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Thursday, May 9, 2013 5:07 p.m.

Softball’s season ends in second-round tournament loss

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Sean Hurd.

In a season that saw a 12-game win streak and program-record 27 wins, the once-sizzling Colonials finished their year with a whimper Thursday.

Junior Courtney Martin pitches against an opponent earlier this season. Martin started the second round game on the mound for GW. Hatchet File Photo by Cameron Lancaster | Hatchet Photographer

In a rematch of its first-round loss, GW fell 8-3 in an elimination game to Saint Louis, ending its Atlantic 10 tournament run on just the second day. The game marked the Colonials’ fifth loss in their last six games played.

The loss, ending a season that saw the Colonials rack up several individual accomplishments, also put GW out of reach of matching its finish last year, when it reached the conference title game against UMass.

GW faced an uphill climb the entire game against a Billikens team that was also fighting for their tournament lives after losing earlier in the day to top-ranked Saint Joseph’s. Junior Courtney Martin surrendered a leadoff single in the first inning to Saint Louis centerfielder Jessica Buschjost, who eventually was driven in by a two-out double from first baseman Kelsey Biggs, giving the Billikens an early 1-0 lead.

Martin seemed to settle down, not allowing a single hit in the second and third innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. After walking the leadoff batter, and allowing an ensuing double, Billikens’ shortstop Jessica Van Nostrand hit a double to left, which, after a throwing error by GW, scored two runs to increase Saint Louis’ lead to 3-0. After the play, head coach Stacey Schramm had seen enough, and inserted freshman Meghan Rico as a reliever with a Saint Louis runner on third.

The hot start from Saint Louis confirmed Schramm’s fears.

“St. Louis is really hot right now, they are playing really well, so that kind of made me a little bit nervous. But at this point its about how well we play and not about our opponents,” she said.

Martin left the game having pitched three innings giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits, while striking out three Billikens’ hitters.

After a throwing error by Rico allowed the Saint Louis runner to score and increase its lead to 4-0, Rico retired the side and escaped the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Colonials finally worked an opportunity to get on the scoreboard. After centerfielder Autumn Taylor reached first base on a fielder’s choice, and subsequently stole second, catcher Samantha Dos Santos walked to the plate. Dos Santos lined a single to left, allowing Taylor to round third and head for home, but Saint Louis left fielder Lindsay Friedman cleanly fielded the ball, and threw a perfect seed to the Saint Louis catcher who successfully tagged a sliding Taylor out at the plate.

It was the kind of near-miss that has defined GW’s past week, which also saw the team surrender its top seed in the tournament after losing last weekend’s final regular season series.

“Offensively we couldn’t get anything going, and we couldn’t get into a good offensive rhythm,” Schramm said. “I think [the team] probably did press at that point. They saw St. Louis score in the first inning and we’re having trouble scoring runs right now. I’m sure it felt like ‘ok our backs are against the wall and that’s a lot of pressure.”

St. Louis tacked on an additional run in the fifth due to a bases loaded single by Van Nostrand , stretching its lead to 5-0.

After failing to produce runs for two straight innings after their leadoff hitters reached base, the Colonials found flashes of offense from some unlikely sources. The bottom of the fifth inning started with a pinch-hit at-bat by junior Chelsea Curcio, who only had 10 total at bats all season. Curcio sparked a GW rally with a double to right, her first extra base hit of her career. Curcio was followed by senior second baseman Julie Orlandi, who singled to right, moving Curcio over to third. Orlandi went a perfect 3-for-3 on the day.

With runners on the corners, GW’s second pinch-hitter of the inning, senior Kristi Saporito, came through with her own single to right field, scoring Curcio and advancing Orlandi to second. Following the base knock by Orlandi, Schramm sent up the third pinch-hitter of the inning, freshman Morgan Matetic, who was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for the Colonials with no outs.

With the Colonials threatening a big offensive inning, Billikens head coach Christy Connoyer decided to pull Kneib and hand the ball off to Brianna Lore, who earned the win against the Colonials in Wednesday’s game.

Lore, who has been solid all tournament, was able to contain the Colonials, successively retiring the heart of the GW lineup and only inducing two RBI groundouts by Taylor and sophomore Victoria Valos. By inning’s end, the Colonials were only able to cut the lead to two, now trailing 5-3.

