Final Sunday of Regular Season!

By the end of Sunday's games, we'll know the pairings for the 2015 Atlantic 10 Tournament that tips Wednesday afternoon at the Richmond Coliseum!

SUNDAY FINALS:

Richmond 55, VCU 49
Saint Joseph's 67, La Salle 55
UMass 78, Rhode Island 70
Fordham 54, Davidson 46
George Washington 80, George Mason 45
Duquesne 51, St. Bonaventure 43
Dayton 95, Saint Louis 68

Opening round games of the tournament are at 4:30 and 7pm Wednesday evening!

Conference To Honor Doyle, Lewis and Moretti at Tournament Next Week....

A-10 to Honor and Recognize Moretti, Doyle and Lewis at the 2015 Championship

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- One year ago the Atlantic 10 lost three staff members that were closely connected to women’s basketball programs in the Conference, Brian Moretti, Ginny Doyle and Natalie Lewis.

Moretti, an Assistant Sports Information Director at St. Bonaventure, unexpectedly passed away from a heart condition on March 5. Then two months later on May 9, Doyle and Lewis, both members of the women’s basketball coaching staff at Richmond, were tragically lost in a hot air balloon accident.

In honor of their contributions to their institutions and respective women’s basketball programs, the Atlantic 10 has announced plans to pay tribute to all three during the Final of the 2015 A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship on March 8 at the Richmond Coliseum.

A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade and representatives from Richmond and St. Bonaventure will present a check to the family members of these three staff members. The Atlantic 10 Conference will donate a portion of ticket sales from the Women’s Basketball Championship to each memorial fund. A half-time presentation is planned for Sunday’s final game which tips off at 1:00 p.m. and will air live on ESPNU.

The scholarship fund in Moretti's name is at his high school alma mater, Cranston (R.I.) West, while the University of Richmond has established the memorial funds in the names of both Doyle and Lewis. Donations can be made to Brian Moretti’s scholarship fund by sending checks to the Rhode Island Foundation at 1 Union Station, Providence, RI 02903. In the memo section, please specify: Brian Moretti Fund.

Those wishing to make contributions to either the Doyle or Lewis memorial funds can send donations to the University of Richmond, 28 Westhampton Way, University of Richmond, Va. 23173.

Tickets for Sunday’s game and the entire 2015 A-10 Championship are now on sale. The championship, which includes all 14 A-10 teams, will be held at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va., from Wednesday, March 4 through Sunday, March 8. Tickets can be purchased by visiting richmondcoliseum.net. Tickets can also be bought at the Richmond Coliseum box office at 601 E. Leigh Street, by calling 804-780-4970 or by visiting ticketmaster.com.

Final Week of Regular Season! Schedules, scores and more....

Next week at this time, the weather will hopefully be warmer and all 14 Atlantic 10 teams will be in Richmond for the 2015 Women's Basketball Tournament!

Here's a continually updated look at the final week of the regular season:

WEDNESDAY:
Saint Joseph's 60, Duquesne 49
Fordham 79, George Mason 55
La Salle 66, St. Bonaventure 53
VCU 66, Davidson 63

THURSDAY:
George Washington 81, Richmond 69 (OT)
Dayton 69, UMass 60
Rhode Island 68, Saint Louis 53

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With a week of play (two games) to go, our projected tournament bracket (NOT official) looks like this (bold means seed is clinched):

Byes to Quarterfinals:
1) George Washington
2) Dayton
3) Duquesne
4) Fordham

Opening Round Wednesday:
12) St. Bonaventure vs. 13) UMass (Game 1)
11) La Salle vs. 14) Davidson (Game 2)

First Round Thursday:
8) Saint Joseph's vs. 9) VCU (Game 3)
5) Richmond vs St. Bonaventure/UMass winner (Game 4)
7) Saint Louis vs. 10) George Mason (Game 5)
6) Rhode Island vs. UMass/Davidson winner (Game 6)

Quarterfinal Friday:
1) George Washington vs. Game 3 Winner
4) Fordham vs. Game 4 Winner
2) Dayton vs. Game 5 Winner
3) Duquesne vs. Game 6 Winner

Weekend Scores and Analysis....

Everyone is down to their final three games as the race to get the best seed possible for the 2015 Atlantic 10 Tournament reaches its zenith. Starting Saturday, a nine-day period will determine who plays Wednesday in the opening round and who gets a bye to Quarterfinal Friday at the Richmond Coliseum!

Saturday Scores:
St. Bonaventure 72, Davidson 56
George Washington 83, Fordham 65
Saint Joseph's 61, Richmond 59
Saint Louis 82, George Mason 59

Sunday Schedule:
VCU 65, UMass 43
Duquesne 60, Rhode Island 50
Dayton 91, La Salle 49

ANALYSIS:
1) Davidson is expected to be the 14th seed in the tournament, playing in the second opening round game on Wednesday March 4th at 7pm.

