Let The Conference Season Really Begin!

On this New Year's Eve, some teams have a conference game in the books. For others, this weekend marks the beginning of conference play. The push to a top seed for the Atlantic 10 Tournament in early March begins in earnest as the calendar pushes to 2017.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 31ST:

Richmond 70, Saint Joseph's 52
Saint Louis 106, Davidson 69
Dayton 77, UMass 65
George Mason 52, St. Bonaventure 49

SUNDAY JANUARY 1ST:

VCU 61, La Salle 56
George Washington 75, Duquesne 40
Fordham 74, Rhode Island 69

HOLIDAY HOOPS: Final Non-Conference Action Before 2017

Atlantic 10 teams are getting in their final non-conference tests before fully turning their attention to what will prove to be one of the most unpredictable conference seasons in Atlantic 10 history. We'll keep you posted on scores and schedules as we approach the turn to conference play and to 2017! (NOTE: Bold, italized game is conference game).

WEDNESDAY 12/21:

Wake Forest 60, VCU 54
Buffalo 68, St. Bonaventure 47
Dayton 77, Old Dominion 69 (Florida Sunshine Classic, Winter Park, FL)
La Salle 78, Delaware State 38
Charlotte 93, Davidson 79
#14 Stanford 71, George Washington 62
#4 Maryland 77, Duquesne 57
Saint Louis 72, Missouri 61

THURSDAY 12/22:

Fordham 92, Niagara 69
Hofstra 75, Saint Joseph's 64

FRIDAY 12/23:

George Washington 74, Loyola (MD) 64

TUESDAY 12/27:

Florida International 58, UMass 57 (FIU Holiday Classic, Miami)
Drexel 82, George Mason 71 (FIU Holiday Classic, Miami)
Richmond 54, Morgan State 37

WEDNESDAY 12/28:

Drexel 65, UMass 47 (FIU Holiday Classic, Miami)
George Mason 67, Florida International 51 (FIU Holiday Classic, Miami)
La Salle 64, UMKC 59
St. Bonaventure 78, Rhode Island 69
Dayton 82, Liberty 53 (Cavalier Classic, Charlottesville, VA)
James Madison 85, Saint Joseph's 72

THURSDAY 12/29:

Buffalo 58, Fordham 54 (Fordham Holiday Classic, Bronx, NY)
VCU 85, Brown 72
Duquesne 63, Pitt 54
Mercer 67, Davidson 60
Virginia 66, Dayton 56 (Cavalier Classic, Charlottesville, VA)
Saint Louis 83, Lipscomb 38

FRIDAY 12/30:
Fordham 55, UNC Asheville 42 (Fordham Holiday Classic, Bronx, NY)

Weekend Scoreboard

The first Atlantic 10 conference game took place Thursday night as the 2014 champions, Fordham, knocked off the 2016 runner-up Duquesne 64-51. By Sunday night, over half of the teams in the conference will have had one conference game. (NOTE: Conference games noted with "*")

THURSDAY DECEMBER 1:
Fordham 64, Duquesne 51*

FRIDAY DECEMBER 2:
George Washington 81, VCU 67*
Dayton 61, Morgan State 42

SATURDAY DECEMBER 3:
Ohio 64, Duquesne 46
East Tennessee State 76, Davidson 56
Brown 76, Rhode Island 65
Saint Louis 78, Eastern Kentucky 51
Villanova 62, Saint Joseph's 54
Richmond 63, Liberty 54 (Navy Classic, Annapolis, MD)

SUNDAY DECEMBER 4:
George Washington 72, Illinois 56
George Mason 66, UMass 55*
Fordham 56, Boston College 49
Cleveland State 69, Richmond 65 (Navy Classic, Annapolis, MD)
La Salle 54, Dayton 51
Bryant 62, Rhode Island 56 (Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament)

Washington, Alston Lead The Way In Weekly Honors

GW’s Caira Washington and La Salle’s Jasmine Alston Named A-10 Women’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week

Massachusetts’ Leidel Earns Rookie of the Week Honors

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — George Washington’s Caira Washington and La Salle’s Jasmine Alston were named the Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week while Massachusetts’ freshman Hailey Leidel earned Rookie of the Week honors. The awards, announced Monday, were for games played Nov. 21-27.

Alston recorded the fourth triple-double in college basketball this season in Saturday's win over Miami (OH) with 15 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists. For the week, the senior guard from Long Island City, N.Y., averaged 13.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists as the Explorers went 2-0 in the UNCW Thanksgiving Classic to share the tournament title with Providence. Her 18 rebounds on Saturday were a career-high and she followed that performance with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists in win over UNC Wilmington on Sunday.

Washington converted on 68 percent of her field goals and posted three consecutive double-figure scoring efforts to lead the Colonials to a 2-1 weekend at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. The senior forward from Brandywine, Md., opened her weekend with a strong performance against #11/18 Syracuse posting her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds as GW's furious comeback attempt fell just short. She also dished out three assists with two blocks against the Orange. Washington hit 7-of-10 field goals for 14 points and pulled down eight boards in Saturday's win over Florida Gulf Coast before finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks against Western Kentucky. For the week, she averaged 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game along with 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks.  