But it was all Saint Louis from that point on. Lore pitched great for her club, allowing only a single hit in her 2 1/3 innings of relief.  The first five hitters in the Colonials’ lineup struggled mightily against Billiken pitching, going a combined 1-14 on the day.

GW simply had no answer for a hot Billikens’ ballclub who say eight out of its nine starting players have at least one hit against the Colonials. Saint Louis tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the seventh, cementing their 8-3 victory and sending the Colonials packing. Rico finished the game giving up four runs on eight hits in four innings of play.

After the game, Schramm reminded her team that their season wouldn’t be defined by the outcome of today’s ballgame and tried to emphasize the successful season her team had. The Colonials finish the season with a record of 27-23.

“We just didn’t have a great weekend, we didn’t play our best,” Schramm said. “We can’t hang our heads because of this last game. You have to look at the whole picture now that the season is over. I told the seniors how much they meant to the program and I told the rest of the team that it’s up to us to raise the bar even higher next year.”

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Wednesday, May 8, 2013 8:52 p.m.

Softball advances after shaky day one of A-10 tournament

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Alex Kist.

Members of the softball team huddle during a game earlier this season. The Colonials move on to the second round of the A-10 tournament after their 2-1 win over Dayton. Hatchet File Photo by Cameron Lancaster | Contributing Photo Editor

Top of the seventh, bases loaded, junior Courtney Martin stood with a fearless presence on the mound.

At the plate, Dayton senior Kathleen Maloof looked for one hit, one run to tie up the game and keep her team alive in the Atlantic 10 Championships.

With a pop-up to the shortstop, Martin secured a spot for the Colonials in the next round, while Maloof and the Flyers watched their journey end in the double-elimination tournament on day one.

The win for the No. 4 seed GW shored up a rain-soaked, battle-tested day and helped them advance after an earlier loss to the No. 5 seed Saint Louis Billikens (27-21).

The Colonials quickly fell behind 2-0 to Saint Louis in the top of the second, after a walk, two hits contributed to the Billikens’ early and sustainable lead.

The Billikens continued to pour on the runs, racking up two more in the top of the third to go up 4-0.

“We were still trying to mentally focus and prepare for the game,” head coach Stacey Schramm said. “We dug ourselves in a hole and we could not get out of it.”

GW came out in the sixth inning ready to counter Saint Louis’ lead, using a double up the middle by sophomore Victoria Valos and a hard single by senior Autumn Taylor to put the Colonials on the scoreboard, 4-2.

On the defensive side, GW pitchers held Saint Louis down, keeping the Billikens from scoring any more runs in the game’s second half.

“[Freshman Meghan] Rico came in and did a good job of just shutting their hitters down and I think our defense kind of realized what we were doing and decided they were going to make plays for her,” Schramm said. “The momentum shifted into our favor, but we still couldn’t get enough runs and the hole proved too deep for the Colonials to resurface from.”

The comeback would end there though, as the Colonials’ bats could not muster any more runs themselves.

In between games Schramm said she tried to fire up her players by reminding them all that was at stake.

“Clearly they want a championship, that’s what we trained and worked all year for, but there is a difference between wanting it and doing what it takes to get it,” Schramm said. “Every player on her team wants to win the championship this year but the key is going to be for each player to not just talk the talk we have to walk the walk”.

The Colonials took Schramm’s words and made the best of their second chance in game two to advance to the next round of A-10 play.

The match-up against No. 6 seeded Dayton (22-24) began in a similar fashion to the loss just hours before, as the Flyers grabbed the lead and the Colonials’ bats remained dormant until late in the game.

A solo home run by Dayton shortstop Jordan Jennings in the top of the fifth broke open the scoreless battle, and gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead.

A sacrifice bunt by Valos in the bottom of the fifth, though, allowed two GW runners to advance and finally score off a hit from sophomore Samantha Dos Santos.

“The sacrifice bunt at the bottom of the fifth inning was clutch”, Schramm said. “We had players on first and second and Valos put a solid bunt on the ground, and even though she was thrown out, she was amazing. Dos Santos also demonstrated her momentum on the field and really battled with two strikes on her and just hit all the way up the middle and put two runs up on the board”.

From the rubber, Martin made up for GW’s slow offensive start, allowing just four hits and four walks in a complete-game effort, where she also struck out seven.

Behind Martin, the Colonials were able to maintain their slim one-run lead, and escape with a 2-1 victory.

