The Revolutionaries will fight another day in the Atlantic 10 Championship after beating Loyola Chicago 65-44 in Wednesday’s opening-round contest.
The 12th-seeded Revs (13-17, 5-13 A-10) spread out the scoring and got strong support from the bench to defeat the No. 13 seed Ramblers (13-17, 5-13 A-10). They will take on No. 5 seed Rhode Island Thursday at the Henrico Sports and Events Center in Glen Allen, Va.
Graduate transfer guard Makayla Andrews led the way with 14 points while amassing 1,500 career points. Sophomore guard Kamari Sims scored 13 points off the bench and contributed with four rebounds, an assist and a pair of 3-pointers.
“They just laid their hands back, built a wall and then they got the ball. So just the connected piece offensively and defensively is what brought me the most joy, watching that happen. And I turned around to our coaches and I’d say, ‘That’s good basketball,’” Interim Head Coach Doug Novak said.
In last season’s conference tournament, the Revs fell 75-68 to Saint Louis. The team’s bench only contributed five points in that loss, a stark contrast from the 26 they received against Loyola Chicago.
Novak said it had taken a while for the team to achieve the same level of play as graduate student forward Paige Mott did. This season, she averaged 6.1 rebounds and 7.3 points per game. Mott brought down eight rebounds and scored eight points with three assists. He said Mott has a “great IQ” for the game and encourages other younger guards to knock down some points.
“She goes, ‘Hey, do you think the lead is safe so we can get a few more players in it?’ And I look at the clocks, and I never feel safe. But, you know, we knocked down a three, and she was so excited that we could get a couple more players in the game. But that’s the kind of player she is,” Novak said.
The Revs trailed early against the Ramblers before jumping out to an 8-4 lead with a pair of layups by sophomore forward Sara Lewis. Andrews and all-rookie Gabby Reynolds both chipped in with four points apiece to give the Revs a 15-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The Ramblers stumbled to hold the Revs back besides a few jumpers during the second quarter. Mott got fired up to add a third layup to her count as the Revs built up momentum to end the first half.
Andrews built on their growing momentum with a 3-pointer three minutes into the third quarter. The Ramblers scored six points against GW, netting free throws and layups.
Mott headed to the paint to sink a jumper with 1:46 left in the quarter. Sims put their lead out of reach when she drilled a three in the last 10 seconds to lead the team by 13 points going into the final quarter.
The Revs dished out 36 rebounds in the contest while shooting 52 percent from the floor.
GW continued their dominance in the final quarter by adding 10 points. Sims went up with another 3-pointer as the Ramblers worked to claw their way back, doubling up with threes of their own from graduate guard Naelle Bernard and sophomore guard Rosalie Mercille. Reynolds topped the score with her second and final 3-pointer with less than two minutes of the game to spare.
In their previous matchup with the Rams on Saturday, the Revs beat Rhode Island 54-46 at Smith E. Center to break a four-game skid.
Tomorrow’s game at the Henrico Sports and Events Center starts at 1:30 p.m.
