UMass cruises into A-10 quarterfinals
BC women eliminated from ACC tourney
Ronnie DeGray III had 19 points as fifth-seeded UMass romped past 13th seeded Saint Joseph’s 100-66 in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tourney second round on Thursday.
The Minutemen (8-5) play fourth-seeded Saint Louis in the quarterfinals today.
Javohn Garcia added 17 points for the Minutemen, while Tre Mitchell chipped in 15. Garcia also had seven assists, while Mitchell posted 11 rebounds. Noah Fernandes, Carl Pierre and T.J. Weeks each had 14 points for UMass.
UMass posted a seasonhigh 15 3-pointers, secondmost in A-10 tourney history.
UMass scored 59 points in the first half, a season high for the team.
Jordan Hall had 18 points for the Hawks (5-15). Taylor Funk added 14 points. Cameron Brown had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Ryan Daly, the Hawks’ leading scorer entering the contest at 20 points per game, was held to 7 points (2 of 10).
Eagles crash down
Kiara Lewis scored 21 points with five assists, Digna Strautmane added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Syracuse held off Boston College 67-61 on Thursday in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Emily Engstler completed a three-point play with 52 seconds left to extend Syracuse’s lead to 61-53. But Cameron Swartz and Makayla Dickens each made a 3-pointer on consecutive Boston College possessions to pull within 63-61.
Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi gave Syracuse a two-possession lead at 65-61 and Swartz had a 3-pointer blocked at the other end, leading to two free throws by Priscilla Williams to seal it.
Syracuse (12-7) advances to play No. 4 seed Florida State on Friday, looking to avenge a 67-52 loss on Feb. 11.
Engstler finished with five points and 14 rebounds in her first start of the season for Syracuse, replacing Tiana Mangakahia who did not play due to a lower body injury.
Mangakahia averages 11.6 points and 7.5 assists per game this season after sitting out the 2019-20 campaign due to a battle with breast cancer.
Dickens scored 14 points for Boston College (7-12). Taylor Soule had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Swartz added 11.