Virginia Tech 51 Fordham 48

The Atlantic-10 tournament got underway with a sloppy game between Virginia Tech and Fordham. Tech jumped to an early 11-3 lead, fell behind in the middle of the half, and used a late rally to close to 25-24. Fordham extended their lead in the second half and were up four points with seven minutes left. Tech converted several steals into seven straight points and a 49-48 lead with just under three minutes remaining. After several turnovers at both ends of the court Fordham had possession with just over 30 seconds. Holding for a last shot, the Rams instead got a Brendan Dunlop steal with 6 seconds left. Dunlop converted the free throws for the final margin.

Both teams were depleted by suspensions and defections. Fordham’s Bevon Robin and Tech’s Dennis Mims were suspended for violating unspecified team rules. In addition, Fordham center Alejandro Olivares returned to Argentina, reportedly to play professionally. Moreover, while Rolan Roberts suited up for the Hokies, he was frequently missing in action, scoring just 3 points and hauling in 2 rebounds. Russ Wheeler scored 12 points and hauled in 8 rebounds in relief of Mims, while Andre Ray had 6 points and 11 boards. Tech was led in scoring by Brian Chase with 13. Nobody hit double figures for Fordham.

The win assures Virginia Tech of winning season in the final year in the A10. At 16-14, they have hopes of a NIT bid. Those hopes are slim however as Temple looms tomorrow at 2:00pm. There is no word if Mims will play or not, but regardless, the Hokies do not have the perimeter game and ball handling to defeat the Owls in Philadelphia. They do have the defense and interior game to keep Temple from scoring however. The Hokies will need to keep the game in the 40s to have a shot at moving into the semis.

UMass 77 Duquesne 52

UMass opened the game on an 11-point run en route to a 40-24 halftime lead. Monty Mack, who had 13 first half points, and Shannon Crooks, with 12, broke out of recent shooting slumps. Jonathon DePina hit a three pointer at the halftime buzzer to open the 16-point lead. Wayne Smith continued his offensive struggles, netting a single point in the first half.

If Duquesne had any hopes of getting back into the game, they got a cold slap in the face to start the second half. Perhaps believing they were Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, the Dukes surrendered the first 11 points of the second half to fall behind by 27. UMass substituted liberally for the remainder of the game to rest key players for tomorrow’s 2:00pm matchup with George Washington. Tomorrow’s game will be a rematch of a one-point GW win just a week ago. GW will try to push the tempo while UMass may try a change in strategy and slow the game down. Running with GW contributed to the loss last week, although UMass does not have the strong inside game they have had in prior years. The winner probably secures an NIT bid, while the loser will sit by the phone and hope.

St Joes 65 LaSalle 56

St Joes defeated LaSalle in a matchup of Big 5 teams. LaSalle opened the game strong, opening up leads of 9-0 and 25-12. The Explorers then went cold and led by 30-27 at halftime. A Julian Blanks three pointer extended the lead to 45-37, and LaSalle still held a 53-51 lead with less than 5 minutes remaining. But St Joes rallied behind a Mavin O’Connoer three, and a couple of minutes later Bill Philips hit a driving layup, was fouled and converted the free throw to extend the St Joe lead to 61-56 with a minute remaining. Phillips led St Joes with 20 points while N’aim Crenshaw added 16. The rest of the Hawks struggled converted just 8 of 30 field goals. St Joes dominated the battle on the glass by a 46-35 margin. The Hawks will meet Dayton in the second round. Dayton won the earlier meeting in Philadelphia 66-62, and will look to put a NCAA bid under lock and key with a win. The Hawks will present a strong challenge however. They play excellent defense on the perimeter. O’Connor and Crenshaw are excellent defenders and have the ability to take Tony Stanley and Brooks Hall out of their games. St Joes also has the ability to score inside with Phillips, Damian Reid and Andre Howard, all of whom are strong rebounders and go to the offensive glass. Offensively the Hawks try to get penetration for O’Connor and Crenshaw. Unfortunately for the Flyers, they have struggled on the defensive glass and denying penetration the last few games.

To win Dayton will have to shut down O’Connor and Crenshaw, and limit St Joes to one shot. If the do both, and limit turnovers, the Flyers should be playing again on Friday.

A subpar effort could make for a long and nervous weekend. Conference tournament play has not been kind to the Flyers and a loss could make them look like one of numerous bubble teams.

Xavier 75 Rhode Island 60

Xavier coasted into a quarter final game against St Bonaventure with an uninspired victory over the hapless Rams. The Musketeers were led by David West’s career high 24 points. He also added 11 rebounds. Maurice McAfee and Darnell Williams each added 15. Xavier totally overwhelmed Rhode Island on the inside, frequently getting 3 and 4 shots per possession. The final rebounding margin was 42-24, and Xavier totaled 18 offensive rebounds. The Rams compounded their problems by committing 26 turnovers.

The biggest negative in the game for Xavier is that it didn’t turn into the “bye” they had hoped for. Poor first half shooting limited the halftime lead to 11, and the starters all played significant second half minutes. Xavier next plays St Bonaventure. A loss to the Bonnies almost certainly ends the Musketeers faint NCAA at-large hopes, while the Bonnies chances will be severely damaged if not eliminated.