Dayton’s first victory in the tournament since 2016 leads to a 3:30 p.m. Friday quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 seed Virginia Commonwealth on its home court, the Siegel Center. That game will be televised by the NBC Sports Network. VCU (17-6) swept the season series, winning 66-43 at the Siegel Center and 76-67 at UD Arena.
Dayton (14-8), the No. 7 seed, seized control against No. 10 seed Rhode Island (10-15) with an 8-0 run after the Rams cut the deficit to 56-55 with 11:15 to play. A 3-point play by Zimi Nwokeji started the run, and a 3-pointer by Koby Brea ended it.
Brea made another 3-pointer later in the half and finished with eight points off the bench. Nwokeji scored nine points. Another freshman, R.J. Blakney, had eight points.
» PREDICTIONS: UD fans confident in their team
The offensive star, though, was Ibi Watson, who scored 25 points and made 6 of 11 3-pointers. Jalen Crutcher added 14 points. Mustapha Amzil scored Dayton’s last eight points and finished with 14 points.
Dayton matched its season high with 12 3-pointers. It had hit that number four times. It also has shot better than 50 percent from 3-point range four times.
This was Dayton’s first A-10 tournament victory since it beat Richmond in the quarterfinals five years ago. It lost in the quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed in 2017, lost in the second round in 2018, coach Anthony Grant’s first season, and in the quarterfinals in 2019. The 2020 tournament was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jalen Crutcher hits a 3 in final seconds. Dayton leads Rhode Island 40-31 at halftime. pic.twitter.com/uIzFVMCc9G
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) March 4, 2021
HALFTIME RECAP
The Flyers outscored Rhode Island 8-0 in the last 64 seconds of the first half to build a 40-31 halftime lead.
Watson made a 3-pointer with 1:04 to play, finishing the half with 14 points. After two free throws by Amzil with 40 seconds to play, Crutcher made a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half.
» PHOTOS: Jablonski’s top 50 of the season
Crutcher scored 12 points. Blakney had eight. Dayton made 7 of 15 3-pointers.
Each team made 3 of 9 shots in the opening minutes. It was tied 7-7 after seven minutes. Dayton had one field goal in a five-minute stretch.
It was a back-and-forth game until the final five minutes. A 3-point by Watson at the 4:53 mark started a 9-4 Dayton run.
About the Author
