All the comings and goings of Atlantic 10 men’s basketball.
Galloway, Putney, Holton earn weekly honors
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.—The Atlantic 10 has selected La Salle junior guard Ramon Galloway and Massachusetts sophomore forward Raphiael Putney as its Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week. Rhode Island freshman forward Jonathan Holton was chosen as the league’s Rookie of the Week. The trio earned the awards Monday for games played during the week of Jan. 23-30.
Galloway averaged 21.5 points and 7.0 assists in a pair of wins for the Explorers. He scored a career-high 28 points on 11-of-12 (70.8 percent) shooting against George Washington, including 6-of-7 (85.7 percent) from beyond the arc. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists versus the Colonials. The Philadelphia, Pa., native recorded a 15-point, 10-assist double-double at Duquesne, shooting 50 percent from the field (6-of-12) and from 3-point range (2-of-4). He scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half at Duquense to spark a nine-point comeback and the tallied a traditional 3-point play to put La Salle in front for good in the closing minutes.
Putney tallied a double-double in a win over Saint Louis, Massachusetts’ only game of the week. He scored 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting (64.3 percent) and 3-of-5 (60.0 percent) from 3-point range. A Woodbridge, Va., native, he grabbed 10 rebounds on the defensive end and recorded five steals. He scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half, including 10 points that spurred a UMass run and gave the Minutemen a 19-point lead at the end of the first half.
Bonnies take down Richmond, maintain share of A-10 lead
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y.- St. Bonaventure (12-7, 5-2 Atlantic 10) scored the game’s first 10 points and led wire to wire in a 62-47 win over Richmond (12-10, 3-4) at the Reilly Center.
With the victory, the Bonnies (12-7, 5-2 A-10) maintain a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference lead with Massachusetts (16-5, 5-2) and La Salle (16-6, 5-2).
St. Bonaventure’s 5-2 start in A-10 play in the best since the 2000 team posted the same mark through seven games, while the team’s 12-7 overall record is tops since 2001-02.
Galloway scores career-high 28 as Explorers beat GW
PHILADELPHIA – Junior Ramon Galloway led the Explorers with a career-high 28 points, including 21 in the first half, as La Salle posted its 11th win at Tom Gola Arena this season, defeating George Washington, 78-63, on Wednesday evening to tie the Gola record for most wins in the building in a single season.
The Explorers (15-6, 4-2 A-10) are undefeated at home this winter and have won 13 consecutive games at Gola Arena dating back to last season. The victory moves La Salle into a five-way tie for first place in the Atlantic 10.
“We’re obviously thrilled,” said head coach Dr. John Giannini. “We bet a good, veteran team that was on a three-game winning streak.”
Fordham rebounds with win over GW
Bronx, N.Y. – It’s not often that a collegiate head basketball coach quotes Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his postgame press conference but Fordham’s Tom Pecora did so today, comparing his team, which entered a home game today with George Washington coming off consecutive road losses (each by more than 40 points), to the little girl in Wadsworth’s There Was a Little Girl.
“We’re like the little girl with the curl,” said Pecora paraphrasing Wadsworth. “When we’re good, we’re very good and when we’re bad, we’re very bad.”
After the back-to-back road losses, the Rams were happy to return to the friendly confines of the historic Rose Hill Gym, a venue where they have lost just twice all season. And that didn’t change today as Branden Frazier scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Rams to a 63-58 Atlantic 10 win over George Washington University.
Resiliency has helped UMass stay the course
AMHERST – The University of Massachusetts men’s basketball team prides itself on its collective short memory.
“We just try to think about the next game. It’s better to look forward and get prepared,” said sophomore guard Chaz Williams, whose team plays Saint Louis at home on Saturday.
“It takes some growing up to move past a tough game. I had some of that growth in high school.”
Temple’s T.J. DiLeo earns Marketing degree in 3 1/2 years
PHILADELPHIA – Redshirt junior guard T.J. DiLeo of the Temple men’s basketball team is one of 15 Owl student-athletes to participate in commencement exercises during the month of January. DiLeo, a Capital One Academic All-District nominee, participated in his commencement exercises today (Jan. 27) at the Liacouras Center and is the only one of the 15 to earn his diploma in 3 1/2 years.
