The second round of the A-10 tournament is complete and eight teams have punched their ticket into the quarterfinals, while four others had their season ended in the Nation’s Capital.
On day two of the A-10 Tournament, all of the higher seeds advanced to the quarterfinals. But that does not mean that it was not an exciting day inside Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Game 1: No. 8 St. Bonaventure 64, No. 9 Duquesne 59
In the first game of the second round of the A-10 Tournament, Duquesne was trying to emulate their A-10 Tournament run from last season. For most of the game, it looked and felt like the Dukes would complete the first step of their bid for a repeat.
At halftime, Duquesne led St. Bonaventure by nine, and they continued their success into the early parts of the second half. With 13:35 to play, the Dukes grabbed a 13-point lead, their largest of the game.
But with that, the Bonnies started the comeback to keep their season alive and it all started on the defensive end.
Takeaway: St. Bonaventure is turning defense into offense
In the first half, the Bonnies forced five turnovers but capitalized on the majority of them with 9 points on those opportunities. While this was a good number for the low-scoring battle, the Bonnies stepped it up even more in the second, forcing 13 turnovers.
In the second half, St. Bonaventure scored 15 points off turnovers. This is even more impressive considering that the Bonnies only turned the ball over twice and did not give up a single point off of one of those turnovers.
“They dominated us on the glass. And we usually win the paint and we’re even in the paint,” coach Mark Schmidt said. “That’s why it was critical for us to win that points off turnovers.”
The 13-point comeback was fueled by points off turnovers as the Bonnies dominated in that category, 24-4 over the Dukes.
In the end, the Bonnies would lead for only 2:04 in the game but advanced to the A-10 Tournament quarterfinals to face VCU.
Game 2: No. 5 Saint Louis 83, No. 12 Davidson 75
After Davidson defeated Richmond in the first round on Wednesday, they did not pull from that momentum early in the contest. Saint Louis jumped out to an early 17-4 lead over the Wildcats.
But Davidson did not go away without a fight, after a 5-0 run at the end of the first half the Billikens only led by five. In a back-and-forth second half, Davidson’s Connor Kochera converted on a layup giving the Wildcats a one-point lead. This was immediately followed by a timeout from coach Josh Schertz and the turning point of the contest; a clipboard.
“Yeah, I broke a clipboard. I was a little agitated with our team. So we lost a clipboard today,” Schertz said.
Either way, the Billikens responded, earning themselves a date with Loyola Chicago in the A-10 quarterfinals.
Takeaway: A One-Two Punch: Swope and Jimerson
Throughout the season, the Billikens have been plagued with a short lineup. Four of the five traditional starters for the Billikens average more than 31 minutes per game. Wednesday’s rotation featured all five starters playing at least 32 minutes, with only Amari McCottry playing for more than four minutes.
However, with debatably the best trio in the A-10, Gibson Jimerson, Isaiah Swope, and Robbie Avila, coach Schertz can deal with the short lineup. While Davidson had an answer for Avila, they had nothing to combat the Swope and Jimerson duo. Those two combined for 51 points and 11 three-pointers.
“He’s [Isaiah Swope] as ignitable as a player as there is in college basketball, he’s incredibly clutch,” Scherz said. “He and Gibb [Gibson Jimmerson] with some of the shot-making down the stretch.”
The clutch shot-making came in the form of Swope and Jimmerson combining to score 16 points in a row for the Billikens. This turned a two-point deficit into a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining.
Saint Louis split the season series with Loyola Chicago, with Avila playing a huge role. If the three stars for the Billikens continue to shine, watch out for a Saint Louis run in the A-10 tournament.
Game 3: No. 7 George Washington 88, No. 15 Fordham 81
After yesterday’s upset win against Rhode Island, Fordham came into their second-round matchup with George Washington with all of the momentum. That showed, as the favored Revolutionaries could not pull away from the Rams, at the half GWU led 43-35.
In the second half, George Washington looked like they would pull away, as they extended their lead out to 13 points with nine minutes remaining. But the Rams made the switch to a zone defense and it gave the Revs trouble. Before you knew it the Rams were out front with two minutes remaining, that is until Trey Autry knocked down three straight triples for the Revs to put the game away.
Takeaway: The Revolutionaries can share the wealth
While Autry had a career-best performance with 23 points and 7 three-pointers, it was the balanced team attack that propelled the Revolutionaries into the quarterfinals. For the second consecutive game, which so happens to both be against Fordham, GWU has had four different players scoring in double figures.
The second-team all-conference performer Rafael Castro was next in line with 17 points, while Darren Buchanan and Jacoi Hutchinson were also in double figures. Three other Revolutionaries scored seven or more points, putting together a well-balanced attack.
This will be necessary for George Washington as they move on to face George Mason on Friday. So far this year, that has been one of the best defenses in the country. Ranked 21st in defensive efficiency according to KenPom and the Patriots have the second-best scoring defense in the A-10.
If George Washington wants to find itself in the A-10 semifinals for the first time since 2014, it will need another balanced offensive attack.
Game 4: No 6 Saint Joseph’s 75, No. 14 La Salle 70
La Salle entered the A-10 tournament after defeating Saint Joseph’s on the final day of the regular season. After beating UMass on Wednesday evening, La Salle was trying to ride the momentum against the well-rested team from Hawk Hill.
Both teams struggled on the offensive end in the first 10 minutes, due to poor shooting performances. In the first half, both teams shot under 40% from the field and it was Saint Joseph’s who led 36-27 at halftime.
Saint Joseph’s found their footing early in the second half and built their lead up to as many as 21 points with under four minutes to go. Even a late 17-2 run was not enough to extend La Salle’s head coach, Fran Dunphy’s coaching career by another game.
Takeaway: Saint Joseph’s paint domination
In Thursday’s win over La Salle, the eye test would show that the Hawks were the more physical squad, especially in the painted area. The Hawks scored 30 of their 75 points in the paint, which is not an incredible number, but when compared to the Explorers 16, it is dominant.
Saint Joseph’s limited La Salle’s opportunities around the rim. When the opportunities were there, almost every attempt was firmly contested. The Hawks also attacked on the defensive end in a very clean way, as they only sent the Explorers to the line 11 times, which was the difference in the game.
This also showed in the rebounding category, as the Hawks grabbed 46 boards which was 11 more than the Explorers. This translated into the offensive glass as well, as the Hawks grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, which is tied for the second most this season.
If the Hawks want to advance to the semifinals of the A-10 tournament, the painted area does not need to be the main focus. But, with Dayton’s struggles rebounding the basketball at times this season, physicality will need to be on display.
Next up for St. Bonaventure: 1. VCU at 11:30 a.m. EST on USA Network
Next up for Saint Louis: 4. Loyola Chicago at 2:30 p.m. EST on USA Network
Next up for George Washington: 2. George Mason at 5 p.m. EST on USA Network
Next up for Saint Joseph’s: 3. Dayton at 7:30 p.m. EST on Peacock
[…] Thursday’s second round, Saint Louis was led by Gibson Jimmerson and Isaiah Swope, who combined for 51 points in the win. […]