Richmond, VA – Tuesday’s clash between A-10 Titan Dayton and struggling VCU proved to be a challenge for the visitors, but they were able to come away with the victory, as they remain unbeaten in conference play. Jalen Crutcher led the Flyers with 18 points, while Obi Toppin had 12 to secure the victory. In a losing effort, Nah’Shon Hyland provided 17 for the home squad and Marcos Santos-Silva had 12 points and 17 rebounds.
Dayton Head Coach Anthony Grant spoke about the challenges VCU provided and how his team overcame them. “We knew we’d get a heck of a fight from a VCU team, a veteran crew, that is very experienced and knows these types of games,” Grant said. “I’m proud of our guys for being able to answer the bell every time we needed to. Tonight was about resiliency and about togetherness and toughness and we found a way to win.”
Dayton leaves the Siegel Center at 13-0 in the Atlantic 10 and a once ranked VCU team falls to 7-6 in league play. The Flyers will ultimately have to run the table in Atlantic 10 play to have a chance at a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament due to the overall lack of quality wins. The Flyers will host Duquesne on Saturday, while the Rams will fly out to St. Louis to take on Hassan French and the Billikens.
Bracketology Effect: VCU remains out of the field and for the most part out of the bubble discussion, remaining Jonathon Warriner’s last team in the “Next 5 Out” section. Dayton stays as the 2 seed in the Midwest Region.
Betting Effect: Covered: Dayton -2.5, Under 143.