A busy weekend in the A10. VCU and Saint Louis were both victorious and now share the conference lead at 6-1. Dayton fell at red hot George Washington and is 5-2. Loyola entered the winner’s circle for the first time in conference play.
Friday:
VCU 74 Richmond 62
Possessions: 72
Offensive efficiency: VCU 103, Richmond 86
VCU captured the Capital City Classic with a strong performance on both the offensive and defensive end. Rams had five players in double figures led by Jamir Watkins with 15 points coming off the bench. Defensively, VCU held Richmond ten minutes without a field goal during one second half stretch. Ram defense forced the host Spiders into a 22% turnover rate. Tyler Burton, the A10’s second leading scorer, was held to 14 points. Burton led Richmond in scoring but shot only 5 of 13 from the field.
Saturday:
George Mason 79 Rhode Island 72
Possessions: 74
Offensive efficiency: GMU 107, URI 97
Josh Oduro proved too much for the Rams to handle. Oduro scored 24 points and pulled down a game high 14 rebounds. Patriots turned it over at a 23% rate but shot 60% inside the arc and 45% from long distance. George Mason led by 15 before the host Rams made a run, cutting the deficit to three with just under eight minutes remaining. George Mason then regrouped to close out the victory. Brayon Freeman paced Rhode Island with a game high 25 points.
Saint Joseph’s 74 UMass 68
Possessions: 68
Offensive efficiency: Saint Joseph’s 109, Umass 100
In a game with five ties and ten lead changes, Saint Joseph’s earned their third straight win. Cameron Brown (25) and Erik Reynolds II (23) who combined for 48 of the Hawks’ points. Saint Joseph’s also scored a season high 22 second chance points. Rashool Diggins and RJ Luis shared Minutemen scoring honors with 15 apiece. Minus Noah Fernandes, Frank Martin’s group was forced into a 25% turnover rate with Saint Joseph’s scoring 23 points off those turnovers.
Loyola 67 St. Bonaventure 55
Possessions: 62
Offensive efficiency: Loyola 108, St. Bona 89
Loyola won its first A10 game, snapping a seven game losing streak in the process. Ramblers held Bona to 31% shooting from the floor, including 4 of 22 (18%) from beyond the arc. For most of the game it was a two possession affair. Loyola, leading by four at intermission, never lost that lead the final 20 minutes. Chad Venning led the Bonnies with 16 points. Venning was Bona’s lone double figure scorer. Loyola had four in…
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