All season long because of COVID-19 protocols, teams have avoided handshake lines and postgame pleasantries, waving goodbye from opposite ends of the court before heading to the locker room. This was a moment, however, that called for something extra.
“I know the type of competitor he is,” Grant said. “His heart, the way he competes, I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
Anthony Grant: National coach of the year in 2020. National hugger of the year in 2021. pic.twitter.com/gZ8yhzUIk3
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) March 5, 2021
Rhode Island and Dayton played eight times in Grant’s first four regular seasons as coach, splitting the eight games. They had not played in the postseason in Grant’s tenure until Thursday when No. 7 seed Dayton broke a three-game losing streak in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament with an 84-72 victory against No. 10 seed Rhode Island.
A disappointing season for Rhode Island (10-15) ended with seven losses in its last eight games. An up-and-down season for Dayton (14-8) continues with a 3:30 p.m. Friday quarterfinal against No. 2 seed Virginia Commonwealth (17-6) at the Siegel Center.
Dayton advanced by winning an A-10 tournament game for the first time since 2016 when it beat Richmond 69-54 in the quarterfinals. It lost 73-67 to Davidson in the quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed in 2017, lost 77-72 to VCU in the second round in 2018, Grant’s first season, and 64-55 to Saint Louis in the quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed in 2019. The 2020 tournament was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Against Rhode Island, Dayton seized control first with an 8-0 run to end the first half, building a 40-31 halftime lead. Then after Rhode Island cut Dayton’s lead to 56-55 with 11:15 to play, Dayton started another 8-0 run with a 3-point play by Zimi Nwokeji. A 3-pointer by Koby Brea ended that spurt.
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.
“It helped a lot,” Dayton guard Jalen Crutcher said. “These young guys, we’ve been trying to get them to lock in every game, and they stepped up today and we need that.”
The offensive star, though, was Ibi Watson, who scored 25 points and made 6 of 11 3-pointers.
“It felt good to hit shots,” Watson said. “I’ve just got to give credit to my teammates for screening and putting me in position to succeed and the coaches as well.”
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 on 23 attempts. It had hit that number four times. It also shot better than 50 percent from 3-point range for the fourth time. The shooting success came on a court where Dayton matched a school record for fewest points in a half (13) in a 66-43 loss to VCU on Jan. 23.
In its last game against Rhode Island, Dayton blew an 18-point lead in the final 10 minutes and lost 91-89 in overtime. This time it didn’t let Rhode Island get closer than eight points in the final 10 minutes.
Already short-handed, Rhode Island saw one starter, Makhel Mitchell, foul out with 10:48 to play, and it lost another key contributor, Allen Bertrand, who had 10 points off the bench, to a knee injury in the second half.
Each team shot 51 percent from the field, but Dayton made three more 3-pointers and outscored Rhode Island 14-7 at the free-throw line.
“Dayton was the better team tonight,” Rhode Island coach David Cox said. “They executed better. They shot the ball better. Anthony coached better. But with that being said, it’s been a long, trying season for this team and for this program. I’m so proud of the resiliency these guys have shown.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
Dayton vs. VCU, 3:30 p.m., NBCSN, 1290, 95.7
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