Leidel helped UMass win a pair of games surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday with victories over Central Connecticut State and Merrimack. The freshman guard from Browstown, Mich., averaged 21 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the week. In the win over CCSU, Leidel scored 16 points with four rebounds and a season-high seven assists. She followed that with a season-high 26 points, her second 20-point game of the year, in the win over Merrimack. Against the Warriors she hit 9-of-12 field goals including 4-of-6 three-pointers while collecting eight rebounds and handing out four assists.

Atlantic 10 Weekly Honor Roll

Davidson’s Mackenzie Latt averaged 15.5 points per game and five rebounds during Davidson's two games vs. Toledo and Idaho State at the Cancun Challenge last week. Davidson freshman Ally Welling recorded a season-high five points and eight rebounds coming off the bench against Toledo…Duquesne’s Chassidy Omogrosso was named to the Cal Classic All-Tournament team after averaging 19.5 points over two games and recording five 3-pointers against California…Fordham’s G’mrice Davis had a career-setting weekend as she pulled down 17 rebounds against Texas Tech on Friday followed by 21 rebounds against Grambling State on Sunday…Kara Wright averaged 13 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals in three games for George Mason last week. Mason freshman Sarah Kaminski scored a career-high 17 points in a 79-75 loss at Towson on Sunday…Massachusetts’ Maggie Mulligan had a career week in leading UMass to a 2-0 record with wins over Central Connecticut and Merrimack. The junior averaged 24 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 51.4 percent (18-of-35) from the floor and 92.3 percent (12-of-13) from the free throw line… Rhode Island’s Charise Wilson scored 26 points, had six rebounds and dished out six assists in the Rams’ win over Fairfield…Richmond’s Janelle Hubbard carried the Spiders to the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament title this weekend by averaging 24.0 points per game over two games, including a 30-point effort in the championship game against FAU. Richmond freshman Jaide Hinds-Clarke averaged 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Spiders last week in wins over Florida A&M and FAU…St. Bonaventure’s Mariah Ruff led the Bonnies to a 2-0 record at the UCF Thanksgiving Classic with wins over Austin Peay and Rider averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 13-23 (.565) overall and 5-7 (.714) from three-point range. Freshman teammate Jalisha Terry averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game for the week…Saint Joseph’s Chelsea Woods led the Hawks to a 2-1 record this week and posted a career-best performance against New Mexico on Saturday with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting with 10 rebounds and six assists…Saint Louis Jordyn Frantz shot .542 (13-of-24) from the field and averaged 14.5 points per game for the Billikens.

THANKSGIVING WEEK SCOREBOARD

Monday November 21:
George Mason 60, Norfolk State 33

Tuesday November 22:
IUPUI 71, VCU 62 (OT)
Buffalo 71, Duquesne 69
#2 Connecticut 98, Dayton 65
Fordham 89, Albany 82 (2 OT)
Saint Joseph's 57, Penn 53

Wednesday November 23:
Rhode Island 72, Fairfield 65
UMass 76, Central Connecticut State 37
Saint Louis 71, Morgan State 43
Stephen F. Austin 77, George Mason 76

Thursday November 24:
Toledo 76, Davidson 41
VCU 68, American 62

Friday November 25:
Georgia Tech 81, Dayton 68 (Junkanoo Jam, Bahamas)
Texas Tech 59, Fordham 50 (Miami Thanksgiving Tourney)
Richmond 64, Florida A&M 51 (Florida Atlantic Tournament)
Idaho State 70, Davidson 58 (Cancun Challenge, Mexico)
Duquesne 65, Western Carolina 50 (Cal Classic, Berkeley, CA)
BYU 71, Saint Joseph's 56 (Thanksgiving Classic, Albuquerque, NM)
#11 Syracuse 74, George Washington 71 (Gulf Coast Showcase, Florida)
VCU 68, Villanova 66 (San Juan Shootout, Daytona Beach, FL)

Saturday November 26:
La Salle 79, Miami (OH) 70
St. Bonaventure 58, Austin Peay 57
Little Rock 56, Saint Louis 43
Creighton 56, Dayton 53
California 86, Duquesne 66
George Washington 76, Florida Gulf Coast 47
Richmond 77, Florida Atlantic 67
Saint Joseph's 79, New Mexico 67

Sunday November 27:
St. Bonaventure 60, Rider 47
Towson 79, George Mason 75
La Salle 64, UNC Wilmington 48
UMass 73, Merrimack 44
Fordham 59, Grambling State 53
George Washington 68, Western Kentucky 49

THE WEEK: November 14-20

Here's a look at score and schedules as this first full week of non-conference action is underway!