After splitting day one’s games, Schramm said she is hopeful that the team will keep its focus and determination continuing on to another A-10 matchup on Thursday.

“We are confident in both of our pitchers and I think that’s going to give us the best shot to do well,” Schramm said. “We have two really good pitchers so hopefully they can get us through back to the championship and they’ll meet their goal.”

The team will square off at 3 p.m. Thursday against the lower-seeded loser of Thursday’s first two games, which feature No. 1 Saint Joseph’s against the Billikens and No. 2 Fordham versus No. 3 Temple.

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Sunday, March 3, 2013 6:07 p.m.

Veterans shine in final women’s basketball regular season game

by Nick Ong

Center Sara Mostafa shoots the ball over a Saint Louis defender Sunday at the Smith Center. Becky Crowder | Senior Staff Photographer

With the first half coming to a close, and only a two second differential between shot and game clock, senior guard Danni Jackson lost the handle on the ball, quickly recovered and fired up an unorthodox desperation three.  It banked in.

With a 19-point lead, that’s just how the game was going for the Colonials. But they soon learned how quickly a double-digit lead can start to dwindle away.

Trying to avoid another second-half breakdown like Wednesday’s game against Xavier, head coach Jonathan Tsipis called for the energy and urgency that the team had opened Senior Day with.

“We had stopped even putting our hands up, we had dropped them,” Tsipis said.  “And it was time for us to take some punches.”

In the end, some strong leadership from the very seniors being honored on the final game of the regular season allowed GW to weather the storm and capture the victory, 68-55.

When the game opened, GW looked ready for the start of playoff basketball, running and executing on both ends of the court.

The Colonials were patient on offense, continually moving and sending crisp passes until a crack in Saint Louis’ defense was revealed.  On defense, they turned up the intensity.

Playing much of the first half in a full court press, GW hounded the Billikens’ ball handlers, grabbed five steals, and immediately went into transition mode, where they scored 13 points off turnovers.

“We just came out with the mindset that we were gonna really control the glass and get out in transition,” Tsipis said.

Megan Nipe was – literally – perfect in the first half, scoring 16 points off of 7-7 shooting.  Whether lurking along the perimeter or driving off a screen, Nipe couldn’t help but find the bottom of the net.

“I just think my teammates did a great job of getting me open and when I was open getting me the ball,” Nipe said.  “Obviously when you make a couple your confidence goes up, so for the first half it went up and it didn’t go down the rest of the game.”

Following Nipe’s lead, the rest of the offense was just as in sync, shooting 63 percent from the field in the first.  Though they didn’t necessarily have a size advantage inside, the Colonials were still aggressive in the paint, outrebounding the Billikens 22-13 and outscoring them 20-4 in the paint for the first half.

As the second half got underway, it appeared as though the Colonials had become a bit too comfortable with their large first-half lead.  The offense began running at a slower pace, and the guards consistently settled for long jumpers early in the possession.

“I think the things we got away from were [that] we didn’t rebound the ball well and we didn’t attack in transition or off the ball screen,” Tsipis said.  “We got too complacent to run the offense and that gave them a little more momentum.”

Making matters worse, shots began to fall for the Billikens.

Saint Louis quickly went on a 10-0 run, and the 19-point lead was now down to 10. Tsipis went back to the full court press to put an end to the storm, but GW still couldn’t get the offensive spark back, and the lead was cut to just seven.

Looking for anything to get momentum back on the Colonials’ side, fifth-year graduate forward Sara Mostafa stepped up to the challenge.  Mostafa scored on three straight GW possessions, and drew two “and-one” opportunities in the process.

GW was now back on the attack, driving the lane to get some easy buckets and preventing the Billikens from going on another run to close out the game.  Senior Day would end the way they had planned.

Nipe finished with a career-high 20 points on 9-14 shooting.  Mostafa finished her regular season career with 13 points and eight rebounds, getting help from another inside presence, senior Shi-Heria Shipp, who scored 10 points and had nine boards.  Jackson was the fourth Colonial in double-figures, scoring 17 points, with six rebounds and four assists also on her stat sheet.

Nipe, Jackson and Shipp intend to petition for a fifth year of eligibility, looking to stay with the Colonials for one more season.

The barrage of scoring shows the many options that Tsipis will have heading into the playoffs.  Nipe may have been the hot hand tonight, but high scoring games from multiple Colonials this season prove that any one of them can burst out.

