Dayton (21-5, 11-3), which last won the title in 2020, sits alone in third place. The Flyers had the weekend off after a 71-67 loss at George Mason on Wednesday.
Here’s how Richmond and Loyola Chicago stayed ahead of the Flyers with victories Saturday.
• Richmond beat visiting Davidson 66-63 when Jordan King made three free throws with 2.7 left Saturday in Virginia.
“I don’t think we had our best game, and that’s 100 percent because of Davidson,” Richmond coach Chris Mooney told reporters. “But we executed and made free throws down the stretch.”
• Loyola recorded its most lopsided victory of the season, beating George Mason 80-59 in Chicago.
Loyola played in front of a crowd of 4,557 at Joseph J. Gentile Arena. It will play in front of another sold-out crowd on Friday when Dayton visits for a 9 p.m. game.
“I thought today was awesome,” Loyola coach Drew Valentine told reporters. " The fact that we had a sold-out game with an atmosphere that does so much for our team was great. Our team did a great job using that momentum and energy in a positive way. We were extremely intense and high energy. When there was time to make a big momentum play, we had better discipline than we’ve had in the past. I am really proud of our group and how far we’ve grown and how far we’ve come. Twenty wins is a huge benchmark, and we take pride in that.”
Before playing Loyola, Dayton plays Davidson (15-12, 5-9) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at UD Arena. The Flyers then close the regular season next week with a game March 5 at Saint Louis (10-17, 3-11) and a home game March 8 against Virginia Commonwealth (17-9, 9-4).
Here’s how the schedules of Richmond and Loyola compare:
• Richmond: Wednesday, at Saint Louis; Saturday, vs. VCU; March 6, vs. Saint Joseph’s (17-10, 7-7); March 9, at George Mason (18-9, 7-7).
• Loyola: Tuesday, at St. Bonaventure (17-10, 8-7); Friday vs. Dayton; March 6, at Davidson; and March 9, vs. La Salle (13-14, 4-10).
TUESDAY’S GAME
Davidson at Dayton, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network, 95.7, 1290
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