MONDAY NOVEMBER 14TH:
Temple 86, La Salle 70
#1 Notre Dame 67, Fordham 36 (Preseason WNIT)
UMass 70, North Dakota State 58

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15TH:
Toledo 65, Rhode Island 60
Minnesota 79, VCU 69
George Mason 64, LIU-Brooklyn 48

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16TH:
Central Florida 57, Davidson 38
George Washington 77, Coppin State 46
Virginia 63, Richmond 56
Canisius 74, St. Bonaventure 57
Iona 58, Saint Joseph's 57
Dayton 83, Wisconsin 64

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17TH:
Saint Louis 90, SIU-Edwardsville 49
Duquesne 71, St. John's 65
Rider 74, La Salle 61

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18TH:
Arizona 81, George Mason 70
William & Mary 67, Richmond 39
Penn 75, Rhode Island 43

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19TH:
Dayton 62, Princeton 56 (OT)
Fordham 65, Little Rock 43
Iowa 71, UMass 30
Duquesne 61, Iona 58
VCU 66, Campbell 53
Radford 44, Davidson 40
Delaware 43, St. Bonaventure 40

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20TH:
George Washington 72, Villanova 69
La Salle 63, American 59
Rhode Island 78, Samford 63
Saint Louis 68, Bradley 58
Richmond 55, Appalachian State 46
UMass 59, Montana 58

OPENING WEEKEND: 2016-17 SEASON

It's time to tip off the 2016-17 Atlantic 10 women's basketball season! Here is the schedule of games beginning with the season opener right here in RVA!

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11TH:
VCU 73, Coppin State 44
#7 Ohio State 89, Duquesne 69
#14 Syracuse 95, Rhode Island 49
Saint Louis 79, UC Irvine 69
Niagara 65, St. Bonaventure 43
Michigan State 70, Davidson 34
Fordham 60, Furman 47 (Preseason WNIT)
George Mason 70, Radford 56
Georgetown 68, George Washington 57
Lafayette 56, La Salle 49 
Temple 86, Saint Joseph's 70
Buffalo 61, UMass 47

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13TH:
George Washington 56, Princeton 45
Western Michigan 76, Davidson 63
St. Bonaventure 70, Colgate 57
Delaware 67, George Mason 51
Bucknell 64, Saint Joseph's 61
Duquesne 63, Lehigh 49
Quinnipiac 63, Dayton 60
Columbia 65, Richmond 58
Rhode Island 82, Marist 61
Saint Louis 90, Loyola Marymount 76

Atlantic 10 Media Day Wrap-Up

CLICK HERE to read our story, published on the Atlantic 10 website, on the sights and sounds of Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Media Day 2016 held Tuesday at the Richmond Marriott, including news on the enhanced tournament format this season, extensive national television coverage, and the preseason poll!

Let the season begin!

Media Day 2016-17

The fourteen Atlantic 10 coaches are in Richmond on this Tuesday for their annual Atlantic 10 Conference Media Day at the Richmond Marriott. RVA Sports Network is, again, on scene, talking with all the coaches to get you ready for the season which begins November 11th.

The Atlantic 10 Tournament returns to the Richmond Coliseum March 3rd to 5th with a new format that sees early round games take place February 25th and 26th on campus sites before the final eight teams descend on the River City for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship game.

Bookmark this website for updates on all fourteen teams as the season begins and all year long for the most comprehensive coverage of not only Richmond and VCU, but all fourteen league teams to get you ready for the best weekend of women's college basketball in Virginia, the Atlantic 10 Tournament!

2016-17 Regular Season Approaches!

We here at RVA Sports Network are gearing up for our fourth season of coverage of Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball as "The Road To RVA" begins in one month for fourteen conference teams wanting to lift the 2017 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tournament championship trophy high at the Richmond Coliseum.

There were major coaching changes in the offseason, including at traditional power Dayton and at defending champion George Washington. Lots of great players have graduated, while new freshmen look to make their mark.

RVA Sports Network begins our coverage Tuesday, October 25th as the conference's coaches converge on Richmond for Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Media Day. We'll have interviews, previews and much more as the regular season approaches!

Thoughts About The 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship....

We have put a wrap on thirteen games in 94 hours, and George Washington has successfully defended their Atlantic 10 Championship at the Richmond Coliseum. Now, as we close our third season of Atlantic 10 women's basketball coverage, some musings from the tournament, looking ahead as well.

1) CHANGING OF THE GUARD: It was weird to have Quarterfinal Friday without Dayton and Saint Joseph's. By the same token, it was fun to watch VCU and Saint Louis reach their first Atlantic 10 semifinal round, and Duquesne play for their first tournament championship.

2) THE JONES FACTOR: Jonquel Jones is very special. Cleared to return to George Washington early this week, head coach Jonathan Tsipis brought her off the bench in all three games for the Colonials, mindful of the chemistry developed by the team in the final six weeks of the regular season, allowing for the growth of players such as Kelli Prange and Brandi Cummings, who made major contributions Sunday in the title game.

How special is Jones? She was one rebound shy of three consecutive double-doubles in the tournament, including an eleven-point, nine-rebound performance in just thirteen minutes in the quarterfinal win over George Mason. Some WNBA Draft prognosticators have Jones going in the first round, others the second. If she slides to round two, it would be a travesty.

3) A DIFFERENT ROAD: The Colonials will be a totally different team in this year's NCAA Tournament due to the adversity, and necessary adjustments made during Jones' absence. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Caira Washington is even more of a force than she was a year ago, plus Lauren Chase can defend an opponent's best player into submission. We look forward to watching them.

