College Basketball: Dayton survives VCU in A-10 Showdown

The most anticipated Atlantic-10 game of the season was the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams hosting the Dayton Flyers. The fifth-ranked team in the country stormed into VCU’s electric Stuart S. Siegel Center Tuesday, looking to keep their undefeated conference record alive. The Rams pushed the Flyers to the limit but Dayton captured the win 66-61.

The Black and Yellow were without senior guard Marcus Evans for the second consecutive game and VCU Head Coach Mike Rhoades said that his team has been frustrated coming off two straight losses. The Rams wanted to make a statement against a conference foe.

Dayton star, forward Obi Toppin, struggled in the first half, scoring only three points. It turned into a physical matchup between Toppin and VCU junior center Marcus Santos-Silva on both ends.

VCU also struggled to score early, shooting 11-31 from the field and 4-14 from the three-point range in the first half. Freshman guard, Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, led VCU in first-half scoring with 13 points. He finished the game as the team’s leading scorer with 18.

Dayton took a 36-29 lead at the half.

In the second half, Toppin was more aggressive, his defensive intensity intact. And his teammates had his back.

VCUs defensive ferocity also picked up in the second half. They forced Dayton to shoot 6-18 from the field with four of those conversions coming from Toppin. VCU out-rebounded Dayton 41-31.

Despite their loss, the Black and Yellow were the first team to hold Dayton under 70 points all season.

Dayton proved why it’s currently one of the Top 5 teams in the country. With Obi struggling, the team stepped up and got contributions from several players.

Flyers junior guard Jalen Crutcher finished with a team-high 18 points, including four clutch free throws in the final minutes of the game. Dayton Head Coach Anthony Grant was pleased with the resiliency from his ballclub.

“We got hit with a lot of adversity tonight and our guys persevered,” Grant stated. “Our thought tonight was about resiliency; it was about togetherness and we found a way to win.”

Rhoades wasn’t satisfied after his team’s close defeat.

“They made enough plays to get out of here with a win tonight,” the Rams coach said. “Look, we’re close… but nobody cares if you’re close.”

This is the third straight loss for VCU as the team drops to 17-9 and 7-6 in A-10 play.

Dayton extends their winning streak to 15. The Red and Blue move to 24-2 and 13-0 in conference play.

VCU will travel to Chaifetz Arena and take on the Saint Louis Billikens Friday, Feb. 21. and Dayton will host the Duquesne Dukes Saturday, Feb. 22.