Jan. 19, 2013
Incredible night in Atlantic 10 men's basketball. The day began with ESPN Gameday at Butler's Hinkle fieldhouse and ended with a game-winning buzzer-beater by Butler's Roosevelt Jones. In between? Shaka Smart wins his 100th game, multiple upsets in league play and a Philly Big 5 win for Saint Joseph's.
No. 13 BUTLER 64, No. 8 GONZAGA 63
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Roosevelt Jones stole an inbound pass with 3.5 seconds left and hit a floater from just inside the foul line right before the buzzer to help No. 13 Butler upset No. 8 Gonzaga 64-63 on Saturday night.
Jones finished with 20 points and the Bulldogs have now won 13 in a row including two straight without their top scorer, Rotnei Clarke. It's the first time Butler (16-2, 3-0 Atlantic 10) has ever beaten three top 10 teams in one season. They also defeated No. 9 North Carolina in November and No. 1 Indiana in December.
Gonzaga (17-2, 4-0 West Coast Conference) was led by Saw Dower and Elias Harris who each had 20 points. The loss ended the Zags eight-game winning streak.
The game was considered the biggest non-power conference matchup of the season, and it met the hype.
Trailing 33-32 at the half, Butler scored the first five points of the second half and never trailed again until Elias Harris scored with 1:24 to go the teams traded leads on the next four possessions before Jones won it.
No. 22 VCU 90, DUQUESNE 63
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Rob Brandenberg scored 22 points and No. 22 VCU dominated in winning its 13th consecutive game, 90-63 over Duquesne on Saturday night at Consol Energy Center.
The Rams' Treveon Graham had 17 of his 20 points in the first half, when VCU (16-3, 4-0 Atlantic 10) used a 26-2 run to seize control. It would cruise to extend what is the nation's second-longest active winning streak.
VCU coach Shaka Smart became the second-youngest coach to reach 100 career victories. The 35-year-old needed 131 games, 30th-fewest in NCAA history. Only 11 other coaches reached 100 wins in their first four seasons, including Butler's Brad Stevens. He was 34 when he won his 100th game.
Derrick Colter had 15 points to lead the Dukes (7-11, 0-4), who have lost six straight.
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ST. BONAVENTURE 81, TEMPLE 78
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Matthew Wright led five players in double figures with 22 points to help St. Bonaventure beat Temple 81-78 Saturday and get its first road win over the Owls in 31 tries.
Eric Mosley and Demitrius Conger added 15 points, Youssou Ndoye 12 and Chris Johnson 10 for St. Bonaventure, which snapped a six-game losing streak.
St. Bonaventure (8-9, 1-3 Atlantic 10 Conference) led 69-63 with 3:49 left to play following back-to-back layups from Conger and Wright before Temple's Khalif Wyatt hit a 3-pointer, then two free throws, to make it 69-68 at the 2:56 mark.
However, Conger and Johnson answered with consecutive 3-pointers and Ndoye converted two free throws to put the Bonnies up for good, 77-68.
St. Bonaventure made 11 of 18 3-pointers, compared to 12 of 34 for Temple (12-5, 2-2), and dished out 21 assists.
Wyatt led Temple with 31 points but fouled out with 2:28 remaining.
XAVIER 70, LA SALLE 63
CINCINNATI (AP) - Semaj Christon scored 18 points on Saturday, and Xavier overcame an early 11-point deficit to beat La Salle 70-63 and remain perfect in the Atlantic 10.
Xavier (11-6, 4-0) won its last three games without point guard Dee Davis, who sprained his left wrist in the first half of a 57-52 win over Temple. He returned on Saturday with six points and seven assists.
Brad Redford added 13 points for Xavier, which has won four in a row.
La Salle (12-5, 2-2) is off to best start since the 1990-91 season.
