VCU and George Mason each notched wins in their A-10 openers on Wednesday.
VCU (10-4, NET: 54) got 23 points from Lazar Djokovic and 20 points from Brandon Jennings in an 89-82 win over St. Bonaventure (10-3, NET: 101) at the Siegel Center.
Mason (13-1, NET: 81) erased a 10-point second-half deficit in an 80-75 win at La Salle (4-10, NET: 269).
The Patriots trailed 65-55 with 10:42 left, but a 10-1 run by the Patriots moved GMU back within one (67-66) with six minutes to play.
With the Explorers ahead 71-68 at the 4:12 mark, a final 10-2 run gave Mason a five-point edge (78-73) the team would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
“This was a high-level learning moment for our group and an opportunity to show what we’re about,” Mason coach Tony Skinn said. “We haven’t been on the road or trailing in a game much this season. They’ve showed so much resilience all season long with things we’ve had to battle, with injuries and guys needing to step up. To trail for 34, 35 minutes and then find a way, I’m really happy and proud of these guys. This is going to go a long way, because these wins aren’t easy to come by.”
VCU also had to overcome a late deficit. The Rams trailed 73-66 with 8:10 remaining following three straight buckets by Frank Mitchell, who had 24 points on the night. But Jennings capped an 8-0 VCU burst a short time later with four straight free throws to give the Rams a 79-77 advantage with 2:39 remaining.
The Bonnies briefly tied the game at 79-79, but Jennings scored the game’s next eight points, including a traditional three-point play, to push the Black and Gold to an 87-79 lead with 32 seconds left.
Jennings scored all of his career-high 20 points in the second half of an effort that included a 14-of-15 performance at the free throw line.
Djokovic finished with 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including three thunderous slam dunks.
Terrence Hill Jr. added 19 points off the bench. He shot 3-of-6 from the 3-point line and added three rebounds and two assists in the contest.
In the Mason game, Kory Mincy battled foul trouble in the first half, and scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the second stanza. He also dished out four assists and went 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
Emmanuel Kanga scored 17 points – a career-high – in 19 minutes of work. He went 7-of-8 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds.
Riley Allenspach added 19 points (7-11 FG, 4-5 FT) in 26 minutes.
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Chris Graham
