Dayton arrived in the nation’s capitol earlier Thursday, one day before their 7:30 p.m. quarterfinal game. The No.3 seed Flyers will get about 22 hours to prepare a game plan after learning the opponent Thursday night.
No. 6 seed Saint Joseph’s beat No. 14 La Salle 75-70. The Hawks led by 20 with five minutes to play. La Salle’s Corey McKeithan scored 15 points in the last four minutes to give the Explorers a chance. They got as close as three points with four seconds remaining.
Dayton beat Saint Joseph’s 77-72 at UD Arena on Jan. 24. The Hawks trailed by 19 twice in the first half and were behind by as many as 16 points early in the second half. They chipped at the lead the rest of the way but could get no closer than three points.
Dayton forward Nate Santos matched his season high with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He made 4 of 4 3-pointers.
Dayton leads the series against Saint Joseph’s 27-20. It has won the last five games since a 97-84 loss at Saint Joseph’s in 2021.
Dayton has a 5-3 edge against Saint Joseph’s in A-10 tournament games. The Flyers and Hawks last played in the tournament in the quarterfinals in 2023. The Flyers won 60-54.
Dayton seeks its third semifinal appearance in coach Anthony Grant’s eighth season. Saint Joseph’s made the semifinals last seaso for the first time since 2018, losing 66-60 to Virginia Commonwealth.
In other action Friday:
• No. 8 St. Bonaventure plays No. 1 seed Virginia Commonwealth at 11:30 a.m.
• No. 5 Saint Louis plays No. 4 seed Loyola Chicago at 2 p.m. Friday.
• No. 7 George Washington plays No. 2 George Mason at 5 p.m.
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