2) Above Davidson are an astounding seven teams playing to avoid three seeds: #11, #12, and #13. A week ago, it looked as if the likes of UMass, St. Bonaventure and La Salle were on their way to playing Wednesday evening. But each have picked up key victories, have watched the likes of VCU and George Mason fall through the standings to know just one game ahead of the trio mentioned before them.

Let's see how the schedule treats each team down the stretch:

7) Saint Louis (6-7): vs. George Mason, at Rhode Island, vs. Dayton
8T) VCU (5-8): vs. UMass, at Davidson, vs. Richmond
8T) George Mason (5-8): at Saint Louis, vs. Fordham, at George Washington
8T) Saint Joseph's (5-8): vs. Richmond, vs. Duquesne, at La Salle
11T) St. Bonaventure (4-9): vs Davidson, vs La Salle, at Duquesne
11T) La Salle (4-9): at Dayton, at St. Bonaventure, vs. Saint Joseph's
11T) UMass (4-9): at VCU, at Dayton, vs. Rhode Island

At first glance, VCU looks to have the "easier" path out of the #11-#13 seeds, but only if they can break their current five-game losing streak Sunday hosting UMass. The Minutewomen will also be desperate for victory, so the Siegel Center Sunday could be wild. It most certainly will be the following Sunday when Richmond arrives for the traditional regular season finale.

Saint Louis is the only team to beat George Washington, so why not Dayton? That game, to end the regular season, is in Saint Louis. George Mason can be defeated, so the Billikens have an outside chance at a winning season, a better chance at a .500 mark.

The schedule-maker did Saint Joseph's no favors, ending their season with both Richmond and Duquesne, then a Big 5 trip in Philly against La Salle. It's possible the Philly showdown winner March 1st gets a bye to First Round Thursday, and the loser does not.

UMass may have the toughest road, having to go to both VCU and Dayton before heading home for Senior Day March 1st against the surprise team of the season, Rhode Island.

We'll be following this race, as well as the race for the conference regular season title and the top four seeds, who get double-byes to quarterfinal Friday, as the regular season quickly comes to a conclusion!

Six Games on Wednesday Slate.....UPDATED WITH FINALS

Two weeks from today, the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tournament tips off at the Richmond Coliseum! Six critical games on the docket Wednesday evening as the race for the top four seeds continue, while other teams try to avoid the opening round on Wednesday evening (seeds 11-14).

George Washington 65, VCU 57
Duquesne 58, Richmond 51 (OT)
UMass 60, Davidson 49
Dayton 59, Fordham 45
Saint Joseph's 82, George Mason 61
St. Bonaventure 57, Saint Louis 55

THURSDAY:
La Salle 47, Rhode Island 45....

NOTES:

---As of before Wednesday play, Dayton would be the #2 seed in this year's tournament, while Fordham and Duquesne are fighting for the third seed.

--George Mason enters Philadelphia on an important two-game win streak in the conference, now two full games ahead of the teams currently in the #11-#14 seeds. The Patriots, only in their second year of Atlantic 10 play, were in the lone opening round game of last year's tourney, winning in overtime.

--Saint Joseph's, however, a perennial league power, has fallen on hard times this season and need a win to stay within the top ten of the league tonight against George Mason.

--Tonight could be Richmond's last best chance to keep hope alive for a #4 seed. A win in Pittsburgh over the Dukes would tie the Spiders with Duquesne at 9-4. Couple that with a possible Dayton win at Fordham, and there could be a three-way tie for third by night's end.

--VCU desperately needs a conference win, but must host league leader George Washington. Once 5-3 and fighting in the top five in the conference, the Rams have lost four straight and now are tied for eighth.

--Could Daynia La-Force, in her first season at Rhode Island, be the Atlantic 10 Coach of The Year? A win Thursday at home over La Salle would give the Rams an 8-5 conference mark and the team's 16th win of the season. Rhode Island is currently in sixth place after finishing last year 2-14 in league play (11th place), 7-23 overall after being eliminated in the first round of the 2014 Tournament.

Weekend Finals....

The homestretch gets underway as we are just 19 days away from the 2015 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tournament at the Richmond Coliseum! Here is the lineup of games for this weekend...

SATURDAY:

George Mason 86, VCU 79
Duquesne 69, UMass 49
Saint Louis 77, Davidson 59
Richmond 72, La Salle 60

SUNDAY:

Dayton 82, Saint Joseph's 64
George Washington 70, St. Bonaventure 48
Rhode Island 71, Fordham 56

Wednesday Finals....

Saint Louis 79, George Washington 61 (Colonials' 19-game win streak snapped, 1st A-10 loss)
Dayton 79, Richmond 41
UMass 85, George Mason 76 (OT)
Rhode Island 63, Saint Joseph's 61 (OT)
Duquesne 72, La Salle 66

WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE...

