DAYTON — The Dayton Flyers came up short losing to the VCU Rams, 68-56, in the finals of the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship Sunday afternoon in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
>>Dayton defeats Fordham, advances to Atlantic 10 Championship game
DaRon Holmes scored a game-high 28 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked five shots. He was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Mustapha Amzil added 17 points, 15 in the first half.
Ace Baldwin led the Rams with 16 points while Jalen DeLoach and Jamir Watkins each scored 13.
UD led, 36-30, at halftime but were outscored 38-20 in the second half. Dayton shot 6-30from the field in the second half, including missing their last 15 shots.
The Rams clinch the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
>>Camara’s double-double helps Dayton advance to A-10 semifinals
DaRon Holmes is the second Flyer to be named the A-10′s Most Outstanding Player in a men’s a basketball tournament and the first since Ramon Marshall in 2003.
Holmes averaged scoring 21.6 points in three games in Brooklyn. Both he and Camara were each named to the All-Championship Team.
The Flyers fall to 22-12 overall.
They will find out if they are in the National Invitational Tournament when the Round of 32 is announced later tonight.
We will provide updates.