4) DUKES HAVE FULLY ARRIVED: Duquesne is even further along in 2016 than George Washington was in 2014 when they were poised to take the "championship step". Had the Dukes shot even 25 percent from the field in the fourth period Sunday, the Dukes would have cut down the nets for the first time. The ability of head coach Dan Burt and his staff to recruit internationally is nothing short of incredible. Three of their best players hail from Hungary, Estonia and Norway, respectively.

Duquesne has the goods to win in the NCAA Tournament, too. How did in-state and ACC teams let April Robinson, the Conference Co-Player of The Year, from West Springfield High School in Northern Virginia, get away to Pittsburgh? The Dukes will miss her, along with Deva'Nyar Workman and Emilie Gronas as they graduate, but return Amadea Szamosi, and two impressive freshman: Kadri-Ann Lass, named to the All-Tournament Team, and Chassidy Omogrosso, getting ready to be their next great guard.

As for the other teams in the conference, a note on each one:

SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens were the team that impressed us most in 2015, and they proved us right, ending the regular season as co-champions with a 13-3 record, just one poor shooting period short of a championship appearance. They should be in the NCAA Tournament, but likely won't, the victim of not being in a "Power Five" conference. If they do go to the WNIT, head coach Lisa Stone can use it as the catapult to the next level for this team. They lose Jamesia Price and Denisha Womack to graduation, but return Co-Player of The Year Jackie Kemph, plus Jenny Vliet, Sadie Stipanovich, Olivia Jakubicek, Aailyah Covington and Madison Gits. That's a mighty powerful nucleus for 2017.

VCU: In two years, the Rams have transformed from an offense-first team to a gritty team focused on defense, rebounding fueling transition towards the basket. For head coach Beth O'Boyle, it's paid off in major ways. VCU will get a WNIT berth as well. They will miss Adaeze Alaeze and Jessica Ogunnorin, but everyone else returns, including Keira Robinson, Curteeona Brelove, and Ashley Pegram, who had a fantastic tournament. Question: why can't Ram Nation fill up the Siegel Center at least one time to see these ladies? If they can sell out Siegel Center 83 straight times for the men, they can come watch these Rams, too.

ST. BONAVENTURE: The team with the most disappointing weekend had to be the Bonnies, who fought for the regular season title, entered as the fourth seed, and exited after one game. Head Coach Jim Crowley apologized to the fans who had made the trip to Richmond only to see his team fall to VCU by nine points in the quarterfinals. The Bonnies will hope to make noise in the WNIT to send Katie Healy, Emily Michael and Nyla Rueter off to graduation with better memories than the ones they made in Richmond. They also will count on Mariah Ruff, Miranda Drummond and Gabby Richmond to start anew next season.

FORDHAM: What a gutsy performance by Samantha Clark in her swan song with the Rams in the quarterfinal loss to Duquesne. Clark was a key piece to the 2014 tournament championship puzzle here in Richmond and will be sorely missed. But Danielle Burns and Hannah Missry do return for their senior seasons, and we say look out for Lauren Holden, who just completed her freshman season with a very impressive performance in tournament play. She has the potential to be a future First Team All-Conference player, and, Fordham's future.

DAYTON: After St. Bonaventure, the Flyers experienced the most disappointing trip to RVA. Head Coach Jim Jabir, just a year removed from an Elite Eight appearance against eventual National Champion Connecticut, found himself befuddled at the season just ended in the postgame press conference following their second round loss to George Mason. He said the program would be looked at from "the secretary to myself". But he also pronounced himself immediately excited about getting to the next season. Injuries decimated the Flyers this year, and now Amber Deane, Kelley Austria and Jodie Cornelie-Sigmundova depart to the real world. Freshman Lauren Cannatelli is a bright spot for the future, joining sophomore Jenna Burdette in the backcourt next year. Saicha Grant-Allen will need to step up in the paint.

GEORGE MASON: The Patriots are in a much better position going into this offseason as opposed to 2015, when their tournament appearance was one loss while several players were suspended due to rules violations. A win over Dayton, under any circumstance, is a signature win for a team that's only been in the league three years. Head Coach Nyla Milleson loses high-scoring guard Taylor Brown and inside force Kristi Mokube, but plenty return, and recruiting looks good, even here in the Richmond area, where she has commitments from Cam Gatling of Highland Springs and, in 2017, Jaiden Morris of defending 4A State Champion Monacan.

RHODE ISLAND: Of all the underclassmen that appeared at a press conference following a loss at the tournament, Charise Wilson looked the most determined to make a negative become a positive, the most ready to get back on the court immediately. The sophomore joins Dominique Ward as the key returnees for the Rams next season. But losing Tayra Melendez, Symone Bullard and Samantha Tabakman, the league's most improved player this season, is going to be hard to overcome. The third season for head coach Daynia La-Force will be challenging.

RICHMOND: The Spiders were beset by injuries as well, so much so that head coach Michael Shafer has talked about how the team had to literally reinvent themselves at mid-season. The guard tandem of Micaela Parson (Monacan) and Janelle Hubbard will return outside, while Karleigh Wike, Salita Greene and Alicia Hudalla (Glen Allen) return inside. Recruiting will be key this year. A full season without a major injury setback, such as Olivia Healy with her knee injuries in the past few seasons, would go a long way to helping the Spiders get back into the competitive mix next season. A full year with Lauren Tolson and Healy, for example, and the Spiders likely aren't near their 5-11 league mark. Credit the Spiders, though, for not packing it in when things looked bleak six weeks ago, playing some of their best basketball down the stretch.

