Mike Lawrie
The first day of the Atlantic 10 Tournament produced a pair of games that were decided in the final five seconds.
If the first round was any indication, the 2013 Atlantic 10 Tournament will surely be one to remember.
The Charlotte 49ers and St. Joseph's Hawks won wild games that were decided in the final seconds, while the Butler Bulldogs needed a big second-half run to advance to the A-10 quarterfinals on Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Charlotte took advantage of three technical fouls called on the Richmond Spiders in the final five seconds, making eight free throws in that span on its way to a 68-63 victory. The 49ers will face the top-seeded Saint Louis Billikens on Friday.
The madness continued in the next game as St. Joseph's knocked off the Xavier Musketeers, 58-57, after Langston Galloway made a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining. Xavier had a chance to win after Isaiah Philmore caught a long pass from the opposite baseline that ricocheted off the backboard, but Philmore missed a wide open shot from point-blank range. The No. 2 VCU Rams await St. Joe's in the next round.
Butler held on to beat the Dayton Flyers, 73-67, after embarking on a 23-9 run midway through the second half to turn a four-point deficit into a 10-point lead with less than five minutes remaining. Rotnei Clarke scored 21 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Andrew Smith chipped in 18 points and six rebounds.
Butler will take on the No. 4 La Salle Explorers in the quarterfinals.
Here is a full list of first-round results:
No. 9 Charlotte 49ers 68, No. 8 Richmond Spiders 63
No. 5 Butler Bulldogs 73, No. 12 Dayton Flyers 67
No. 10 St. Joseph's Hawks 58, No. 7 Xavier Musketeers 67
No. 6 UMass Minutemen 77, No. 11 George Washington Colonials 72
An updated Atlantic 10 Tournament bracket can be found here.
More in College Basketball:
- Bracketology: Selection Sunday week is here
- The life and death of Earl Badu
- Dagger! Watch Illinois win at the buzzer
- Full coverage of the Big East tournament
- Full coverage of the Big Ten tournament
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