VCU led by as many as 17, but #25 Dayton rallied to tie the game in the final two minutes, then rallied again in OT on its way to a 91-86 win on Friday night.
Zeb Jackson scored 26 points for the Rams (19-12, 11-7 A-10), who will be the #5 seed in next week’s A-10 Tournament.
Max Shulga added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for VCU, and Joe Bamisile and Sean Bairstow each scored 13.
Dayton (24-6, 14-4 A-10) 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.
Dayton shot 54 percent (30-of-56) from the field in the game, including 55 percent (12-of-22) from three-point range.
The Flyers were 9-of-14 from beyond the arc in the second half and overtime as they mounted their comeback.
VCU used a flurry of three-pointers, eight in all, to take a 38-31 halftime lead. The Rams led by as many as 17 following consecutive treys by Jason Nelson and Shulga that gave the Black and Gold a 26-9 advantage at the 10:08 mark.
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.
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 three-pointer on its next trip, and four straight free throws extended the Flyers’ lead to 87-80 with 15 seconds on the clock.
The Rams staged one last-ditch effort when a three-pointers by Jackson and Shulga cut the deficit to 88-86 with four seconds left, but VCU would get no closer.
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Chris Graham
