Score: #25 Dayton 91, VCU 86 – OT
Location: Dayton, Ohio (UD Arena)
Records: VCU 19-12 (11-7 Atlantic 10), Dayton 24-6 (14-4)
 
The short story: Senior guard Zeb Jackson scored a career-high 26 points, but VCU was unable to hold off 25^th-ranked Dayton in an overtime thriller Friday at UD Arena. The game was the regular season finale for both teams, and VCU will be the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament.
 
OPENING TIP

• Jackson knocked down 10-of-22 attempts from the field, including a career-best 6-of-14 from 3-point range. He also supplied five rebounds and three assists
• Senior guard Max Shulga added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Black and Gold
• Senior guard Joe Bamisile and graduate wing Sean Bairstow also provided 13 points each for the Rams. Bairstow collected three steals
• Dayton was led by DaRon Holmes II, who recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds, as well as Nate Santos, who chipped in 21 points and eight boards

THE DIFFERENCE

• Dayton shot 54 percent (30-of-56) from the field in the game, including 55 percent (12-of-22) from 3-point range. UD buried 9-of-14 from beyond the arc in the second half and overtime as it mounted its comeback
• The Flyers made 25 trips to the free throw line and connected on 19. VCU was sent to the line just six times in the game (4-of-6)
• Jackson canned a 3-pointer from the wing to give VCU an 80-77 lead with 1:21 remaining in overtime, but Dayton's Kobe Elvis answered with back-to-back triples over a dizzying 26-second sequence to put the Flyers in front 83-80 with 43 seconds left. VCU misfired on a 3-pointer on its next trip and four straight free throws extended the Flyers lead to 87-80 with 15 seconds on the clock. VCU staged one last-ditch effort when a 3-pointers by Jackson and Shulga cut the deficit to 88-86 with four seconds left, but the Rams could get no closer
• Back-to-back buckets by Dayton's Enoch Cheeks and Koby Brea tied the game at 70-70 with 1:35 left in regulation. Both teams had a pair of looks in the final 90 seconds, but couldn't convert
• VCU used a flurry of 3-pointers, eight in all, to take a 38-31 halftime lead. The Rams led by as many as 17 following consecutive treys by redshirt sophomore guard Jason Nelson and Shulga that gave the Black and Gold a 26-9 advantage at the 10:08 mark

NOTABLE

• The final 10:57 of the game featured three ties and nine lead changes
• VCU knocked down 18-of-42 from 3-point range. It's the second-most 3-pointers in a game in program history
• VCU leads the all-time series with Dayton 18-10. The Rams had won three straight at UD Arena prior to Friday's game
• The Rams led for 37:03

NEXT UP
VCU will travel to the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament, which will be held March 12-17 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The fifth-seeded Rams will meet the winner of the 12/13 game on Wednesday, March 13 at 2 p.m. That contest will be televised on USA.