Outside of the action from the Massachusetts men’s basketball team, there was plenty of notable Atlantic 10 basketball being played this past week.
Milwaukee vs. Duquesne (11/19):
Starting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, winless reigning A-10 tournament champion Duquesne registered its fourth loss of the season, 80-74, as it played host to the Milwaukee Panthers.
Duquesne started out slow in the first half, while the Panthers got out to an early nine-point lead led by senior guard Kentrell Pullian and junior guard John Lovelace. From this slow start, Milwaukee took advantage, leading by double figures for a big part of the matchup. Duquesne fought back in the second half, taking the lead through Tre Dinkins and Jake Dimichele’s combined 41 points, but it was too little too late, as Pullian and the Panthers shut the door with a 15-5 run down the stretch.
Duquesne’s leading scorer, Dimichele, spoke after the game about how the talent is there but the chemistry is still brewing. “We have a completely new group of guys that are still trying to learn every day and gel with each other, I don’t think we have a talent issue at all,” Dimichele said.
The Dukes have a busy week coming up as they host Saint Peter’s and Delaware. They are still attempting to grab their first win of the campaign.
Dayton vs. New Mexico State (11/20):
Dayton started its season undefeated and continued that when New Mexico State came to town, defeating the Aggies 74-53.
The Flyers came into the matchup with wins over Saint Francis, Northwestern and more, but the undefeated Aggies presented a threat. New Mexico State got off to an unexpectedly hot start in a hostile environment, led by Peter Filipovity’s 15 points. Dayton, at home, was only up a point at the break.
The game opened up dramatically after halftime though, as the Flyers surged to a double-digit lead in the second half thanks to senior Nate Santos’ season-high 23 points. Santos also tied his career high in made threes with six, five of which came in the second half. Dayton outscored the Aggies by 20 points in the second half as they moved to 5-0 on the season.
That undefeated record is on the line as they head to Hawaii to take on the No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels Monday in the Maui Invitational.
VCU vs. Seton Hall (11/21):
VCU has become the odds-on favorite to win the A-10 conference in 2024-25. Those odds shrunk though, as the Rams took their first loss of the season 69-66 to Shaheen Holloway’s Seton Hall Pirates in the first game of the Charleston Classic.
There was a lot of positive energy in the air for VCU as it got back one of its big-time scorers in Zeb Jackson. That energy evaporated rapidly when a lackluster Seton Hall team took a commanding ten-point lead through the scoring of guard Chaunce Jenkins. The senior finished with 22 points and five rebounds. The returning Jackson willed his Rams back into the game with 15 points of his own, complimenting guard Max Shulga’s 20, as the game went into overtime. The Rams went 1-of-8 from the field in the extra period however, and Jenkins sealed it for Seton Hall with a go-ahead jumper late.
VCU will try to recover from its loss when it takes on Elizabeth City State at home on Friday night.
Other Notable Results:
Saint Joseph’s took down No. 24 Texas Tech 78-77 in the Legends Classic.
Loyola Chicago won a close one, 76-72 over Southern Utah.
Rhode Island toppled Lafayette on Wednesday, winning 86-72.
George Mason took care of business with a resounding victory over Coppin State 93-55.
Standings Update:
As each A-10 team continues non-conference play, Loyola, Dayton, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island and Davidson stay undefeated, while Duquesne remains the only winless team.