GW came into the game tied for seventh in conference standings, and with the win, may keep that seeding for the A-10 Championship, though final seeding will be determined by the rest of the league’s results.

“It’s been a season of a lot of firsts, obviously my first season, an opportunity for us to get the most wins in conference in the last four years, and the most overall wins,” Tsipis said. “And now it leads to another season of firsts, that we want to go and get that first A-10 win.”

 

 

 

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Saturday, March 2, 2013 6:53 p.m.

Closing Saint Louis run hands GW loss against No. 18/19 Billikens

by Elizabeth Traynor

Freshman forward Kevin Larsen battles a tough Saint Louis defense at the Smith Center on Saturday. Cameron Lancaster | Hatchet Photographer

There weren’t any dramatic last-minute shots, or devastated players crumpling to the court. There weren’t any shouts, or disbelieving glances at the scoreboard.

But there wasn’t an upset, either. There wasn’t a rush onto the court, and there weren’t a few overjoyed players celebrating the sort of statement victory they’ve been seeking all season.

The quiet ending of GW’s loss to No. 18/19 (AP/USA Today) Saint Louis didn’t tell the whole story. As the two teams left the court, the Billikens walked away with a 66-58 victory. The Colonials walked away knowing they had, at one point, possessed a slim lead that brought with it the potential for an unexpected victory.

“Up three with seven minutes left, with three timeouts left, I thought we were in great shape,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “And we definitely had trouble getting to the line, trouble scoring. So once they got that lead, it’s hard.”

As Saint Louis got out to an early 6-0 start, the Colonials (12-15, 6-8 A-10) struggled to get inside. Shot after shot was stuffed, and the team’s post play suffered.

But after the first media timeout, GW seemed to take the court with renewed energy, feeding off freshman forward Kevin Larsen and senior forward Isaiah Armwood. Larsen was able to explode for ten first-half points, while Armwood patrolled the post, pulling down six boards. It was enough to push GW to 20-14 first-half points in the paint advantage, critical against the Billikens’ more successful shooters.

Up six at halftime, Saint Louis gleaned much of its strength off of two shooting areas where it was able to dominate GW: from three and from the charity stripe. The Billikens made four treys over the course of the first, and further widened the gap thanks to GW’s 3-for-7 line on free throws.

“Their guards were actually straight line driving us, taking us to the rim,” Lonergan said. “I knew in the second half, we were going to try to play some 1-3-1 to keep that from happening. Because we can’t get enough help the way their bigs shoot threes. Their bigs play like guards.”

Out of the break, the Colonials refocused on attacking their opponent, turning on the sort of pressure that’s stymied them so many times this season.

Switching into a zone, GW was able to disrupt Saint Louis’ game: setting screens, posting up and cutting down the Billikens’ ability to drive through the lane. It paid off: Saint Louis struggled to regain an offensive rhythm, and the Colonials took advantage of that on the other end to use a 16-4 run that gave the team a slim one-point lead.

“We were trying to speed up the tempo with the 1-3-1, and really get the ball out of the shooter’s hands,” senior guard Lasan Kromah said.

And for a while, the game stayed that tight. As Saint Louis started to find ways around GW’s zones and through its doubleteams, the two teams traded baskets. The lead volleyed back and forth, never by more than a point or two.

Slowly, though, the Billikens began to pull away. A trickle of scoring gradually turned into a stream, and combined with ill-timed Colonial turnovers, Saint Louis closed on a 21-10 run to put the game away.

“We were trying to play physical,” Lonergan said. “We missed some easy shots, our guys felt they were getting fouled. We just didn’t get any calls. It’s tough.”

Much of Saint Louis’ advantage came at the line. Though GW was able to control the perimeter more tightly, allowing just one trey in the second half, it was crippled by its 53.3 percent free throw shooting.

The Billikens shot 87.5 percent from the charity stripe- and scored many of those points down their crucial final stretch.

“I thought we just had some defensive breakdowns and they had a lot of free throws,” Kromah said. “And they made a lot of free throws. And we were sending them to the line a lot.”

The Colonials found some offensive success in the paint, with Larsen leading the charge again for 14 points and four boards. Armwood recorded five blocks on the day, adding 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Dwayne Smith and Kromah added 10 and 12 point, respectively. The two were responsible for all but three of the Colonial bench’s points in the game, the sort of veteran presence Lonergan looks for in his seniors.