MASSACHUSETTS: No one dreamed a month ago that the Minutewomen would ever come to Richmond and leave a very, very positive impression. At one point, they were 0-11 in conference play. Then UMass went on a roll, winning their last five conference games, including victories over St. Bonaventure, Dayton and Rhode Island. They lose Rashida Timbilla, but will return guards Cierra Dillard and Bria Stallworth, who both had strong play this past week, forward Kymber Hill, and intriguing center Maggie Mulligan, who showed in the tourney she has the tools to become an inside force. Add Alyssa Lawrence inside, too, and, amazingly, UMass has the opportunity to improve as much as Saint Louis did this year. They won't fight for the conference title, but a winning season and a Top Eight tournament seed would be a huge improvement.

SAINT JOSEPH'S: Expectations are always high on Hawk Hill. But going into this offseason, there is also some concern. The Hawks lost in the second round as the #7 seed, the first time they were one and done in the tournament since 2009, and now say goodbye to Cierra Andrews and Sarah Fairbanks. Head Coach Cindy Griffin will turn to a player from each returning class, freshman Alyssa Monaghan, sophomore Chelsea Woods, and junior Kathleen Fitzpatrick to take the leadership reins. The team had several bench injuries, and, just like Dayton and Richmond, could right the ship with lucky in the injury department. A strong recruiting class is a necessity. Don't bet, however, against Griffin, who has a history of winning with 273 victories in 15 seasons. She won't be down for long.

DAVIDSON: Now two seasons into their Atlantic 10 tenure, the Wildcats have an even better idea of what it takes to compete at this level. Hopefully, they have been recruiting for players capable of competing at this level. Mackenzie Latt and Diona Johnson lead returnees.

LA SALLE: Frankly, the Explorers have huge issues. They only managed five victories all season. They only lose center/forward Ebony Wells, so virtually everyone important returns. But even with that, will there be changes in the program? Will head coach Jeff Williams return? In his six seasons, the Explorers have never had a winning season, 15-15 their best finish two years ago. No matter what happens, La Salle hopes to rebuild with junior Jasmine Alston, sophomore Amy Griffin and junior Micahya Owens leading the way.

ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT COVERAGE

RVA Sports Network is the official provider of game recaps to the Atlantic 10 during this year's conference tournament at the Richmond Coliseum. We will provide final scores and links to articles here throughout the tourney!

Just click on the score to go to the recap article and keep up-to-date on the tournament at the Richmond Coliseum from RVA Sports Network.

REMINDER: Live tweet updates at all tournament games at @TheRVASportsNet on Twitter!

FIRST ROUND: #13 Richmond 70, #12 Davidson 51

FIRST ROUND: #11 UMass 81, #14 La Salle 65

*****
SECOND ROUND: #9 George Mason 66, #8 Dayton 62

SECOND ROUND: #5 VCU 62, #13 Richmond 42

SECOND ROUND: #10 Rhode Island 81, #7 Saint Joseph's 76

SECOND ROUND: #6 Fordham 73, #11 UMass 62 (OT)

*****
QUARTERFINAL: #1 George Washington 78, #9 George Mason 48

QUARTERFINAL: #5 VCU 59, #4 St. Bonaventure 50

QUARTERFINAL: #2 Saint Louis 70, #10 Rhode Island 59

QUARTERFINAL: #3 Duquesne 70, #6 Fordham 65

*****
SEMIFINAL #1: #1 George Washington 72, #5 VCU 58

SEMIFINAL #2: #3 Duquesne 56, #2 Saint Louis 52

*****
CHAMPIONSHIP: #1 George Washington 63, #3 Duquesne 60

Annual Awards Announced

A-10 Announces Top Women’s Basketball Awards

Duquesne’s April Robinson & Saint Louis’ Jackie Kemph Named Co-Players of the Year

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Duquesne’s April Robinson and Saint Louis’ Jackie Kemph have been named the Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Basketball Co-Players of the Year, while SLU’s Lisa Stone was selected as Coach of the Year by her peers.

Dayton’s Jodie Cornelie-Sigmundova was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while Lauren Cannatelli received Rookie of the Year honors. Duquesne’s Deva’Nyar Workman was named Sixth Woman of the Year and Rhode Island’s Samantha Tabakman was named the league’s Most Improved Player by the conference’s 14 head coaches.

The major awards, the 15-member All-Conference teams, the All-Academic, All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams were selected in advance of the 2016 Women’s Basketball Championship, which begins Wednesday at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va.

Robinson led Duquesne in scoring at 15.3 points per game, which ranked seventh in the Atlantic 10. She was second in the A-10 in assists averaging 6.6 per game and led the league in assist to turnover ratio (2.7). She also ranks in top 10 of the conference in steals (1.9), 3-point field goals made per game (2.1), defensive rebounds per game (5.5) and minutes played per game (34.7).

