Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Recap
First Round
No. 9 William & Mary 68, No. 8 James Madison 54
No. 9 William & Mary picked up a 68-54 opening round upset victory against No. 8 James Madison in a battle of two teams with less than 10 wins on the season. The Tribe’s freshman guard Nick D’Antoni and the Dukes’ sophomore forward Cavell Johnson went toe to toe as Johnson outscored D’Antoni 28-26. But D’Antoni’s teammates offered more support than Johnson’s, which was the difference in a defensive battle. The Tribe held James Madison to less than 33 percent shooting from the field. The Dukes were strapped by foul trouble in the second half as five players finished with at least four fouls.
No. 7 Delaware 76, No. 10 Towson 56
Also in the first round, No. 7 Delaware beat No. 10 Towson 76-56 behind great defense and the triple threat of junior forward Harding Nana, junior guard Andrew Washington and junior guard Rulon Washington. The Blue Hens held Towson to 31 percent shooting from the field. And Delaware collected most of those loose balls, out-rebounding the Tigers 49-30. Nana led the offense with 19 points and the two Washingtons added 15 and 13 points.
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Old Dominion 64, No. 9 William & Mary 51
No. 1 Old Dominion’s trip through the Colonial Athletic Association tournament started with a 64-51 win against No. 9 William & Mary. For the CAA’s best team, the only guarantee of an NCAA bid is to win the conference tournament. Junior forward Alex Loughton, the conference’s most dominant player, led the attack with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Isaiah Hunter led all scores with 15 points for Old Dominion.
Meanwhile, William & Mary had a disastrous game shooting, hitting less than 36 percent from the field. No member of the Tribe reached double figures in scoring. In addition to problems from the field, the Tribe couldn’t hit free throws, making only 10-of-19 from the line. The shooting problems facilitated a quarterfinal exit for the Tribe and helped Old Dominion move on to the semifinals.
No. 5 Hofstra 89, No. 4 Drexel 77
No. 5 Hofstra pulled off the lone upset of the CAA Tournament’s quarterfinals with an 89-77 win against No. 4 Drexel. The Pride can thank sophomore guard Loren Stokes, who picked an excellent time to dump 31 points on the Dragons. Hofstra had four players reach double figures, who frequently worked their way to the free-throw line. The Pride made 23-of-30 free throws in a foul fest. Besides the fouls, the Pride played nearly perfectly, committing only nine turnovers.
The Dragons also played a tough game, led by senior guard Phil Goss’ 18 points. Drexel took care of the ball relatively well with only 13 turnovers, but the Dragons could not keep pace with the Pride at the free-throw line. Drexel drained only 17-of-26 free throws. Goss’ four three pointers helped keep the game close, but Drexel could not overcome a second-half surge by Hofstra, as the Pride moved on to play No. 1 Old Dominion.
No. 2 VCU 74, No. 7 Delaware 61
After dispatching No. 10 Towson in the first round, No. 7 Delaware could not pull off a quarterfinal upset against No. 2 VCU. The CAA’s defending champion won its first game of the tournament behind 21 points from junior forward Nick George. The Rams held Delaware to less than 36 percent shooting from the field. More importantly, VCU was stingy with the ball, giving it away only six times in the game. Delaware’s modest 14 turnovers, by comparison, helped provide the difference in the game.
The loss spoiled a great game by junior forward Harding Nana, who scored 27 points. But he was one of only two Blue Hens to reach double figures in scoring, which sealed Delaware’s fate against a Rams team bent on returning to the NCAA Tournament.
No. 3 UNC-Wilmington 60, No. 6 George Mason 47
Defense continued to be the name of the game as No. 3 UNC-Wilmington slowed the game to a crawl to beat No. 6 George Mason 60-47. The Seahawks held George Mason to only 20 points in the first half and 34 percent shooting from the field in the game. Nobody for the Patriots reached double figures in scoring as the Seahawks prevented anybody from finding their rhythm. Offensively, senior forward Aaron Coombs and junior guard John Goldsberry each had 14 points to lead the team.
