host Hawks close out the regular season snapping a seven game losing streak. Erik Reynolds led the way with 27 points. Billy Lange’s group buried 44% (62% eFG percentage) of their three-point tries. Rhode Island’s leading scorer was Ishmael Leggett with 22. Rams’ free throw woes continued as they were 10 of 19 (53%) from the charity stripe.
Saint Louis 69 VCU 65
Possessions: 68
Offensive efficiency: Saint Louis 101, VCU 96
Visiting Rams saw their eight game win streak snapped. VCU forced the Billikens into a 27% turnover rate. Once again, Mike Rhoades’ club did not care for the ball, showing a 25% rate on their end. Saint Louis enjoyed a 20-11 edge in points off turnovers. Saint Louis’ Gibson Jimerson knocked down three treys en route to a team-high 19 points. Yuri Collins added a stat stuffing 12 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Vince Williams led the way for VCU with a game-high 26 points.
UMass 83 George Mason 80 (OT)
Possessions: 72
Offensive efficiency: UMass 115, George Mason 111
Minutemen took to the road to come away with their second straight victory. UMass battled back from a ten point deficit with just over twelve minutes remaining. Rebounding was crucial as UMass won the boards by a 45-35 count. They also held a significant 42-28% edge in offensive rebounding percentage. Noah Fernandes paced UMass with a game-high 28 points, hitting four of six from three. Rich Kelly added 20. Greg Jones pulled down a game-best nine rebounds (five offensive) for UMass. The Patriots, finishing the regular season on a two game skid, were led by D’Shawn Schwartz with 21 points.
