Written by: Ryan Cunningham

Twitter: @R_Cunningham04

Twitter: @wingspansports (follow for all your sports information; we follow back)

Most games from this week were within a few possessions. Let’s see how they went.

Dayton 65, Davidson 64: UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio

Dayton (10-11, 4-5 A-10) squeaked by Davidson (10-9, 5-3 A-10) after almost losing their lead at the end. Trey Landers led the Flyers with 16 points and four rebounds. Josh Cunningham added 15 points and six rebounds. The Wildcats were led by Peyton Aldridge with 24 points and seven rebounds. Jon Axel Gudmundsson added 14 points and four assists. With 3:09 left in the game, Aldridge hit a three to make it a one-point game. During Davidson’s next possession, Kellan Grady hit a jumper to take the lead, 59-58. Next possession, Darrell Davis hit a shot for the Flyers, regaining the lead by one. Then, Aldridge hit a jump hook in the post. Davidson was leading by one. Jalen Crutcher then hit a three for the Flyers, putting them up by two with under a minute left. A stop by Dayton and free throws eventually put the game away. UD Arena is a very tough place to play. The Flyers should never be underestimated at home. This loss for Davidson snapped a five-game winning streak. Click HERE for highlights. Anthony Grant’s postgame interview can be seen HERE.

VCU 75, Saint Louis 74 (OT): Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri

It took overtime to decide a tough game between VCU (14-8, 6-3 A-10) and Saint Louis (11-11, 4-5 A-10). The Rams were led by Justin Tillman with 25 points and 12 rebounds. De’Riante Jenkins added 10 points and 4 assists. D.J. Foreman and Javon Bess both had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Billikens. Saint Louis got no scoring help from the bench. The Billikens had a nine-point lead with 7:16 left in the game, then VCU went on a small run to get within three with 15 seconds to go. It was then when Jenkins hit a buzzer beater to tie the game at 61 heading to overtime. Tillman, who had six of his 25 in overtime, hit a layup to go up by four with 1:25 left in OT. Jordan Goodwin had a three-point play to cut the deficit to one for Saint Louis. The next possession, Mike’l Simms, had a three-point play himself to go up 72-68 for VCU. This was a good win for the Rams in a tough environment. Click HERE for highlights.

Richmond 77, Duquesne 73 (OT): Palumbo Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Richmond (8-13, 6-3 A-10) continued their hot streak as they took down a good Duquesne (14-8, 5-4 A-10) team in overtime. The Spiders were led by Nick Sherod with 28 points and six rebounds. Grant Golden added 21 points and nine rebounds. Duquesne was led by Eric Williams Jr. who had 25 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. At one point early in the second half, Richmond had a 16-point lead over the Dukes. With a 20-5 run, Duquesne got right back in it. Golden’s three-point play put the Spiders up with two with about 15 seconds remaining. For Duquesne, Smith came down the court and hit a layup to send the game into overtime. In OT, the game was tied with 32 seconds left when Nick Sherod hit a jumper for Richmond to go up by two. Then, a steal by De’Monte Buckingham caused a foul. Buckingham hit two free throws to end the game. Click HERE for highlights.

#24 Rhode Island 78, Fordham 58: Rose Hill Gym, Bronx, New York

Rhode Island (17-3, 9-0 A-10) had their first game as a ranked team against Fordham in the Big Apple last Wednesday. Andre Berry led Rhody with 20 points in only 21 minutes. Jared Terrell added 17 points and five assists. Fordham was led by Will Tavares with 17 points. With 5:14 left in the first half, the game was tied at 22. An 8-0 run opened the game up a bit for Rhode Island. Fordham gave all they had in this one. Rhode Island ended up with a nine-point lead at the break. Fordham never got the lead under nine in the second half, keeping Rhode Island undefeated in A-10 play. Click HERE for highlights.

