Dayton had to overcome a six-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter to beat Davidson 83-69 in overtime on Feb. 20 at UD Arena but had no trouble in this game.
» A-10 AWARDS: Two Flyers honored
The Flyers took the lead for good on a go-ahead 3-pointer by Jayla Scaife at the 6:12 mark in the first quarter. They stretched the advantage to 25-16 by the end of the quarter and then started the second quarter on a 10-0 run. Dayton led 45-29 at halftime and 62-47 after three quarters.
Scaife scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Lauren Cannatelli added 20 points and made 6 of 8 shots. Dayton shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range (8 of 18) and 54.2 percent from the field (32 of 59).
VCU beat No. 8 seed Saint Joseph’s 58-47 in the first quarterfinal Friday. This will be VCU’s second semifinal appearance in six seasons in A-10. It has not advanced to the championship.
Dayton lost 64-62 at VCU on Feb. 14. Kseniya Malashka scored the game-winning basket with five seconds to play. The Flyers led 48-39 after three quarters.
Dayton leads the all-time series against VCU 7-2 and beat the Rams in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament in 2014 and 2017.
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