DiLeo, a key reserve for the 14-5 Owls, is currently enrolled in Temple’s Fox School of Business pursuing a master’s degree in marketing. He is one of two current Temple men’s basketball players who have already earned undergraduate degrees, joining center Micheal Eric, who completed his bachelor’s degree in advertising in May, 2011. Eric is pursuing his master’s degree in adult and organizational development.
Dunphy, Martelli both winners in what truly matters
PHILADELPHIA – Basketball, like virtually all sports, is a game of odds. There are statistics. There are point spreads. There are favorites and underdogs.
At the end of the day, though, those numbers disappear and their significance is no longer relevant.
The same can’t be said for the nearly 6.5 million Americans battling cancer annually.
For cancer patients and their families, numbers carry with them a more solemn and urgent meaning — sometimes demarcating the bridge between recovery and remission.
Spiders reach century mark in rout of Rams
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Five Spiders finished in double figures and senior Darrius Garrett tied a single-season program record with 77 blocks as Richmond rolled to a 102-58 rout of Fordham behind a season-high and Robins Center record 16 three-pointers on Wednesday.
Richmond became the first Division I school to have at least 100 points, 30 assists and 6 or fewer turnovers in a conference game since the 1999-00 season. The last team to do it was Michigan State on March 4, 2000 against Michigan in a Big Ten game. The Spartans went on to win the national championship that season.
Temple hands Charlotte home loss
HALTON ARENA — Despite a stronger second-half effort and three players in double-figure scoring, the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team fell to Temple on Wednesday night, 79-57 at Halton Arena. Charlotte (10-9; 2-4 Atlantic 10) has now dropped its last four conference games after jumping out to a 2-0 A-10 start. The Owls (14-5; 3-2 A-10) earned their first ever victory at Halton Arena, having come into the game 0-4. Halton Arena was the only A-10 site in which Temple did not own a win.
“You have to give credit to Temple,” head coach Alan Major said after the game. “They did a good job setting the tone early in the game. They played well, shot the ball well. They rocked our world in the first half. What we have to do is put this one behind us. The good thing is, we turn around and play on Saturday. As we get ready for the weekend, we bury this one in the sand.”
PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team was recently “blindsided” by coach Phil Martelli and a camera crew for a feature on Yahoo Sports. The Hawks were told that they would be wearing throwback uniforms for the Big 5 game at Penn, namely much shorter uniform shorts.
To view the “Blindsided” video, click here.
Martelli’s guys might need some of this
Bonnies outlast Rams in OT
KINGSTON, R.I. – St. Bonaventure (11-7, 4-2 Atlantic 10) erased a 10-point halftime deficit and held on for a hard-fought 72-66 overtime victory over Rhode Island (3-18, 0-6) at the Ryan Center.
The Bonnies started the second half on an 11-0 run, holding the Rams scoreless over a 6:23 span, as Andrew Nicholson came roaring back after sitting all but six minutes in the first half.
Temple’s Dunphy: I don’t know who will get minutes.
Before the return of Micheal Eric, the Owls were a short-handed team who had to rely on major minutes from their starters game after game. After the return of the 6-foot-11 grad student, it suddenly seems like Temple doesn’t have enough minutes to go around. It’s amazing what the return of just one player can do.
Sophomore Aaron Brown, who had been averaging nearly 19 minutes per game in the 14 that Eric was out with a patella injury, played just 11 minutes against Saint Joseph’s despite the Owls being up by more than 20 points for most of the second half.
Explorers putting the past behind them
La Salle men’s basketball head coach John Giannini has heard it all before, probably too many times for his liking.
Before the 2011-12 season, his Explorers were picked to finish behind a higher number of teams than are mentioned in the Atlantic 10′s name, pundits selecting them as the penultimate squad in the 14-team conference based more on past sins than present potential. Last year’s team was expected to compete in an always-difficult league, but struggled out of the gates and limped to a 15-18 finish. It seemed only logical that a similar fate would befall these Explorers. If they couldn’t win with Ruben Guillandeaux and Jerrell Williams on the roster, what chance did they have without them?
A look at Philly teams as conference races near home stretch
After a promising 10-3 start, the Hawks have lost 6 of 9 and were thoroughly outclassed in Saturday’s 78-60 loss to Temple. St. Joe’s hasn’t been getting much lately from standout guard Tay Jones, who has been battling an ankle injury.
There certainly is cause for concern, but no reason to panic here. The young Hawks are going through some growing pains and that includes learning how to win away from Hagan. At their comfy home, the Hawks are 9-1; away from it they are 4-8.
