COL BKB: GWU 78, Rhode Island 69

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., March 11 (UPI) -- Carl Elliott notched 17 points and six boards to lift George Washington over Rhode Island, 78-69, Saturday to capture the Atlantic-10 Tournament Championship.

The Colonials now get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Dokun Akingbade scored 15 points and had nine rebounds for the third-seeded Colonials (23-8); Maureece Rice added 12 points and Regis Koundjia finished with 11 for George Washington.

Will Daniels scored a game-high 29 points -- 17 in the second half -- for the fourth-seeded Rams (19-14), who entered the game with a two-game winning streak. Jimmy Baron was the only other player in double figures, finishing with 10 points for Rhode Island.