The Explorers have the league's top scoring duo, guard Ramon Galloway - 17.1 points per game, second in the A-10 - and guard Tyreek Duren at 15 points per game. They had trouble against the A-10's second-stingiest defense, combining to go 6 of 26 from the field. Tyrone Garland led with 16 points.
GEORGE WASHINGTON 79, MASSACHUSETTS 76
AMHERST, Mass. (AP) - Joe McDonald scored 16 points and handed out 10 assists as George Washington edged Massachusetts 79-76 Saturday after losing all but one point of a 16-point second-half lead.
McDonald, one of four freshmen starting for the Colonials (8-9, 2-2 Atlantic 10 Conference) made two free throws with 13 seconds remaining after the Minutemen (12-5, 2-2) had cut their deficit to 75-74.
Massachusetts' Freddie Riley sank two free throws with 3 seconds left, but Isaiah Armwood answered with two for the Colonials.
Chaz Williams and Raphiael Putney rallied the Minutemen from a 52-36 deficit with 14:59 left, combining for 26 of Massachusetts' final 40 points. Williams finished with 18 points, Cady Lalanne 15 and Putney 14.
Dwayne Smith scored 15 points, Lasan Kromah 14 and Patricio Garino 12 for George Washington, which led 40-33 at halftime.
Massachusetts retired the jersey of 1996 Naismith Player of the Year Marcus Camby at halftime.
RICHMOND 81, CHARLOTTE 61
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Darien Brothers scored 39 points to lead Richmond to an 81-61 victory over Charlotte, handing the 49ers their first Atlantic 10 Conference loss of the season on Saturday.
Deion Taylor had 13 points and Kendall Anthony 12 for the Spiders (21-7, 2-2). Brothers shot 10 of 14 from the field, 8 of 11 on 3-pointers, and 11 of 12 from the line.
Pierria Henry led the 49ers (15-3, 3-1) with 18 points and seven rebounds, and DeMario Mayfield had 11 points.
Richmond scored the first nine points of the game and finished the first half with a 39-28 advantage. The closest the 49ers got was 44-39 on Pierria Henry's layup 4:24 into the second half. The Spiders scored the next 11 points and cruised to the victory, halting Richmond's four-game winning streak.
Richmond made 12 of 27 from beyond the arc to Charlotte's 3 of 15.
RHODE ISLAND 82, SAINT LOUIS 80
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Xavier Munford scored 24 points to lead Rhode Island over Saint Louis 82-80 in overtime Saturday night, winning their first Atlantic 10 game of the season.
Kwamain Mitchell led Saint Louis with 29 points and had seven 3-pointers.
Munford was 8 of 14 from the field and had four 3-pointers for Rhode Island (6-10, 1-2 Atlantic 10).
Nikola Malesevic and Andre Malone scored 14 points apiece, and Jordan Hare added 10. Hare and Malone had 10 rebounds apiece.
Saint Louis led 29-6 at halftime and the score was tied at 65 at the end of regulation.
Mitchell was 10 of 19 from the field and had seven assists for Saint Louis (12-5, 1-2). Cody Ellis scored 21 points. Rob Loe had seven rebounds.
The Rams shot 55 percent from the field for the game.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 79, PENN 59
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Langston Galloway had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Ronald Roberts had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead Saint Joseph's past Pennsylvania 79-59 Saturday night.
Carl Jones scored 15 for the Hawks (10-6), who had lost two straight to their local rival.
Two free throws by C.J. Aiken broke a 17-17 tie with 7:08 remaining in the first half and started an 11-0 Saint Joseph's run that included two 3-pointers by Galloway.
Saint Joseph's padded its 32-21 halftime lead by shooting 64.3 percent (18 of 28) in the second half.
Darien Nelson-Henry scored 17 points for the Quakers (3-14), who on Thursday became the 11th Division I program to reach 1,700 victories but have lost nine of their last 10.
The game was played at the Palestra, but Saint Joseph's was designated the home team, a role that rotates in the series between the Philadelphia Big 5 teams.