Game previews can be found at the links below....

George Mason (4-6, 12-11) at UMass (2-8, 8-14), 11:45am
Richmond (7-3, 15-8) at Dayton (8-2, 17-5), 7pm
Duquesne (7-3, 15-8) at La Salle (3-7, 12-11), 7pm
Saint Joseph's (4-6, 8-14) at Rhode Island (5-5, 13-9), 7pm
George Washington (10-0, 21-2) at Saint Louis (4-6, 11-12), 7pm

NOTES:

--George Washington will open up a full two-game lead on idle Fordham with a win in St. Louis tonight. The Colonials have won 19 straight games.

--George Mason looks to continue to right their ship, for a second straight win in the conference in the matinee in Amherst. UMass is in desperate need of a win if they hope to avoid the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament come Wednesday, March 4th at the Richmond Coliseum.

--Richmond looks to split their season series with Dayton, having lost to the Flyers at the Robins Center on January 28th 76-62. With a victory, the Flyers would tie idle Fordham for second place with five league games to go. A Richmond win either keeps them tied for fourth place with Duquesne if they defeat La Salle in Philadelphia, or gives them fourth place alone. The top four finishers in the conference earn byes to Quarterfinal Friday at the Tournament.

--Saint Joseph's is in a three-way tie for eighth place with George Mason and Saint Louis. Head Coach Cindy Griffin's Hawks are fighting, as well as the Patriots and Billikens, to avoid that opening round on Wednesday at the Tournament as well. After 22 games just a year ago, the Hawks were 17-5.

WEEKEND SCORES.....

SATURDAY:
La Salle 71, UMass 69
Richmond 75, Saint Louis 72 (OT)
Duquesne 83, VCU 47

SUNDAY:
George Washington 67, Dayton 56
St. Bonaventure 73, Rhode Island 59
Fordham 48, Saint Joseph's 47
George Mason 63, Davidson 60

Tournament Quarters To Be Televised!

A-10 Reaches Agreement with American Sports Network to Air Women’s Basketball Quarterfinals

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference has reached an agreement with the American Sports Network (ASN) to nationally broadcast the quarterfinals of its 2015 Women’s Basketball Championship live from Richmond, Va.

ASN is distributed nationwide to approximately 43.4 million households through Sinclair Broadcasting Group stations. Additional distribution may be secured in partnership with select regional sports networks. Individual affiliates vary by game. Within the A-10 footprint, Sinclair stations are located in Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Columbus, Cincinnati, Asheville, N.C., Norfolk, Va., Harrisburg, Pa., Greensboro, N.C., Buffalo, N.Y., Richmond, Va., Albany, N.Y., Dayton, Ohio, Roanoke, Va., Toledo, Ohio, Rochester, N.Y., Syracuse, N.Y., Johnstown, Pa. and Steubenville, Ohio.

ASN will produce the four quarterfinal games on Friday, March 6 at the Richmond Coliseum. The first contest of the day tips-off at 11:00 a.m. and will feature the top-seed versus the winner of the game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds that will be played the day before. Other quarterfinal games will follow at approximately 2:00, 4:30 and 7:00 p.m.

The four games on ASN follow a previously announced television package that includes the semifinals on CBS Sports Network on Saturday, March 7 at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and the championship game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 8 on ESPNU. First and second round games will be streamed live on the A-10 Network through Atlantic10.com and A-10 mobile apps.

The A-10 will be just one of six conferences to have their women’s basketball championship quarterfinals broadcast on national television this season.

The A-10 sits sixth as a league in the latest RPI rankings (2/2). The Atlantic 10 has five teams in the top 100 including Dayton (12), George Washington (17), Duquesne (71), Fordham (87), and Richmond (95).

Earlier this season, Atlantic 10 Conference teams posted a combined non-conference winning percentage of .614 which is the third highest in league history. It also marked the highest winning percentage against non-league foes since 2002-03 when teams notched a .607 mark.

The championship, which includes all 14 A-10 teams, will be held from Wednesday, March 4 through Sunday, March 8. Tickets can be bought at the Richmond Coliseum box office at 601 E. Leigh Street, by calling 804-780-4970 or by visiting ticketmaster.com.

Monday Notes: Players of The Week; GW into AP Top 25

Congratulations to Dayton's Ally Malott for being named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Monday. Malott averaged 23 points in her two games this past week, along with 10.5 rebounds.

Mackenzie Lott of A-10 newcomer Davidson was named Rookie of The Week. Lott recorded her eighth double-double of the season against Saint Joseph's on Saturday.

Click HERE for more on these honors.

Congratulations also go out to the George Washington Colonials, who enter the Associated Press Top 25 Monday at #24, their first AP ranking since 2008. The Colonials, who have won 17 straight games and lead the Atlantic 10 with an 8-0 mark, have spent the past two weeks in the USA Today poll at #24.