St. Bonaventure 70, St. Joseph’s 67: Reilly Center, Olean, New York

In a very contentious game, St. Bonaventure (14-6, 4-4 A-10) held off St. Joseph’s (9-11, 4-4 A-10) for their second straight win. Courtney Stockard led the Bonnies with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and also committed seven turnovers. Jaylen Adams added 16 points. James Demery led the Hawks with 13 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Nick Robinson added 13 points. The first half was back and forth for the entire 20 minutes, tied at 33 at the half. Despite Bona taking a 52-40 lead six minutes into the 2nd half, St. Joe’s went on a 16-2 run to take the lead with 9:26 to go in the game. A Jaylen Adams layup with 19 seconds left put the Bonnies up by two, eventually leading to a three-point win. St. Bonaventure out-rebounded St. Joe’s 46-33. Click HERE for highlights. Watch Mark Schmidt’s postgame press conference HERE.

La Salle 87, Massachusetts 72: Tom Gola Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

After going up by 20 at the half, La Salle (9-12, 3-5 A-10) held on to take down Massachusetts (10-12, 3-6 A-10). The A-10’s leading scorer, B.J. Johnson, led his squad with 26 points and six rebounds. Amar Stukes added 22 points and four assists for the Explorers. For the Minutemen, Luwane Pipkins had 25 points and three rebounds. Malik Hines added 11 points and seven rebounds. La Salle, who had five players in double figures, shot 55% from the field. This game wasn’t ever close. UMass has now dropped three in a row. Rashaan Holloway was ruled out for the year due to academic problems and they continue to struggle without him. Click HERE for highlights. Watch Dr. John Giannini’s postgame press conference HERE.

#24 Rhode Island 61, Duquesne 58: Ryan Center, Kingston, Rhode Island

Duquesne (14-8, 5-4 A-10) really played Rhode Island (17-3, 9-0 A-10) tough. E.C. Matthews led the way for the Rams with 20 points. Jared Terrell added 12 points and five rebounds. Rene Castro-Caneddy led the Dukes with 16 points. Eric Williams Jr. added nine points and 10 rebounds. The Rams were on upset alert when Duquesne had a six-point lead at the half. The Dukes made it very tough for Rhode Island to score. Duquesne started out the second half on a 9-0 run, making the score 38-23 with 16:14 left in the game. With 6:01 left, E.C. Matthews tied the game with a free throw. With 28 seconds left, Eric Williams Jr. tied the game with a layup, giving Rhode Island a chance to win in their last possession. At the buzzer, Stanford Robinson made a three in the left corner to secure a three-point win, and to stay undefeated in the A-10. Click HERE for highlights.

VCU 84, George Mason 76: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia

VCU (14-8, 6-3 A-10) continued their winning streak with a nice win on the road over George Mason (9-12, 3-5 A-10). Khris Lane, who averages eight points per game, put up 25 points and 12 rebounds in only 25 minutes of play. Justin Tillman added 18 points and 11 rebounds; this combo can be deadly, especially on the offensive boards. For Mason, Otis Livingston II put up 23 points in the loss. Jaire Grayer added 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Rams out-rebounded George Mason 50-27, including 22 offensive rebounds for VCU. George Mason just doesn’t have the size to compete with teams that have dominant big men. The Patriots have dropped their last three games. Watch the VCU postgame press conference HERE.

Fordham 82, Massachusetts 69: Rose Hill Gym, Bronx, New York

Fordham (7-14, 2-7 A-10) picked up their 2nd conference win when they took down Massachusetts (10-12, 3-6 A-10), who have lost their fourth straight. Prokop Slanina, a Czech Republic native, had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Rams. Joseph Chartouny added 16 points and 13 assists, including three threes. Luwane Pipkins led the Minutemen with 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Carl Pierre added 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists. The problem for UMass right now is depth. They only had six guys who played over 20 minutes, which is tough to do on the road. Fordham is no different, playing with six guys as well. The Rams shot 55.8% from the field, including 12/25 (48.0%) from three. They also had 26 assists on 29 made baskets. Click HERE for highlights.