Kemph was the leading scorer for Saint Louis this season averaging 16.4 points per game, which ranks 4^th in the A-10. Kemph is also the A-10 leader in assists (7.1 per game) and ranks second in assist to turnover ratio (.2.2).

In just her third season at the helm for the Billikens, Lisa Stone led the Billikens to a 23-6 overall record and a 13-3 record in the A-10. The Billikens finished the in a three-way tie for the top of the A-10 standings with Duquesne and George Washington. Saint Louis has established new program record for wins and conference wins this season.

Cornelie-Sigmundova led the A-10 in blocked shots averaging 3.6 blocks per game on the season. She currently ranks fourth in the NCAA in blocked shots per game.

Following her first season at Dayton, Cannatelli averaged 10.6 points per game as a freshman. She was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on two different occasions during the year.

Workman averaged 13.6 points and 9.1 rebounds along with shooting 38.7% from 3-point range while coming off the bench this season for Duquesne. Workman played in 25 of Duquesne’s 29 games, but only started 11 games.

Tabakman picked up the Most Improved honors this season after increasing both her scoring average and rebounding average from last season. She upped her scoring from 8.8 to 13.3 and her rebounding from 5.9 to 8.8. She also led the A-10 in field goal percentage (.561) and started every game this season for the first time in her career.

The major awards, All-Conference, All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams are selected by vote of the league’s 14 head coaches. The All-Academic team is selected by the women’s basketball sports information directors.

2016 Atlantic 10 Tournament Seeds Clinched

The brackets ARE READY for The 2016 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tournament which begins Wednesday afternoon at the Richmond Coliseum.

RVA Sports Network will bring you exclusive coverage of ALL thirteen games from tip to trophy on Sunday afternoon, March 6th.


FIRST ROUND (Wednesday March 2nd):
Game 1: #13 Richmond vs. #12 Davidson, 4:30pm
Game 2: #14 La Salle vs. #11 UMass, 7pm

SECOND ROUND (Thursday March 3rd):
Game 3: #9 George Mason vs. #8 Dayton, 11am
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. #5 VCU, 2pm
Game 5: #10 Rhode Island vs. #7 Saint Joseph's, 4:30pm
Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. #6 Fordham, 7pm

QUARTERFINALS (Friday March 4th):
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. #1 George Washington, 11am
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. #4 St. Bonaventure, 2pm
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. #2 Saint Louis, 4:30pm
Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. #3 Duquesne, 7pm

SEMIFINALS (Saturday March 5th):
Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 11am
Game 12: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 1:30pm

CHAMPIONSHIP (Sunday March 6th):
Semifinal Winners, 12pm

NOTE: Get tickets for the any session or the entire tournament by CLICKING HERE!

ONE WEEK TO TOURNAMENT TIME IN RVA!

(NOTE: Tip to Trophy coverage of the 2016 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tournament from RVA Sports Network begins Wednesday, March 2 at 4:30pm on Twitter at @TheRVASportsNet and here on our #A10WBB website!)


We know a few things, and await to discover many others, with just two conference games left in the regular season and the 2016 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tournament just a week away at the Richmond Coliseum.

WHAT WE KNOW:

--Duquesne, St. Bonaventure, George Washington, and Saint Louis will, in some order, be the four teams to occupy the top four slots in the final conference standings, and thus, receive double byes to the tournament quarterfinals which are on Friday.

--La Salle will play in one of Wednesday's first round games, either at 4:30pm or 7pm.

--VCU became the fifth Atlantic 10 team with 20 wins with their defeat of George Mason on Senior Night at Siegel Center.

--Dayton will finish with its first non-winning record in Atlantic 10 play since going 7-7 in the 2008-09 regular season. They must beat Fordham Sunday at home for a .500 season at 8-8.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW:

--Who will win the conference regular season title? Duquesne will if they win their final two games, but if they lose one, and Sunday is on the road at St. Bonaventure, all bets are off, and there could be co-champions.

--The order of the top four seeds that receive double byes to the quarterfinals.

--VCU has clinched the #5 seed by virtue of their 74-59 win at Davidson on Saturday. Richmond, Rhode Island, or Davidson, currently tied for tenth, will finish anywhere from ninth to twelfth as all three lost Wednesday night.

REMAINDER OF REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:

WEDNESDAY 2/24:
VCU 65, George Mason 34
George Washington 55, Richmond 53 (F/OT)
Fordham 77, St. Bonaventure 68
Saint Josephs 86, Davidson 54
UMass 71, Rhode Island 64
Saint Louis 55, Dayton 52
Duquesne 74, La Salle 49

SATURDAY 2/27:
VCU 74, Davidson 59
Saint Joseph's 59, Richmond 57
George Washington 73, George Mason 66
UMass 80, La Salle 57
Saint Louis 77, Rhode Island 60

SUNDAY 2/28:
Duquesne at St. Bonaventure, 1pm
Fordham at Dayton, 5pm

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY SCOREBOARD:

WEDNESDAY:
Richmond 52, Fordham 48
VCU 49, Rhode Island 36
St. Bonaventure 69, George Washington 67 (OT)
UMass 76, Dayton 69
La Salle 75, Saint Joseph's 70

THURSDAY:
Saint Louis 84, Duquesne 81

Two Weeks Until Tournament....

