Reiss leads Rams to 11th straight win, leading the conference PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
As the conclusion of the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 women’s basketball season draws near, the battle for postseason seeding is only intensifying. As we enter the final three weeks of regular season action, our sports reporters at The Good Five Cent Cigar have teamed up with the Duquesne Duke, The Hawk and the Loyola Phoenix to bring you our A-10 women’s basketball power rankings. Here are where the teams stand:
- Rhode Island (-)
It wasn’t pretty, but a rebounding performance for the ages saw the Rams keep rolling, winning their 9th straight game in a double-overtime thriller vs. St. Joes. The Rams shot only 33% from the floor, but brought in 60 rebounds in the win. Even when they aren’t at their best, Tammi Reiss continues to find a way to lead this team to victory. They remain the lone unbeaten team in the conference, and maintain the top spot as a result.
- UMass (-)
The Minutewomen are another team that just can’t seem to lose. A comfortable 66-42 win against Richmond saw them extend their conference record to 8-1, maintaining hold of the second place spot. The only thing separating them from the top: their only loss of the season — against Rhode Island. They are set to rematch the Rams in just under two weeks, in what will be a decisive game in deciding the A-10 regular season.
- Fordham (-)
Concluding the top three, Fordham have only dropped 3 of their first 11 Atlantic10 games, with one of those losses coming against 2nd-place UMass. Following a tight 87-84 loss to St. Louis at the end of January, the Rams have been able to rebound with two straight wins — although they’ve come at the expense of the bottom two teams in the conference in Loyola and St. Bonaventure. Next up is a second matchup with UMass, in what will be a true test for this Fordham team and their hopes to stay in the fight for the top spots.
- George Washington (+2)
One of our biggest movers from last week, and one of only two teams to jump up in the rankings, George Washington picked up their 5th-straight win against Dayton on Saturday, but they have not had the toughest schedule in that stretch, with three of those wins coming against bottom-half teams in VCU, Dayton and Loyola. They face their biggest test of the year against a red-hot Rhode Island team next.
- St. Joes (-)
Saint Joseph’s took an unbeaten team down to the wire, providing Rhode Island their toughest test of the season and taking them to overtime, something no other team has managed at the Ryan Center this season. Despite the dogfight, the Hawks were unable to pull through in double-overtime. A fight, but ultimately a loss prevents them from moving up from 5th this week.
- La Salle (-2)
Two straight double-figure losses against UMass and VCU complete a tough week for the Explorers, seeing them drop two spots from last week. They will look to rebound against Duquesne and Richmond, two fellow teams fighting in the middle of the pack.
- Duquesne (-)
Duquesne are 2-2 in their last four games. Although they’ve put together wins against VCU and Dayton, they’ve struggled against stronger competition. Losses against UMass and George Washington prevented them from moving up this week.
- Davidson (-)
Another team struggling to put together consistent results in the midst of conference play, a tough 67-60 loss at home against Rhode Island caps off a two game losing skid for the Wildcats. The good news: they welcome 14th-place Loyola on Wednesday in what many would think should be a win on paper.
- St. Louis (+2)
Another big mover this week, St. Louis has begun to right the ship in terms of their A-10 season. Three straight wins against Fordham, George Mason and St. Bonaventure brought them to 5-5 in conference play, and a chance to improve to a winning record comes on Wednesday against Dayton, a team they bested 80-69 just under a month ago.
- (Tied) Richmond (-)
Another team that’s 2-2 in their last four games, Richmond suffered tough losses against Fordham and UMass in that stretch. However, a 94-90 overtime win vs. St. Joe’s showed potential. The Spiders have crucial upcoming games against La Salle and George Mason — two teams also fighting in the middle of the pack — that will tell the story of their season going into March.
- (Tied) George Mason (-1)
Not much separates George Mason from previously listed Richmond. In fact, they’re tied this week. Having won three of their last four, and looking to rebound from two straight losses vs. St. Louis and George Washington, the Patriots welcome last-place St. Bonaventure on Wednesday.
- VCU (-)
In need of wins with a 4-6 conference record, VCU’s schedule doesn’t get much easier as they face St. Joe’s and Rhode Island in their next two outings. The Rams have struggled to put together consistent results throughout conference play, unable to string together more than two wins at a time all season.
- Loyola Chicago (-)
It’s been a tough introduction to the Atlantic 10 for Loyola Chicago, with their lone conference win in 10 games coming against St. Louis in December. With a winning record now out of the picture with only six conference games remaining, saving the season at this point seems like a tough task for Loyola.
- Dayton (-)
With so many departures from an experienced, conference winning team last season, it always seemed likely that it would be hard to replicate that success. It’s been a difficult campaign for Dayton, with only three wins in ten conference games. However, a silver lining recently came in the form of a win against Loyola on Wednesday that snapped a five-game losing skid for the Flyers. Next up: they welcome St. Louis on Wednesday.
- St. Bonaventure (-)
Finally, St. Bonaventure’s struggles see them remain at the bottom of our power rankings this week. Last place in the conference with their lone win in 11 games coming vs. Dayton on Jan. 19, it would take a miracle to see a turnaround in their last five conference matches. Tough sledding for the Bonnies.