REBOUNDING MARGIN …G…. Team Avg……. Opp. Avg……… Margin
1. St. Bonaventure ……………. 19 …….664 34.9 ……….576 30.3 ………….+4.6
2. Massachusetts………………. 21 ……..863 41.1……… 789 37.6…………. +3.5
3. Dayton …………………………21……. 732 34.9 ……….662 31.5…………. +3.3
4. Rhode Island …………………22…… 823 37.4………. 762 34.6…………. +2.8
5. Xavier ………………………….21 ……778 37.0………. 731 34.8…………. +2.2
6. Saint Louis ……………………21 …….678 32.3……….. 642 30.6………… +1.7
7. Fordham ……………………..20 …….763 38.2……….. 751 37.5 …………+0.6
8. Saint Joseph’s………………. 22……. 788 35.8……….. 785 35.7………… +0.1
9. Temple ………………………..20 ……..683 34.2………. 695 34.8…………. -0.6
10. Charlotte ……………………20…….. 728 36.4………. 745 37.2…………. -0.8
11. George Washington……… 21 ………695 33.1……….. 715 34.0…………. -1.0
12. La Salle ………………………22…….. 747 34.0………. 785 35.7………….. -1.7
13. Richmond ………………….22……… 663 30.1……….. 796 36.2………….. -6.0
14. Duquesne …………………..21 ………660 31.4 ………..800 38.1………….. -6.7
A-10 Notebook: Upside down week
Like many, this game surprised me, not because Dayton can be close to unbeatable at home, but more because Rhode Island didn’t seem ready to win in that type of environment. The Runnin’ Rams have lost several close games this season (George Mason, Maine, Yale, Fordham and Saint Bonaventure) where they held leads, because of their youth, inexperience, and ultimately, inability to make good decisions and execute in pressure moments. All signs of a young team, learning how to win.
It can be a slow and painful process for all those involved, but Saturday night Jim Baron’s club got one back in its 86-81 win, and it was a long time coming.
Xavier back on track in A-10
Prior to Saturday, it didn’t seem like things could get any more jumbled at the top of the A-10. But that was before league-leading Dayton lost at home to a previously winless URI team, or before preseason title contender Saint Louis was slammed by a surprising UMass squad that was picked to finish in the dregs of the conference.
Things almost got a little wilder at Halton Arena in Charlotte, as perennial contender Xavier (14-7; 5-3) barely edged a reeling Charlotte (10-10; 2-5) team that’s now lost five straight conference games after a 2-0 start. A loss could have severely hurt XU’s chances at a conference title or at-large bid, but with the 74-70 win, head coach Chris Mack thinks his Musketeers are right where they need to be.
UD putting strong emphasis on 3-pointers
DAYTON — As the game tightened Wednesday and Saint Joseph’s stormed from behind for a double-digit win, the University of Dayton men’s basketball team continued to clank 3-pointers.
Long-range attempts have been a problem in UD’s six losses this season, but they’re also part of the team’s make-up, said coach Archie Miller.
“We have guys that — I wouldn’t say are specialists — but we have guys who first think behind the line,” Miller said. “That’s just who we are. If we have success behind the line, we’ll be difficult (to defend). If we’re not having success, we need to be balanced.”
UD’s Miller shows disgust in loss
Either he was working himself up to lambast his troops — or maybe just trying to let off some steam after the debacle he had just seen — but either way the UD coach was agitated by one of his team’s poorest efforts.
“This is #%&#&%# ridiculous,” Miller groused just before walking inside, “Just ridiculous.”
He’ll get no arguments from anyone who saw this one.
Garrett recognizes road map in past Spiders’ growth
Darrius Garrett was a freshman on the 2008-09 University of Richmond team, which started one senior.
The Spiders were 11-10 and seeking consistency after 21 games. They came around nicely, winning six of their last eight regular-season games, beating St. John’s and Charleston in the College Basketball Invitational, and finishing 20-16.
“We stayed together as a team. We didn’t hold our heads down. We continued through that adversity,” Garrett said.
Got anything to add to the Bounce? Please post it in a comment.
https://secondarybreak.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/atlantic-ten-tempo-tuesday-3/
Martelli clip is hilarious! I love the guy who says; “shorter is OK”
Way to go Martelli!! That was absolutely hysterical.