“We want to leave here saying that we did something for our school, something to remember in years going on,” Kromah said. “It’s really important for us. We try to get the young guys focused, too.”

But at this point in the season, moral victories can ring hollow.

With a postseason bid and a trip to Brooklyn on the line, Lonergan and his players want just one thing- for the final scoreboard to show a Colonial victory.

“This time of the season, there’s no time for a moral victory. We have to get some wins under our belt,” Kromah said. “These next two games are going to be really important for us.”

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Saturday, March 2, 2013 3:24 p.m.

Men’s basketball liveblog: GW vs. Saint Louis

by Priya Anand

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Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 12:58 p.m.

Men’s soccer team drops two weekend road contests

by Elizabeth Traynor
Zach Abaie, men's soccer

Then- junior Zach Abaie dribbles the ball down the field during a home game against Bryant last season. Hatchet File Photo

Correction appended

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Mary Ellen McIntire.

As the end of their season creeps closer, the Colonials suffered two tough losses on the road over the weekend, dropping twice to league foes.

GW opened weekend play Friday against Atlantic 10 newcomer, Butler, falling 4-0 to the Bulldogs.

Butler outshot the Colonials 20-9 on the game, with GW managing just three shots on goal throughout play. Junior co-captain Tyler Ranalli had a team-high two shots for the Colonials. Redshirt freshman goalie Jean-Pierre van der Merwe had four saves.

The team then travelled to Saint Louis to face the No. 20 Saint Louis Billikens Sunday, but was, once again, unable to score, and fell 5-0 to the Billikens.

GW let up an early goal in the 10th minute of play. Ranalli took the Colonials’ first shot in the 16th minute, but the ball went high, and within a minute the Billikens scored again, taking a 2-0 lead. GW had another chance in the 20th minute, when freshman Philip McQuitty took a header-shot that was saved by the St. Louis goalkeeper.

The Colonials found themselves unable to hold the Billikens for the rest of the half, however, as they scored again, ending the first half in a 3-0 lead.

As the second half began, the Colonials held St. Louis at their 3-0 lead. Ranalli took three shots, but was unable to put GW on the scoreboard. Van der Merwe, who had only one save in the first half, had two more in the second.

The Billikens, however, found the back of the net twice more before the end of the half, in the 81st and 88th minutes of play, ending the game with a 5-0 win against the Colonials.

The Colonials travel to Charlotte, N.C. Saturday for their final game of the 2012 season.

Editor’s note: Due to the interruption in the team’s travel plans caused by Hurricane Sandy, The Hatchet was unable to conduct a previously scheduled interview with head coach Craig Jones.

This post was updated Nov. 1, 2012 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly spelled Philip McQuitty’s name. The correct spelling is now reflected. We regret this error.

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Friday, Aug. 24, 2012 7:57 p.m.

Rick Majerus takes leave of absence from Saint Louis

by Elizabeth Traynor
Dwayne Smith, men's basketball

Dwayne Smith heads to the net against Saint Louis two years ago. Hatchet File Photo

Rick Majerus will not coach A-10 rival Saint Louis’ men’s basketball team in the upcoming season, taking a leave of absence for health reasons after a recent hospitalization for an ongoing heart condition.

Assistant coach Jim Crews will take over as interim head coach for the 2012-13 season. A University release said that a decision has not been made about the 2013-14 season, which points to a possible return for the longtime Bilikens head coach.

“The players are being informed of coach Majerus’ condition and the subsequent announcement of Jim Crews’ appointment,” Saint Louis athletic director Chris May said in a statement. “It is an emotional time, and while our thoughts and prayers are with Rick, our focus is on our student-athletes and continuing to give them the best experience possible.”

ESPN reported that Majerus has a history of heart surgeries, dating to 1989, and is currently taking blood thinner medication. The Saint Louis head coach had a stent inserted last August.

Under Majerus’ direction, the Bilikens went 24-8 last season, and traveled to the third round of the NCAA tournament, the program’s first appearance since 2000.

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Wednesday, June 6, 2012 10:48 a.m.

Women’s basketball 2012-13 schedule released

by Elizabeth Traynor

Jonathan Tsipis at his introductory press conference. Hatchet File Photo.

The schedule for the 2012-13 A-10 women’s basketball season features a 14-game lineup in a field of 16 programs, meaning the Colonials will not face Temple in its final year in the league.

Unlike the men’s basketball schedule, which will switch to a 16-game format next season, each women’s program will skip playing one league opponent. GW will also not renew the annual home-and-home series with Richmond.

