Dec. 2, 2012

MBB SCOREBOARD | MBB STATS | MBB CHAMPIONSHIP

A quick look at Atlantic 10 men's basketball for Sunday, Dec. 2.

ON TAP FOR SUNDAY (12/2)

George Washington vs. Manhattan (BB&T Classic-Verizon Center) | 12:15 pm | MASN
Valparaiso at Saint Louis | 4:30 pm | FOX Sports Midwest

ON THE TUBE

Sunday, December 2
George Washington vs. Manhattan (BB&T Classic-Verizon Center) | 12:15 pm | MASN
Valparaiso at Saint Louis | 4:30 pm | FOX Sports Midwest

Tuesday, December 4

Richmond at Old Dominion | 7:00 pm | NBC Sports Network
Siena at St. Bonaventure | 9:00 pm | NBC Sports Network

A-10 SCOOP

>>The Atlantic 10 is mourning the loss of Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus, who passed away on Saturday. Commissioner Bernadetter McGlade issued the following statement on Majerus' passing: "The entire Atlantic 10 family is grieving tonight over the loss of coach Majerus. His undeniable knowledge and love of the game was known to all, and he was an excellent teacher committed to the student-athlete. This passion made his impact on A-10 basketball over the past five years immeasurable. He will be missed at Saint Louis , within the A-10 and nationally; our prayers and condolences are with coach Majerus' family and the Saint Louis University community."

>>  Charlotte is off to the best start in school history after beating East Carolina 76-64 on Saturday. The 49ers are 7-0 after beating the Pirates, who were also undefeawted entering the game. Additionally, Temple is 5-0, the Owls best start since 1987-88, when the team started 14-0, finished 32-2 and advanced to the Elite Eight as a No. 1 seed.

>> Xavier beat Purdue (63-57) and Richmond beat Wake Forest (62-60) Saturday, giving the A-10 two more wins over "big six" programs, bringing the season total to 10. Last year, the A-10 picked up 28 victories versus big six schools, including three postseason victories.

>>Dayton held Northern Illinois to five points in the first half of the Flyers win Saturday. While it's not an NCAA record (Savannah State once scored four points in the second half), it equals the mark for the fewest points in the first half. Interestingly enough, Dayton has three of the top ten performances.

FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED IN FIRST HALF (Since 1986)
5-Dayton (26) vs. Northern Ill., Dec. 1, 2012
5-Notre Dame (21) vs. Cal, Nov. 26, 2010
6-Illinois (30) vs. Northwestern, Feb. 19, 2000
7-Ohio (35) vs. Central Mich., Jan. 14, 2006
7-George Washington (25) vs. St. Louis, Jan. 10, 2008
7-Pittsburgh (15) vs. New Hampshire, Dec. 4, 2009
8-Dayton (46) vs. Richmond, Jan. 20, 2007
8-Dayton (15) vs. Miami (OH), Dec. 29, 2001
9- Fresno St. (27) vs. Washington St., Dec. 22, 2003
10-Two teams tied at 10

SATURDAY'S (12/1) RESULTS

XAVIER 63, PURDUE 57 | HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME INTERVIEW

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Semaj Christon scored 25 points to help lead Xavier to a 63-57 win over Purdue on Saturday.

Justin Martin added 12 points and Isaiah Philmore had eight points and seven rebounds for the Musketeers (6-1), who have won three straight.

Terone Johnson had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Ronnie Johnson had 12 points for the Boilermakers (3-4), who missed all 17 of their 3-point attempts, leaving them scoreless from beyond the arc for the first time since 1992.

Christon scored the go-ahead free throw to give the Musketeers a 47-46 lead with 8:02 to play, then Brad Redford hit a 3-pointer and Christon scored again to make it 52-46 late.

Christon's 3-pointer with 2:49 left gave the Musketeers a 55-48 lead, and Xavier never looked back.

CHARLOTTE 76, EAST CAROLINA 64 | HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME INTERVIEW

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Chris Braswell had 18 points and seven rebounds as Charlotte held off East Carolina for a 76-64, nonconference victory Saturday night.

Charlotte moved to 7-0, the best start in program history. The team had finished 6-0 three times previously, most recently in 1987-88.

Braswell hit 5 of 8 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. Willie Clayton had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Miguel Paul had 12 points and five assists for the Pirates (5-1), making him the 14th player in East Carolina history to accumulate 200 career assists.

The 49ers outrebounded East Carolina 44-21, and the Pirates nabbed just two offensive rebounds. East Carolina's Maurice Kemp and Robert Sampson entered averaging nine and 11 rebounds per game respectively, but accumulated five combined Saturday.

East Carolina was seeking its first 6-0 start since 2002-03, and has now lost eight straight at Charlotte dating back to 1983.

