Location: UD Arena in Dayton.
Updated Records: VCU 19-5, 9-2 in A-10. Dayton 16-8, 6-5 in A-10.
In a nutshell: While VCU put together a 12-0 comeback run within the game's last three minutes, Dayton kept fouling Zeb Jackson, hoping to stop the rally. That strategy proved to be a folly. Jackson went 13-for-14 at the charity stripe.
Stats: Jackson turned in what was a team-high 17 points. He added five boards. Max Shulga scored 16 points, pulled down eight rebounds and made three steals. And, Phil Russell chipped in 10 points.
· The Rams used a 6-0 burst, including a breakaway slam dunk by graduate guard Joe Bamisile, to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
· VCU trailed 59-54 until Shulga buried a 3-pointer from the wing with 3:17 remaining. That bucket sparked a 12-0 VCU run over the next 2:11 to put the Rams in control. A steal by graduate forward Jack Clark yielded a Shulga layup to tie the game at 59-59 with 2:46 left. Later, a Fermin traditional three-point play at the 1:39 mark expanded VCU’s lead to 64-59. Santos knocked down a 3-pointer to pull the Flyers within 69-66 with 27.7 remaining, but Jackson made four straight free throws in the final seconds to clinch the victory.
· The Black and Gold forced 19 Dayton turnovers and outscored the Flyers 30-9 on turnover opportunities.
· The Rams owned a 44-34 rebounding advantage on the glass, including 23-12 on the offensive glass.
· VCU connected on 17-of-19 free throw attempts and held the Flyers to 37 percent (19-of-51) shooting.
· VCU has won four of its past five games at UD Arena. The Rams lead the all-time series with Dayton 19-10.
BOXSCORE