George Mason did not help its attempt to upset the Seahawks by continuing to heave errant three pointers. The Patriots hit only 1-of-13 from long range, which allowed the Seahawks to dare George Mason to shoot because no one could hit. As a result, the Seahawks could focus more on rebounds, grabbing nine more than the Patriots. Juniors Jai Lewis and Lamar Butler led the less-than-forceful attack with nine points apiece.
Semifinals
No. 1 Old Dominion 72, No. 5 Hofstra 58
No. 1 Old Dominion appeared to be on the ropes at halftime against Hofstra, trailing 32-23. The Pride had successfully contained the Monarchs’ leader, junior forward Alex Loughton, and sophomore guard Antoine Agudio was raining shots from everywhere.
But the second half was an entirely different story as Old Dominion stormed back to outscore the Pride 49-26 in the second stanza. Loughton came on to finish with 17 points, tying for team high with junior guard Isaiah Hunter. The Monarchs shut down Hofstra’s offense, which finished with 34 percent shooting from the field.
The Pride’s ability to hit the three-pointer kept the overmatched Hofstra squad in the game. Led by Agudio’s five threes, the Pride hit 11 three-pointers. The combination of Loughton and Hunter was more than the Pride could handle down the stretch, and Hofstra’s strong season will end unless the NIT extends a bid to the Pride. Old Dominion’s dream of returning to the NCAA Tournament remained alive.
No. 2 VCU 55, No. 3 UNC-Wilmington 46
The No. 2 Rams advanced to the championship game to play No. 1 Old Dominion with an opportunity to return to the NCAA Tournament. VCU earned that right by virtue of a 55-46 defensive gem against No. 3 UNC-Wilmington. The Rams held the Seahawks to 30 percent shooting from the field and allowed only five players to score in the entire game.
As in VCU’s quarterfinal game, junior forward Nick George led the Rams with 13 points. Senior forward Michael Doles was the only other Ram to reach double figures in scoring. But VCU had more offensive balance than the Seahawks, which challenged UNC-Wilmington’s defense. Neither team figured out the opponent’s defense, but the Rams’ offensive efficiency – they committed only nine turnovers – was just enough for VCU to advance.
In the losing effort, sophomore guard T.J. Carter led all scores with 14 points, and senior forward Aaron Coombs added 12 points. The Seahawks missed out on closing the gap several times by shooting only 50 percent from the free-throw line. Shooting 30 percent overall didn’t help, however.
Championship
No. 1 Old Dominion 73, No. 2 VCU 66 (OT)
No. 1 Old Dominion finished off a sensational regular season and conference tournament with a thrilling overtime victory against VCU 73-66. The Monarchs appeared poised to break open the game after they jumped out to a 29-22 halftime lead. But VCU erased the lead early in the second half, and neither team led by more than three points for the remainder of regulation. In overtime, the Monarchs jumped out to a two-possession lead and forced VCU to heave three-pointers to frantically rally in the final minute. Old Dominion hit every critical free throw in the final minute to fend off the Rams’ final attempt to defend their conference title.
Old Dominion’s championship run seemed to be in serious peril when sophomore forward Arnaud Dahi left the game midway through the first half with a shoulder injury. One of the Monarchs’ few reliable post players, VCU took advantage by working inside to junior forward Nick George and senior forward Michael Doles. The two scored 11 points apiece.
But George and Doles could not counter the CAA’s best player, junior forward Alex Loughton of Old Dominion. Loughton scored 28 points to give Old Dominion the win. He hit every critical shot and made up for the loss of Dahi. Loughton also grabbed 11 rebounds for his second double-double in three CAA games.
Meanwhile, sophomore guard Jesse Pellot-Rosa led the Rams with 15 points, including several clutch shots to help keep the Rams close. VCU deserves credit for keeping the game close and valiantly defending the team’s conference title. But Old Dominion capped a great season with a conference championship, moving on to the NCAA Tournament. Depending on the team’s seeding, the Monarchs could become a popular pick for a first-round upset.
