RICHMOND, Va. – Second-seeded VCU advanced to the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals following a 73-68 victory Friday evening over seventh-seeded Dayton at the Siegel Center.
In his first game back from a foot sprain, Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland led all scorers with his 30 points, 22 of which came in the first half. It was his third game this season with at least 30 points scored. Hyland also added 10 rebounds to his stat line, good for his third double-double on the year.
“It felt good being out there with my teammates,” he said. “Just being out here to uplift my teammates spirits after a loss. March Madness, I’ve never really been here, but it’s a great feeling for sure. After my first two shots, the net felt like it got wider.”
Adrian Baldwin Jr and Hason Ward each scored 10 points for VCU. The Rams owned a 38-22 advantage in the paint.
“I’m really proud of our guys and their approach,” VCU coach Mike Rhoades said. “We had two really good days of practice and they were geared to go. We had a good start which helped with any jitters. It was a physical game. I didn’t care about the lead, I know they are a good team and they have Jalen Crutcher. We are young, at times immature, but we are competitive. We found a way. We got some defensive stops late and it helped us win a game in March.”
Dayton was led by Jalen Crutcher’s 21 points. Jordy Tshimanga earned his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Ibi Watson accumulated 10 points.
“I thought VCU has had an outstanding year,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. “They came out tonight and played extremely well. Our team fought for 40 minutes and it is a disappointing result."
Baldwin connected on a triple to lead a VCU 11-1 run which opened the contest.
Crutcher hit a 3-point basket which was part of Dayton’s response as the VCU advantage was cut to eight points, however this was short lived with the Rams posting an 8-0 run of their own, going back up by double digits.
VCU was able to capitalize on Hyland’s 9-for-13 shooting clip in the first half which included a step-back jumper which just beat the halftime buzzer. The basket allowed for the Rams to go up by 11 points.
“The best way to take momentum into the second half is to take it into the locker room at the finish of the first half,” said Rhoades. “Bones can just make plays and at times makes special plays. We’ve hit a couple of those throughout the year. It was a huge momentum play and you have a player who has made many of those and against us too in Jalen Crutcher who is phenomenal. It was Bones’s turn to end the first half.”
It was uneven first half for Dayton which committed 11 turnovers, feeling the affects of VCU’s pressure defense. The Flyers finished Friday's contest with 21 miscues.
“There were times where we didn’t play well, VCU had a lot to do with that,” Grant said. “That’s basketball. You’re going to have ups and downs, that’s part of being a competitor and playing sports. The nature is to be disappointed when things aren’t going well.”
Dayton did win the second half, outscoring VCU by a six-point margin.
VCU led by as many as 18 points in the second half, but Dayton battled back, using a 9-0 scoring run to get the game to within six, a figure it reached three separate times but could not get past that number.
For Hyland it was a battle staying on the court but he refused to allow cramps and a twisted ankle to remove him from the game. Though he was taken to the sideline on two separate instances, he returned to court.
“Coach just said kill or be killed,” said Hyland. “I’m all in for sure. Whatever I can do out there, whether I’m limping, I’m out there. Whatever I can provide, I’m just trying to do it for my teammates, just to show I’m all in with them.”
Will face the winner of the fourth and final A-10 Championship quarterfinal which pits third-seeded Davidson and sixth-seeded George Mason. The contest will be held at 9 p.m. Saturday night and televised by CBS Sports Network.
“We’ve got to find a way to win,” Rhoades said. “Nobody cares in March. Be ready to play, make the next play and be there for your teammates.”