Score:Â VCU 49, #18 Dayton 47
Location:Â Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)
Records:Â VCU 16-8 (8-3 Atlantic 10), Dayton 19-4 (9-2)
Attendance: 7,637 (Sellout)
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The short story:Â Redshirt sophomore
Jason Nelson led VCU with 11 points off the bench and the Rams held Dayton without a field goal for the last 4:45 to knock off 18
th ranked Flyers Saturday night.
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OPENING TIP
- Nelson knocked down 3-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half – including one as the shot clock expired -- to help lead the Rams to a 25-22 lead at the break
- Senior guard Zeb Jackson scored nine points and added six rebounds and graduate transfer Sean Bairstow added six points and eight rebounds for the Black and Gold
- Nate Santos led all Dayton scorers with 19
THE DIFFERENCE
- Sophomore forward Tobi Lawal gave the Rams a 49-42 lead with six minutes remaining on a put back. VCU did not score for the final six minutes of the game, but the Rams held Dayton to 1-of-5 shooting and forced three turnovers down the stretch to hold on for the victory
- Dayton had one final look with 10.9 seconds remaining, but Holmes missed a contested driving layup in the final seconds and VCU secured the win
- The Rams were able to hold Dayton to 36 percent shooting (17-of-47) from the field for the game, including 4-of-17 from 3-point range. The Flyers entered the night as one of the nation's top 3-point shooting teams.
- The Flyers connected on just eight second-half field goals
- Senior guard Zeb Jackson had a personal 7-0 run early in the second half to spark the Rams as they pushed their lead to as much as 42-34 with 13:44 remaning
NOTABLE
- The victory is VCU's first over a ranked foe since the Rams defeated 25th-ranked Davidson on Jan. 26, 2022
- VCU improved to 6-3 all-time at the Siegel Center against ranked teams
- VCU led for 33:01 of the contest
- Dayton misfired on 9-of-18 attempts from the free throw line
NEXT UP
VCU will hit the road to face Saint Louis for its second match-up with the Billikens of the season on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
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