Outside of Amherst, there were two notable Atlantic-10 men’s basketball games taking place.
Providence vs. Rhode Island (12/7):
On Saturday, Rhode Island’s Sebastian Thomas delivered the shot heard round the world when he hit a dagger 3-pointer to beat the Providence Friars 69-63 in a sold-out Ryan Center. Thomas finished with 19 points along with four assists.
This game was a battle of adversity for the Rams (9-0) as they endured a couple of Friar runs early, being down as many as 10 points. Providence’s (6-4) Bensley Joseph was a big part of that first half as he finished the game with 16 points.
Rhode Island’s head coach Archie Miller needed to help the team regroup as the Friars held a 13 point lead going into the intermission. Coming out of the half, Thomas made his mark on the game taking difficult shot after difficult shot.
“Right now my confidence is at an all-time high, and I’m making shots like that,” Thomas said. It showed as he powered the Rams to victory, outscoring Providence by 13 points in the second half. The play that made every highlight reel and ended any Friar hope was when Thomas stole the ball late and hit a high-arcing step-back-3 to bring the house down in Kingston.
This is Rhode Island’s best season start in more than 70 years, but this one comes just a bit sweeter in an incredibly meaningful victory in the battle of the Ocean State. They stay undefeated and take on another Providence foe in Brown University on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
La Salle vs. Saint Joseph’s (12/7):
The A-10 conference tipped off in dramatic fashion on Saturday in Philadelphia, where Saint Joseph’s defeated the La Salle Explorers 82-68 in the Big 5 Classic. The guard tandem of Xzayvier Brown and Erik Reynolds II combined for 45 points to fuel the Hawks (6-3, 1-0 A-10) to victory.
The matchup started on the defensive side with Saint Joseph’s and La Salle (6-4, 0-1 A-10) playing intense basketball. The Explorers were held to 2-of-10 shooting to start as the first half was filled with tiny runs from both teams.
Reynolds II was a standout performer early as he kept the Hawks ahead on the scoreboard. La Salle wasn’t far behind as the first period of play ended with the Explorers only down four.
However, La Salle’s forward Demetrius Lilley, who returned to his hometown of Philadelphia, went down with an injury after his strong 12 point performance in the first half. Saint Joseph’s took advantage of this and put out one of the better shooting displays seen this season. It connected on nine of its first 12 shots in the second half and never looked back.
Reynolds II made history in his fabulous performance, moving into sixth on the Hawk’s all-time scoring list with 1,755 career points, passing the legendary Craig Amos (1988-92).
Saint Joseph’s won the first A-10 conference matchup of the season and were victorious in the Big 5 Classic championship game. La Salle now prepares for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday, Dec. 14 and the Hawks host Charleston on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Other Notable A-10 Results:
Richmond got trounced by No. 2 Auburn 98-54 on Sunday as it moves to 4-5 on the season.
St. Bonaventure stayed rolling as it collected its third straight win against Buffalo 65-55.
Dayton defended its home court against Lehigh, winning 86-62 as it prepares for No. 6 Marquette next.
George Mason survived the Green Wave of Tulane and won 76-64 at home, making it five straight.
A-10 Standings Update:
Saint Joseph’s stands alone at the top of the conference standings, while La Salle rides solo at the bottom. In overall rankings, the Rams and Loyola remain the only undefeated teams left in the A-10. Besides the Hawks, Fordham, Richmond and UMass, every other team remains unbeaten at home.
Zeke Altman can be reached at [email protected].