RICHMOND 62, WAKE FOREST 60 | HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME INTERVIEW

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Derrick Williams scored a career-best 26 points and grabbed 10 boards and Kendall Anthony scored nine of Richmond's final 10 points as the Spiders defeated Wake Forest 62-60 Saturday in a nonconference matchup.

Williams, who recorded a double-double in Richmond's overtime win against William & Mary, made 6 of 8 shots from the field and hit 13 of 15 free throws for the Spiders (6-2), who beat Wake Forest for the third straight time.

Anthony chipped in with 11 points for Richmond. His lone 3-pointer broke open a 54-54 tie with 1:09 left to play.

Madison Jones hit a layup to draw Wake Forest (3-4) within 57-56 with 16 seconds, left but Anthony hit four free throws down the stretch and Cedrick Lindsay added another to seal the win.

Devin Thomas led Wake Forest with 11 points and Tyler Cavanaugh added 10.


(RV) TEMPLE 70, WAGNER 62 | POSTGAME INTERVIEW | PLAYER POSTGAME INTERVIEWS

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Khalif Wyatt netted a game-high 26 points as Temple beat Wagner 70-62 Saturday in a nonconference game.

The win puts Temple at 5-0 for the first time since 1987-88, when the team started 14-0, finished 32-2 and advanced to the Elite Eight as a No. 1 seed.

Wyatt was 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 3 of 5 on 3-pointers. Scottie Randall had 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Wagner (2-4) was led by Jonathon Williams and Kenneth Ortiz with 15 points each. Ortiz also had five assists and Mario Moody had nine points along with 14 rebounds.

Temple fell in a 10-2 hole early but rebounded with a 17-5 run, and Wyatt's 3-pointer at the buzzer put the Owls up 34-28 at halftime.

The Seahawks were as close as 60-55 with 1:57 left, but Wyatt's 3-pointer and free-throw make put Temple up nine with 39 seconds left.


RHODE ISLAND 76, VERMONT 66 | POSTGAME INTERVIEW

KINGSTON, R.I. (AP) - Xavier Munford scored 25 points and Rhode Island used a big run to close out the first half and pull away from Vermont in a 76-66 win Saturday.

The Rams (2-6) posted their first victory at the Ryan Center under first-year coach Dan Hurley.

Trailing 20-18 with 6:09 left in the first half, Rhode Island launched a 21-4 run, with Munford scoring the first six points and Mike Aaman pouring in nine. The Catamounts (4-2) scored only one point in the final 4:31 before intermission.

The Rams expanded the lead to 22, at 56-34 with 11:57 remaining, but the Catamounts closed the gap to 68-61 with 57 seconds left on Sandro Carissimo's layup. Rhode Island made 6 of 10 free throws down the stretch.

Aaman scored a career-high 15 points off the bench and Andre Malone added 14.

Clancy Rugg led Vermont with 16 points and Carissimo added 15.


DUQUESNE 87, MAINE 73 | POSTGAME INTERVIEW

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jeremiah Jones led four players in double figures with 15 points, and Duquesne pulled away from a 37-37 halftime tie to beat Maine 87-73 on Saturday.

Kadeem Pantophlet scored 14 points for the Dukes (4-3), and Sean Johnson and Quevyn Winters had 13 each.

Justin Edwards led the Black Bears (2-5) with 19 points, Xavier Pollard scored 17 and Alasdair Fraser 14.

Duquesne outshot Maine from the field 49.1 percent (28 of 57) to 43.9 percent (29 of 66), but the Dukes outscored the Black Bears by 11 points at the foul line.

Xavier Pollard's 3-pointer gave Maine a 33-30 advantage with 5:38 left in the first half, but Duquesne squared it up on Martins Abele's free throws with 51 seconds left.

Maine led 50-48 on Till Gloger's layup 4:48 into the second half, but Derrick Colter's 3-pointer gave the Dukes the lead for good at 51-50.

ST. BONAVENTURE 82, BUFFALO 79 | HIGHLIGHTS

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (AP) - Matthew Wright turned a late steal into a go-ahead layup with 24 seconds left to lift St. Bonaventure to an 82-79 victory over Buffalo Saturday night.

The Bonnies (4-2) trailed 79-76 following Jarod Oldham's free throw for the Bulls (2-7) with 1:33 left. Demetrius Conger cut the deficit to 79-78 with a steal and dunk, and on the ensuing trip up the floor, Wright took the ball from Tony Watson and 3 seconds later tossed in the go-ahead bucket.

Conger stole the ball from Oldham on the next possession with 8 seconds left and hit two free throws in the waning seconds to ice the win.

Buffalo had four turnovers in the final 67 seconds.

Conger finished with 20 points and Wright with 11. Chris Johnson had 14 points and four steals for the Bonnies.

