Shulga scores 18, VCU holds off George Mason 68-63 to claim Atlantic 10 title and NCAA berth
WASHINGTON — Max Shulga scored 18 points and Joe Bamisile sealed the win with two free throws with a half-second left as Virginia Commonwealth held off George Mason 66-63 to win the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship Sunday.
VCU led by eight at the break, 36-28, but George Mason got back-to-back 3-pointers from Jared Billups and Woody Newton to trail by just two, 45-43 with more than 12 minutes to play. Shulga answered with a 3 and hit a pair of free throws before finding Jack Clark for a 3 to push the VCU lead to 53-43.
Darius Maddox hit a 3 with 2:27 left to get the Patriots within one at 59-58. Coming out of a timeout, Shulga held the ball at the top of the key, then calmly knocked down a step-back 3 with 1:59 left. Jalen Haynes' layup with 39 seconds left got George Mason within 3 but Zach Anderson missed a 3-pointer with :04 left and Newton was forced to foul Bamisile with a half-second left.
Bamisile and Jack Clark each scored 17 points for VCU (28-6). Shulga, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, hit 8 of 9 from the line as the Rams converted 22 of 27.
Haynes led George Mason (26-8) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Maddox had 12 points to go with three steals and Anderson and Brayden O'Connor each added 10 points.
Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason finished the regular season tied for the regular season championship with 15-3 records. The Rams reached the conference championship game for the ninth time since joining the A-10 in 2012-13.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rams Legend Andrew Whitworth Addresses Possibility of Coaching
Rams Legend Andrew Whitworth Addresses Possibility of Coaching originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Andrew Whitworth hung his cleats up over three years ago, calling it quits after 16 seasons in the NFL. He went out on top, winning Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams. Advertisement Whitworth, who, along with Matthew Stafford, helped lead that championship-winning group, was recently asked if he'd be interested in returning to the game in a different capacity. "Thx for asking Chef! I enjoy coaching my kids for now. Don't see myself coaching at higher levels. But it would be foolish to talk in absolutes about a game I love. Only time will tell," Whitworth wrote Thursday on X. Whitworth opted to retire after realizing his body was "tired. ... There's just still been some days where my body doesn't want to move with me." Whitworth earned a Pro Bowl nod four times and was named a first-team All-Pro twice. During his final season, at 40 years old, he became the oldest player to start at left tackle in an NFL game. Andrew Whitworth. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images "There is nobody that has had a bigger impact than Andrew Whitworth on establishing the foundation, the culture of 'We Not Me,' and being a part of something bigger than yourself," Rams head coach Sean McVay said after Whitworth hung his cleats up. "Helping influence and affect people in the right way, through the good -- but I think even more importantly, in the bad. That's when he was at his best." Advertisement That type of leadership would likely suit Whitworth well as a coach. McVay has a good deal of admiration for the former standout offensive lineman. Related: NFL Reporter Charissa Thompson Made Her Opinion of Andrew Whitworth Crystal Clear This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
La Salle boys lacrosse wins 13th straight D1 state title, beats Moses Brown 8-6
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — For the 13th straight year, La Salle has won the boys lacrosse D-1 state championship. On Saturday, the Rams held of Moses Brown 8-6. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
NBC Sports
18 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Vic Fangio: Good news is Jalen Carter played well and can still improve a lot
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter has made a big impact in his first two NFL seasons, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio thinks there's plenty of upside left for the 2023 first-round pick. Carter was a second-team All-Pro after recording 42 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles during the regular season and he had two more sacks and a forced fumble in the team's playoff win over the Rams. During a press conference this week, Fangio was asked his thoughts about what the future holds for Carter. 'The good news about Jalen is twofold,' Fangio said, via a transcript from the team. 'One, he played very well for us last year, and two, he can still improve a lot.' Carter isn't arguing with that assessment. Carter mentioned Chris Jones and Dexter Lawrence while discussing the best defensive tackles in the league and said his goal is to reach that level as well. 'This is what I wanted to do,' Carter said, via Dave Zangaro of 'I wanted to be the best at what I do, try to be the best. I'm not there yet. I still got a lot of people in front of me that's obviously been in the league a couple [more] years, got years of experience on me. But I'm just going to keep grinding every day. Not just me by myself working on specific things to get better, just being around the team having the guys support me also makes me also be one of the best in the league.' Repeating as Super Bowl champions is difficult, but it'll be a little easier if Carter can continue ascending as rapidly as he has the last two years.
