Upset-minded Patriots fall short against VCU
From its No. 2 seed to its fans coloring PPG Paints Arena the usual black and gold, nearly everything was in VCU’s favor.
It took trailing with just over seven minutes left for the Rams to play like they had the advantage, with senior guards Jequan Lewis and Doug Brooks combining for four 3-pointers to pull them ahead for a 71-60 win against No. 7 seed George Mason Friday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
“We executed in those final six minutes,” VCU coach Will Wade said. “When we’re making threes like that, that scoreboard adds up pretty quickly. That was a big help. But I was proud of our guys. I thought Jequan stepped up.”
A 3-pointer from the corner by Otis Livingston II gave George Mason a 39-36 advantage three minutes into the second half —-about the time one would think the favored Rams would start pulling away.
George Mason had outrebounded VCU, 19-11, and tied it at 32 entering the half despite VCU freshman De’Riante Jenkins hitting back-to-back threes and a dunk to put the Rams up, 3126, at 2:23.
The Patriots’ Jaire Grayer added a jumper to make it 43-39 with 12:22 to play, but VCU made 5 of 5 free throws in the next two minutes to reclaim the lead at 45-44. VCU couldn’t afford many mistakes —-- like Lewis throwing the ball into traffic for a turnover.
But the Rams pulled ahead as Brooks sunk a three, then slapped the ball out of Ian Boyd’s hands, enabling Lewis to finish with a layup. Lewis hit another three, Mo Alie-Cox blocked two shots in a row and Jordan Burgess added a layup to put the Rams up, 58-50, at 5:08.
Brooks and Lewis had found their rhythm, making two more 3-pointers to make it 64-52. Lewis passed to a wide-open Justin Tillman under the basket, who dunked.
“It opens up the court,” Lewis said of VCU’s 3-point shooting. “Teams have started to double down on Mo and Tillman. They’re really good bigs. When we’re making shots on the perimeter, it’s hard for teams to do that. It opens them up for easy buckets.”
Last year, VCU lost to Saint Joseph’s in the A-10 championship after winning the title in 2015. The winner of the George WashingtonRichmond 8:30 p.m. game Friday will play VCU in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
George Mason’s 82-71 win over Fordham Thursday marked the Patriots’ first A10 Tournament win since joining the conference in 2013.
Friday, senior guard Marquise Moore finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds for his 20th doubledouble of the year.
Other late game
Khwan Fore stole the ball from Yuta Watanabe, raced down the court to cap Richmond’s 70-67 quarterfinal win against George Washington with an easy layup in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The Colonials closed Richmond’s lead in the final minutes as Jordan Roland made a 3-pointer to make it 68-65 and Jair Bolden hit a jumper as the shot clock expired to come within a point at 68-67. George Washington got the ball with seven seconds to play before Watanabe's turnover.
Tied, 34-34, at the half, a jumper by Richmond guard ShawnDre’ Jones gave the Spiders a 42-38 lead five minutes into the second half and a 3-pointer by Nick Sherod made it 48-43 at 11:54. George Washington’s Tyler Cavanaugh sunk a 3 to narrow the margin to 5148.
A layup by Watanabe brought the Colonials within a point and Jordan Roland’s dunk gave them the lead at 52-51. Bolden jumped in front of a pass for a steal and Cavanaugh finished with a layup to maintain the lead.
But a minute later, conference Rookie of the Year De’Monte Buckingham set up Player of the Year T.J. Cline with an alley-oop to give the Spiders a 60-54 lead they could build on with 7:15 to play.
No. 3 seed Richmond will play No. 2 seed VCU in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.