Flyers Fall to VCU 68-62 on Senior Night
(Photo via Hunter Ross)
Gabriel Ward | Sports Editor
DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton men’s basketball team (21-10, 12-6) fell to the VCU Rams (24-7, 15-3) in an Atlantic 10 matchup at UD Arena Friday night. 13,407 fans were in attendance to watch the Flyers’ regular-season finale and senior night.
It was a fast-paced opening eight minutes of the game with no timeout until 11:57 remaining in the half. During that stretch, the Rams were able to draw two fouls on Dayton’s Amael L’Etang, leading him to be benched for the remainder of the half.
A few minutes later, with 9:43 left in the first, Malcolm Thomas entered the game for the Flyers. This was his first appearance for UD since the Flyers’ victory over Duquesne on Feb. 21 in Pittsburgh. Thomas’ impact was felt immediately when, with 9:28 left in the half, he made a dunk to put the Flyers ahead 21-18.
With 7:02 left in the half, VCU’s Barry Evans would make a 3-pointer to tie the game up at 26. However, in his celebration, Evans made a gesture to the Dayton bench and was hit with a technical foul. De’Shayne Montgomery would shoot the technical free throws for UD, missing both shots.
The final seven minutes of the half were competitive, as neither team would gain a lead larger than four points. After a Keonte Jones missed layup followed by an Evans 3-pointer for VCU, Dayton would call a timeout for the final possession of the half. On that possession, Javon Bennett would get love from his home rim on senior night when his shot would bounce off the rim twice before falling, cutting the VCU lead to 37-36 at the half.
The game remained close throughout the second half. With 13:53 remaining in the game, Montgomery would have a steal and dunk to put the Flyers up 47-44, but that three-point lead would be short-lived when Evans would respond on the other end for VCU with a 3-pointer to tie the game up at 47.
The story of the game for UD was shooting. The Flyers went 4-22 from three, with Bennett making three 3-pointers and Montgomery making the other. The shooting woes for Dayton were extended to the free-throw line, where the Flyers went 8-15.
The missed opportunity at the line would come back to bite UD, with the game being within six points the entire second half. Multiple times in the final five minutes, the Flyers would cut the Rams’ lead to 2, but they could never pull even.
With 1:24 left and VCU ahead 64-62, Terrence Hill Jr. would score to put the Rams back up four. Montgomery would miss multiple 3-pointers in the final minute, and VCU held on to win 68-62.
The loss drops the Flyers to 21-10 overall and 12-6 in A-10 play. VCU’s win improves them to 24-7 overall and 15-3 in the conference. The Rams can clinch a share of the A-10 regular season title if Saint Louis falls at George Mason on Saturday.
The Flyers will begin their postseason in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Friday, March 13, against a team that is to be determined. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and can be seen on USA Network.