Final Score:Â No. 5 VCU 56, No. 1 Dayton 50
Location:Â Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)
Records:Â VCU 15-10, Dayton 14-3
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The Short Story:Â In a back-and-forth battle with nine lead changes, VCU held Dayton to two points in the final 6:24 of the contest to advance to its third consecutive Atlantic 10 Championship game.
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QUICK FACTS:
- Taya Robinson scored a game-high 18 points and had a career-high seven steals. Robinson also added nine rebounds and went 9-of-12 from the free throw line
- Tera Reed scored 12 points and added three assists and three rebounds
- Sarah Te-Biasu was the third Ram in double figures with 11 points and three rebounds
- Chloe Bloom had seven points and a team-high five rebounds
- VCU held a 15-7 advantage in points off turnovers, forcing 15 Dayton turnovers while committing just 11
- The Flyers were led by Jenna Giacone who had 16 points
- The game was a constant back-and-forth battle that featured 15 lead changesÂ
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- It was a defensive battle in the first quarter with Dayton leading VCU 10-6 heading into the second quarter
- The Rams came alive before halftime with a 16-2 run, capped off by a Janika Griffith-Wallace jumper, that gave VCU a 30-21 lead with 1:14 left before halftime
- After two straight baskets by Dayton, the Black and Gold took a 32-26 lead into halftime thanks to a Bloom layup right before the buzzer. VCU scored 26 points in the second quarter, a season-high
- Dayton came out of halftime and went on a 11-4 run of their own to retake the lead at 37-36 with 6:03 left in the third quarter
- The two teams traded baskets and VCU clung to a 43-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter
- The Rams pulled out to a 52-48 lead before a Tenin Magassa layup cut the Flyers' deficit to just 52-50
- VCU's defense then shut the door on Dayton by only allowing one more basket, a layup with 1:25Â remaining, in the final 6:24 of the game
UP NEXT:
VCU will face the winner of No. 3 Saint Louis vs. No. 7 UMass in the A-10 Championship Final at noon tomorrow, March 14, with the game nationally televised on ESPNU
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