The 2016 Atlantic 10 Tourney begins two weeks from Wednesday, March 2nd, at the Richmond Coliseum. If the tournament began today, here's what it would look like:

FIRST ROUND (Wednesday March 2):
Game 1: #13 La Salle vs. #12 Richmond, 4:30pm
Game 2: #14 UMass vs. #11 Davidson, 7pm

SECOND ROUND (Thursday March 3):
Game 3: #8 George Mason vs. #9 Rhode Island/Saint Joseph's, 11:30am
Game 4: La Salle/Richmond winner vs. #5 Fordham, 2pm
Game 5: #10 Saint Josephs/Rhode Island vs. #7 Dayton, 4:30pm
Game 6: UMass/Davidson winner vs #6 VCU, 7pm

QUARTERFINALS (Friday March 4):
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. #1 George Washington, 11:30am
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. #4 Saint Louis, 2pm
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. #2 Duquesne, 4:30pm
Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. #3 St. Bonaventure, 7pm

SEMIFINALS (Saturday March 5):
Winners of Games 7 and 8, 11am
Winners of Game 9 and 10, 1:30pm

CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday March 6, 1pm

********

COMING THIS WEEK:

--VCU must battle both Rhode Island (Wednesday) and conference leader George Washington (Saturday) on the road. The Colonials seem to have found a stride even without Jonquel Jones.

--Trying to leap over VCU in the standings is Dayton, who lost head-to-head at home to VCU earlier this season. The Flyers are at UMass, who shocked St. Bonaventure over the weekend, Wednesday afternoon, then host Duquesne, who still hold hopes of winning the regular season championship crown, on Sunday.

--Can Richmond use the momentum from their win Sunday over VCU as they welcome Fordham Wednesday and travel to George Mason Saturday?

GAME(S) OF THE WEEK:
George Washington at St. Bonaventure, Wednesday, 7pm--Two of the top four teams in the conference collide...
Duquesne at Saint Louis, Thursday, 8pm--Two of the top four teams in the conference collide...

SCHEDULE: February 10--15

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10TH:
Davidson 67, Richmond 59
St. Bonaventure 80, Saint Louis 59
La Salle 66, UMass 57
Saint Joseph's 61, Fordham 51
Dayton 81, George Mason 58
Duquesne 61, Rhode Island 56

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 13TH:
UMass 69, St. Bonaventure 60
Fordham 54, La Salle 44
George Mason 68, Rhode Island 65
Duquesne 73, Saint Joseph's 59

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 14TH:
Richmond 62, VCU 50
George Washington 72, Dayton 62

MONDAY FEBRUARY 15TH:
Saint Louis 88, Davidson 51

WEEKEND ACTION:

SATURDAY:
Fordham 50, Rhode Island 42
George Mason 64, UMass 59
Saint Joseph's 64, La Salle 55

SUNDAY:
St. Bonaventure 25, Richmond 15, End 1Q (Comcast SportsNet)
Duquesne at VCU, 1pm
Davidson at Dayton, 2pm
Saint Louis at George Washington, 2pm

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY FINALS:

WEDNESDAY:

VCU 61, Fordham 51
Rhode Island 80, UMass 79
St. Bonaventure 65, Saint Joseph's 51
George Washington 79, Davidson 60
Dayton 67, La Salle 51

THURSDAY:

Duquesne 65, Richmond 44
Saint Louis 61, George Mason 50

Headlines: Week's Schedule, Injuries, More.....

The winter storm got us a bit behind, so let's update you on the latest happenings across the Atlantic 10 Conference as we approach the midway point of the regular season.

--Monday's VCU/Richmond game, moved from Sunday due to the weather, as well as moved to the Siegel Center, was won by the Rams 53-42 despite a 23-point performance from Richmond's Micaela Parson. Parson, a Monacan High School graduate, is averaging 12.9 points per game and is one of only two Spiders to start all 19 games this season (Janelle Hubbard), one filled with injury issues for Richmond.

--No word yet on when reigning Atlantic 10 Player of The Year Jonquel Jones of George Washington will return to action. Jones injured her shoulder in a victory over UMass a week ago and missed Friday's Colonials win over George Mason before the storm. George Washington is at Davidson on Wednesday.

Speaking of Wednesday, here's the schedule:

Rhode Island (3-3, 9-9) at UMass (0-6, 6-12), 12pm
Fordham (3-3, 8-11) at VCU (3-4, 14-6), 7pm
Dayton (2-5, 9-9) at La Salle (0-6, 3-16), 7pm
George Washington (7-0, 17-3) at Davidson (3-4, 9-11), 7pm
Saint Joseph's (3-4, 9-10) at St. Bonaventure (6-1, 17-3), 7pm

Here's the rest of the week's schedule:

THURSDAY:
Duquesne (5-1, 17-2) at Richmond (2-4, 9-10), 7pm
Saint Louis (6-1, 16-4) at George Mason (3-4, 8-12), 7pm

SATURDAY:
Rhode Island at Fordham, 2pm
Saint Joseph's at La Salle, 2pm
UMass at George Mason, 2pm

SUNDAY:
Richmond at St. Bonaventure, 12:30pm, (TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic)
Duquesne at VCU, 1pm
Saint Louis at George Washington, 2pm
Davidson at Dayton, 2pm

Jones Powers To Player Of The Week Honors....