Oldham led Buffalo with 20 points, and Javon McCrea had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

(RV) VCU 75, BELMONT 65 | HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME INTERVIEW

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Treveon Graham scored 19 points, and Juvonte Reddic had 17 points and nine rebounds to lead Virginia Commonwealth to a 75-65 victory over Belmont on Saturday night.

The Rams (5-3) also got 14 points from Rob Brandenberg and 11 from Melvin Johnson.

Ian Clark led Belmont (5-3) with 24 points, and Keron Johnson scored 11. The Bruins hurt their cause with 24 turnovers, and they shot only 4 of 6 from the foul line.

The Rams shot 15 for 22 from the line and outrebounded the Bruins 34-23.

Belmont made up ground in the second half after trailing 39-21 at the break. From a 43-27 deficit, the Bruins knocked down three 3-pointers to help close the gap to 50-44 at the 13:27 mark.

Belmont's Reece Chamberlain's 3-pointer to close to 66-61 at 4:46, but VCU's Brandenberg made a 3-pointer for a 71-63 advantage at 3:16, and the Rams held on.


(RV) BUTLER 67, BALL STATE 53 | HIGHLIGHTS

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Rotnei Clarke scored 15 points and Butler defeated Ball State 67-53 on Saturday.

Andrew Smith added 12 points and Khyle Marshall scored 10 points and had six rebounds for the Bulldogs (5-2). The game was tied at 33 at halftime, but Butler used a 10-0 run early in the second half to take control.

Clarke made just 5 of 18 shots, but had five assists for the Bulldogs. Butler shot 41 percent from the field and Ball State made 44 percent of its shots.

Jesse Berry was the only Ball State in double figures with 12 points. Majok Majok had a game-high 10 rebounds for the Cardinals, who have dropped four in a row.

Butler next faces IUPUI and Northwestern before playing No. 1 Indiana in two weeks.



MIAMI (FLA) 75, MASSACHUSETTS 62 | POSTGAME INTERVIEW

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) - Reggie Johnson scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Miami pulled away in the second half to defeat Massachusetts 75-62 Saturday for its fourth straight victory.

The Hurricanes (5-1) led for most of the second half, but a 3-pointer by Raphiael Putney, followed by a driving layup by Jesse Morgan, put the Minutemen (3-3) ahead 52-51 with 8:29 remaining.

But a 3-pointer by Rion Brown started a 13-3 run that gave the Hurricanes a 64-55 lead, their biggest of the game to that point, with 5:01 remaining.

In Miami's 67-59 upset of No. 13 Michigan State on Wednesday, the Spartans clogged the middle to prevent the 6-foot-10, 292-pound Johnson from making an impact. Against the Minutemen, who pressured the perimeter, the senior center had more room to operate. He shot 6-for-13 from the floor and made 7 of 8 free throw attempts.

His six blocked shots were a key part of the Hurricanes' defense, which held UMass to 28.6 percent shooting (18 of 63) including 7 of 32 from 3-point range.

UMass scored the first five points of the game and led most of the first half, but the Hurricanes scored the last nine points of the half to take a 30-25 lead at intermission.

Durand Scott added 15 points and Shane Larkin had 14 for the Hurricanes.

Terrell Vinson led UMass with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Chaz Williams added 11 points and 10 assists.
    

HARVARD 73, FORDHAM 64

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - Wesley Saunders hit 13 of 18 free throws to score 17 points, and Jonah Travis had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead Harvard to a 73-64 victory against Fordham on Saturday.

Siyani Chambers added 13 points and Agunwa Okolie 11 for the Crimson (3-3).

Branden Frazier led the Rams (1-6) with 16 points, Ryan Rhoomes had 11 and Leonard Travion 10.

Harvard shot 29 of 39 from the foul line to Fordham's 8 of 14, with the Rams committing 29 fouls to Harvard's 14.

Fordham jumped out to a 21-10 lead midway through the first half, with Frazier leading the way with five points, but Harvard made a 19-3 run with Travis scoring 12 points.

The Crimson led 36-33 at the break.

The Rams closed to one point, 36-35, on Canty's dunk 34 seconds in to the second half but never got closer.
    

No. 11 CREIGHTON 80, (RV) SAINT JOSEPH'S 51

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Doug McDermott scored 18 of his 23 in the first half, and No. 11 Creighton rode a fast start to an 80-51 victory over Saint Joseph's on Saturday.

Gregory Echenique added 16 points and six rebounds for the Bluejays (7-1), who bounced back after being upset by Boise State on Wednesday.

Langston Galloway scored 10 points to lead the Hawks (4-2), who played their first true road game.

Saint Joseph's season-scoring leader Carl Jones, who had 29 points in a win over Creighton last season, was held to nine.

The Bluejays played their best half of the season and led 47-20 after breaking the game open with 12- and 13-point runs. They shot 57 percent, had assists on 13 of their first 17 field goals, and converted 10 turnovers into 16 points.