Saint Louis 75, Dayton 65: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri

After a heartbreaking loss to VCU, Saint Louis (11-11, 4-5 A-10) bounced back with nice win over Dayton (10-11, 4-5 A-10). Javon Bess led the Billikens with 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Jalen Johnson added 16 points for Saint Louis. Josh Cunningham led Dayton with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Saint Louis who averages about five threes per game, hit 9 out of 18 attempts in the win. The difference in this one was free throws. The Billikens were 20/25 (80%) from the line. Chaifetz was rocking on Saturday with the students back on campus, making it a very tough environment for the Flyers. Click HERE for highlights.

Pennsylvania 67, Saint Joseph’s 56: The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In what is known as one of the “Big Five” games, Pennsylvania (13-6, 7-3 Ivy) beat St. Joe’s (9-11, 4-4 A-10) in the rival game. UPenn was led by AJ Brodeur with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Antonio Woods added 11 points. Shavar Newkirk put up 19 points for the Hawks. James Demery added 12 points and six rebounds. St. Joe’s really struggled to shoot it in this one. They shot 21/68 (30.9%) from the field. UPenn out-rebounded the Hawks 51-36.

St. Bonaventure 70, George Washington 52: Reilly Center, Olean, New York

St. Bonaventure (14-6, 4-4 A-10) won their second in a row taking down the Colonials of George Washington (9-12, 2-6 A-10). Matt Mobley led the Bonnies with 24 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Jaylen Adams struggled a bit but still put up 13 points and eight assists. Yuta Watanabe led the Colonials with 13 points, six rebounds, and five blocks. Terry Nolan added 12 points. George Washington came out firing, jumping to an early 13-5 lead. St. Bonaventure got it together a bit and took a 26-21 lead at the half. The Bonnies lead by as much as 22 in the second half, leading to a good win for them. Click HERE for highlights.

Richmond 66, Davidson 63: Belk Arena, Davidson, North Carolina

Richmond (8-13, 6-3 A-10) continued their hot streak with a tough road win over Davidson (10-9, 5-3 A-10). Grant Golden led the Spiders with 24 points and five rebounds. Jacob Gilyard added 14 points and four assists. This freshman duo has been a huge part of their five-game winning streak. Jon Axel Gudmundsson led the Wildcats with 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Peyton Aldridge added 18 points and five rebounds. Richmond’s match-up zone made it difficult for Davidson to run their offense at a high level. This was Richmond’s fifth win in a row as they look to continue their winning streak at home on Saturday. Click HERE for highlights.

Conference Standings as of 1/30/18:

#22 Rhode Island 17-3 (9-0) Richmond 8-13 (6-3) VCU 14-8 (6-3) Davidson 10-9 (5-3) Duquesne 14-8 (5-4) St. Bonaventure 14-6 (4-4) St. Joseph’s 9-11 (4-4) Saint Louis 11-11 (4-5) Dayton 10-11 (4-5) George Mason 9-12 (3-5) La Salle 9-12 (3-5) Massachusetts 10-12 (3-6) George Washington 9-12 (2-6) Fordham 7-14 (2-7)

Games this week:

1/30: #22 Rhode Island @ Massachusetts 6:30PM on CBSSN

1/31: La Salle @ Davidson 7PM on Stadium

1/31: Duquesne @ George Washington 7PM on A-10 Network

1/31: St. Bonaventure @ George Mason 7PM on Stadium

1/31: Saint Louis @ St. Joseph’s 7PM on A-10 Network

2/2: #22 Rhode Island @ VCU 7PM on ESPN2

2/3: Dayton @ Massachusetts 2PM on NBC Sports Boston

2/3: Davidson @ George Washington 4PM on NBC Sports Washington/A-10 Network

2/3: St. Joseph’s @ La Salle 4PM on CBSSN

2/3: George Mason @ Richmond 4:30PM on NBCSN

2/3: St. Bonaventure @ Duquesne 6:30PM on NBCSN

2/3: Fordham @ Saint Louis 8PM on A-10 Network