(From The Atlantic 10....)

George Washington senior Jonquel Jones was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week while Dayton freshman Lauren Cannatelli earned the league’s Rookie of the Week honors.  The awards were announced Mondayfor games played Jan. 11-17.

Jones led GW to a pair of wins over A-10 rivals La Salle and Duquesne this week averaging 18.5 points, 17.0 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game. She tallied 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks in the Colonials' 83-59 win over La Salle on Wednesday, then followed with another double-double - her NCAA-best 15th of the season - with 24 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocked shots at #25 Duquesne. Her seven blocked shots set a Palumbo Center record for rejections as the Colonials defeated the Dukes, 70-52, to snap their 15-game winning streak. The Freeport, Bahamas, native leads the nation with 15.4 rebounds per game.  

Cannatelli averaged 16.5 points per game shooting 11-of-24 (.458) from the field and 6-of-16 (.375) from beyond the arc in Dayton’s two games last week. Against VCU on Wednesday, she scored 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting followed by a 21-point performance against Saint Louis where she was 4-of-11 from 3-point range. The freshman guard from Cincinnati, Ohio is averaging 8.4 points per game on the season.

Atlantic 10 Weekly Honor Roll

Dakota Dukes helped Davidson go 1-1 for the week averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, while shooting 57.9 percent to go with four assists and four blocks. The senior tallied her fourth double-double of the season on game highs of 18 points (7-for-10 shooting) and 11 rebounds against VCU ... Davidson freshman Justine Lyon had nine points, five rebounds and three assists in a road victory over VCU on Sunday … Duquesne’s Kadri-Ann Lass had 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in a loss against George Washington on Sunday… Fordham senior Samantha Clark averaged 13.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in the Rams' two home victories over George Mason and Saint Joseph's this week. Clark ranks second in the A-10 in double-doubles with eight on the season … George Mason’s Kristi Mokube recorded a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds in 66-54 loss to Fordham … Freshman forward Chinyere Bell came off the bench to average 7.5 points and three rebounds for George Mason against Fordham and St. Bonaventure ... La Salle freshman Adreana Miller averaged 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in two games last week … Rhode Island’s Samantha Tabakman scored a career-high 30 points and had 10 rebounds in a 79-70 loss to No. 25 Duquesne. For the week, she averaged 21.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks … Freshman Amari Johnson had seven points, four rebounds and two steals in the Rams’ victory over La Salle … Richmond’s Janelle Hubbard moved into 16^th place all-time on the Richmond scoring list (1,104 points) after recording scoring performances of 25 points and 32 points last week … Richmond freshman Salita Greene averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds last week. She scored nine points and contributed four rebounds in the Spiders' win over UMass and picked up her first career double-double in the matchup opposite Saint Joseph's with 10 points and 11 rebounds … Nyla Rueter became the 21^st player in St. Bonaventure history to reach 1,000 career points following a game-high 16 points in a win at Davidson on Wednesday. She added 14 points and five rebounds against George Mason on Saturday … Aaliyah Covington of Saint Louis posted a career high 21 points (tied game high), four 3-pointers (4-of-8), eight rebounds and seven free throws made in just 22 minutes in a win over Dayton on Saturday.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD:

Some teams, even in mid-January, are in must-win mode to keep the top of the conference standings in sight. Here's a look at Saturday and Sunday action with scores updated as they go final. Three big games are being televised on Sunday, including VCU's home encounter with Davidson.

Remember, the 2016 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tournament is March 2nd through 6th at the Richmond Coliseum!

SATURDAY:
St. Bonaventure 70, George Mason 55
Richmond 74, UMass 68
Rhode Island 72, La Salle 61
Saint Louis 70, Dayton 56

SUNDAY:
Davidson 56, VCU 50
George Washington 70, Duquesne 52
Fordham 47, Saint Joseph's 40
Davidson (1-3, 7-10) at VCU (2-2, 13-4), 6pm (CBS Sports Network)

WEDNESDAY SCOREBOARD

A full slate of action on this chilly Wednesday across the Atlantic 10 as teams will hit the quarter pole after tonight's conference play!

Fordham 66, George Mason 54
Saint Joseph's 64, Richmond 53
VCU 74, Dayton 72
#25 Duquesne 79, Rhode Island 70
Saint Louis 69, UMass 49
George Washington 83, La Salle 59
St. Bonaventure 59, Davidson 47

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD

SATURDAY:
Rhode Island 57, Richmond 50

SUNDAY:
Duquesne 55, Fordham 40
Saint Joseph's 66, VCU 63
Saint Louis 79, Davidson 50
George Washington 62, Dayton 61
George Mason 79, La Salle 70
St. Bonaventure 66, UMass 41

THURSDAY FINALS:

Saint Louis 77, VCU 72

Duquesne 72, George Mason 56

St. Bonaventure 55, Fordham 41

WEDNESDAY FINALS:

Dayton 60, Richmond 48
Saint Joseph's 62, UMass 58
George Washington 68, Rhode Island 52
Davidson 66, La Salle 58