Box Score Score: #13 Dayton 79, VCU 65
Location: Dayton, Ohio (UD Arena)
Records: Dayton 15-2 (4-0 Atlantic 10), VCU 12-5 (2-2)
The short story: VCU freshman guard Bones Hyland scored a career-high 16 points, but the Rams were undone by a stunning second-half run by 13th-ranked Dayton Tuesday night at UD Arena.
OPENING TIP
- Hyland scored 12 of his points in the first half as VCU and Dayton battled through several lead changes. He connected on 5-of-11 attempts from the floor and hit all four of his free throws
- Senior guard De'Riante Jenkins also supplied 16 points to the VCU cause. He added four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals
- Senior guard Marcus Evans and junior forward Marcus Santos-Silva provided 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Rams. Santos-Silva grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots
- Obi Toppin led four Flyers in double figures with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Jalen Crutcher knocked down 5-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc and finished with 20 points
THE DIFFERENCE
- Dayton used a 22-0 barrage over a six-minute stretch to turn a nip-and-tuck battle into a 63-41 Flyer lead with 11:08 remaining. Toppin fueled the blitz with 11 points, including a pair of alley-oop dunks
- The Flyers shot 50 percent (26-of-52) from the field and connected on 20-of-25 free throws in the game
- VCU made a late run to pull within 10 points with 1:23 left, but could get no closer
- The Rams were 3-of-20 from 3-point range in the game
NOTABLE
- Prior to Dayton's second-half explosion, the game featured nine lead changes and four ties
- VCU led by as many as five points in the first half following an eight-foot jumper in the lane by senior guard Issac Vann. The Rams opened the second half with an 8-3 burst, sparked by a pair of Jenkins dunks, to tie the game at 41 with 17:35 left
- The Rams turned Dayton over 20 times and outscored the Flyers 31-11 off turnovers
NEXT UP
VCU will return home and host St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
