The first one went down to the wire. The second, was not as close. Dayton and VCU won their respective semifinal matchups Saturday at PPG Paints Arena to move on to the championship game on Sunday.
Dayton 70 Saint Louis 69
Possessions: 68
Offensive Efficiency: Dayton 102, Saint Louis 101
Dayton’s Jordan Derkack was the game-high scorer with 28 points. The name, though, most certain to be remembered by both sides is that of Amael l’ Etang. The 7’1” sophomore from France scored seven points but his tip in off a Derkack miss with 0.6 seconds remaining sent the Flyers to the championship game. The contest had three ties and nine lead changes. It felt like most came in the wild final minute of the contest. Saint Louis, known for their scoring prowess, they lead the A10 with a 119 offensive efficiency, went 10:36 without a field goal in the second half. During that time Anthony Grant’s Flyers were enjoying a 17-2 run. That spurt allowed Dayton to wipe out an 11-point deficit with just under 15 minutes to play. For the game, Dayton scored 19 points off turnovers. The Flyers had only 8 turnovers (12% turnover rate) while coach Josh Schertz’s Billikens were guilty of 18 miscues (26% rate).
VCU 77 Saint joseph’s 64
Possessions: 65
Offensive Efficiency: VCU 118, Saint Joseph’s 98
The Rams came at them virtually from the time they got off the bus. VCU built an early 31-9 lead and never looked back. The closest the Hawks would come was 15 points until a dunk with 8 seconds remaining accounted for the final difference. VCU sophomore guard Terrence Hill scored a game-high 18 points, shooting 8 of 10 from the floor. Phil Martelli jr. ‘s group led 36-30 in points in the paint. While rebounding totals were dead even at 40, the Rams enjoyed a 15-7 in second chance points. Steve Donahue’s Hawks are now 22-11 and should get a nod for a post season appearance.
Championship game: Dayton vs. VCU
VCU is seeking a repeat for the first time since joining the league in 2012-13. They defeated george mason in last year’s A10 title game. The Rams will be appearing in their fourth straight championship game and its 10th A10 Championship game overall. The Rams snapped Saint Joseph’s seven game win streak in the semis and have now won five straight of their own.
Dayton was on the short end of both meetings with VCU this season. They dropped a 99-73 decision in Richmond back in early February. They also came up short in a closer contest, losing 68-62 at UD Arena on the final day of A10 regular season play.
VCU won their first A10 Tournament title in 2015. They defeated Dayton at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The VCU coach at the time was present Marquette mentor Shaka Smart.
Dayton has enjoyed A10 success over the years. Their only championship interestingly was in 2003. The Flyers knocked off Temple 79-72 at UD Arena to take the title.