WILMINGTON, Del. – Prior to Dayton taking on VCU in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship, first-year head coach Tamika Williams-Jeter decided to remind her team about the butterfly story, asking each player a simple question.

Did she want them to cut each other out of the cocoon?

“For a butterfly to fly, you have to fight in this cocoon,” Williams-Jeter said. “A little girl comes up and cuts the cocoon to release the butterfly too early and the wings didn’t develop. The fight is what generates the energy. I did come into the locker room today with scissors. Cutting you out means you’ll never fly but if you keep fighting now half our body’s out and the ending is beautiful.”

Despite a second-half rally from the Rams, UD proved flight-worthy down the stretch, topping No. 13 VCU via a 67-61 mark Wednesday afternoon at CHASE Fieldhouse.

The 12th-seeded Flyers were paced by Sydney Freeman, who matched her season high with 18 points, recorded eight assists and matched a personal best behind eight made free throws. Anyssa Jones and Arianna Smith, each of whom scored 14 points, played key roles while Mariah Perez recorded her 12th double-double of the season and sixth in her last seven games with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort. Destiny Bohanon added 10 points, as she saw her first game action since Feb. 8.

“We knew this game was going to come down to rebounding and keeping them out of the paint as much as possible and being on the attack,” Williams-Jeter said. “They struggled a bit with our transition. We just wanted to come in, really handle their pressure and get up and down the court as best as we can. We’ve been better as executing later on in the season.”

This is the seventh consecutive season that Dayton has won its first contest at the Atlantic 10 Championship, finishing the day shooting 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field.

VCU, meanwhile, was paced by All-Conference third team selection Sarah Te-Biasu, who scored 11 of her 13 points during the second half. This was Te-Biasu’s first appearance since Jan. 26.

Chloe Bloom and Janika Griffith-Wallace each netted 12 points, while Mykel Parham added 10 rebounds.

The Rams won the overall rebounding battle by a 40-to-30 count.

“You look at the fight from our team,” VCU head coach Beth O’Boyle said. “It’s obviously been a challenging season, we’ve faced a lot of adversity. Your character comes out in the most difficult times. I’m completely proud of the way our team has competed all season long. Dayton played an excellent game, we knew it was going to be a battle.”

VCU started off slowly with three consecutive turnovers to open the contest as Dayton was able to put up points in two of those possessions.
The Rams were able to rebound as Timaya Lewis-Eutsey successfully followed up her own miss and VCU began to round back into form.
VCU successfully utilized the paint as well, scoring eight of its opening 10 points from close range, to set a standard inside.

With the contest tied in the latter stages of the opening quarter, Parham was able to play centerfield and intercept a Flyers passk, later setting up Lewis-Eutsey for a high-percentage basket.

VCU’s defense also contained Dayton, leading 14-to-12 and holding the Flyers without a basket for 4:36, a streak which ran into the second quarter. When Jones converted a layup, Dayton broke through with the game’s first run, a 9-0 barrage which saw Freeman twice set her team up for baskets before O’Boyle spent a timeout.

The run extended to 22-to-2 as Dayton went 8-for-9 from the field and VCU suffered a scoreless streak for over three minutes of play, leading to a second timeout from the Rams bench.

VCU was able to settle down following the stoppage, scoring five of the last seven points and again became disruptive on the defensive end; Dayton, however, surged in front at the break, 34-21.

The Rams' run continued into the third quarter as VCU stretched its scoring into an 11-2 run. After Perez could not corral a post-entry pass, Williams-Jeter spent her first timeout of the afternoon.

As both teams hit scoring lulls, VCU was able to key in on the offensive glass, maintaining possession and in turn making it difficult for Dayton to generate momentum.

VCU won the third quarter, cutting Dayton’s lead to a slim 44-41.

Both sides battled for control in the fourth period, and when Bloom converted a hook shot, VCU pulled within two. A a technical foul turned into a five-point swing as Freeman sank the free throws before drilling a triple.

Undeterred, VCU went on a 6-0 run, but Dayton fought back into a rhythm en route to leading by two possessions down the stretch.

A four-point Flyers edge in the closing seconds was sealed when Te-Biasu missed off glass, securing UD's victory.

“All of the coaches are really invested, they really care so that helps us come out every day and want to be out there and play hard for them and us,” said Freeman. “At the beginning of the season we were still figuring each other out. Now we play like we’re an experienced team and I think that’s really cool.”

Dayton advances to take on Richmond in second-round action Thursday at 1:30 p.m. The contest will be carried by ESPN+.

“We could have easily given up a long time ago, but we continue to play hard,” Jones said. “We just learn not to give up on each other and I think it showed today.”