The Colonials will host four postseason teams next year, including defending regular-season champion St. Bonaventure and WNIT qualifiers Duquesne, Richmond and Saint Joseph’s. Rounding out the programs that will make a trip to the Smith Center are Rhode Island, Saint Louis and Butler.

“The entire Atlantic 10 slate will be challenging to say the least,” head women’s basketball coach Jonathan Tsipis said in a release. “While I’m sorry as a first-time head coach that we won’t get to face Temple before they leave for the Big East, I’m excited that our fans will be able to see St. Bonaventure, who went undefeated in the league last year, as well as welcome Butler and head coach Beth Couture to the Smith Center for the first time in the A-10. It’s an exciting time for GW women’s basketball, and we look forward to working hard to get ready for the season.”

The Colonials will travel to Charlotte, Dayton, Fordham, La Salle, Massachusetts, VCU and Xavier next season.

Dates and times for each game will be announced at a later date.

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012 1:57 p.m.

Atlantic 10 announces 2012-13 men’s basketball conference match-ups

by Elizabeth Traynor

GW's bench watches as the final seconds tick out on its loss in the first round of the 2012 A-10 tournament. Hatchet File Photo

Updated June 5, 3:18 p.m

The Atlantic 10 announced the league match-ups for the upcoming season today, releasing the field of 16 games for each program that will feature a GW–La Salle home-and-away partnership.

The Colonials will face each other conference opponent once. GW will host Butler, Charlotte, Dayton, Fordham, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis and Temple, and will travel to Duquesne, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, Saint Joseph’s, VCU and Xavier.

“The Atlantic 10 race is going to be a battle no matter how teams are paired, so we’re just thrilled to be participating in arguably one of the top 5 conferences in all of college basketball,” head coach Mike Lonergan said in a release. “I look forward to seeing Butler come for the first time, our rivals Temple and Charlotte come for final conference games, and postseason teams St. Bonaventure, Dayton, La Salle and Saint Louis visit the Smith Center this coming season.”

In addition to the GW-La Salle two-game matchup, the other programs in the league paired off in their respective schedules. The teams that will face each other twice are as follows: Butler and Saint Louis, Charlotte and Temple, Dayton and Xavier, Duquesne and St. Bonaventure, Fordham and Saint Joseph’s, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and Richmond and VCU.

“The whole conference schedule will provide some exciting challenges to our players and some attractive games for our fans,” Lonergan said. “We are looking forward to working hard this summer to improve our team and prepare for what should be a historic season in the A-10.”

Dates and times of the games will be announced at a later date.

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Sunday, March 11, 2012 7:19 p.m.

St. Bonaventure wins A-10 tournament, four league teams grab NCAA bids

by Elizabeth Traynor
Tony Taylor, men's basketball

Then-junior guard Tony Taylor is blocked by a St. Bonaventure opponent in January 2011. | Hatchet File Photo

St. Bonaventure won its first A-10 championship title Sunday with a 67-56 victory over Xavier, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2000.

The Bonnies, a No. 14 seed, are joined by Xavier, Temple and Saint Louis as the A-10′s representatives in the NCAA tournament. It’s the first time since 2004 that the league has had four teams earn bids.

St. Bonaventure will face No. 3 seed Florida State this Friday. The Bonnies finished the season with a 20-11 overall record, including a 10-point win over the Colonials Jan. 4, and were the No. 4 seed for the A-10 tournament.

Xavier made the tournament as a No. 10 seed, its seventh straight tournament appearance, and will face No. 7 seed Notre Dame Friday. After falling in the A-10 championship game to the Bonnies, Xavier finished with a 21-12 overall record, including a narrow Feb. 2 victory at the Smith Center. The Muskateers were the No. 3 seed for the A-10 tournament after claiming a tiebreaker over the Bonnies.

Temple will enter the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed, and will play the winner of the Cal – South Florida game this Friday. The Owls were the No. 1 seed of the A-10 tournament, but were upset by Massachusetts in the quarterfinals. Temple finished the season with a 24-7 overall record, including a close win over the Colonials Feb. 8.

Saint Louis earned a No. 9 seed for the A-10 tournament, and will face No. 8 Memphis. The Billikens earned a 25-7 record on the season, including a victory over GW Jan. 7, and were the No. 2 seed of the A-10 tournament.

 

 

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