Score: VCU 63, Dayton 62
Location: Dayton, Ohio (UD Arena)
Records: VCU 13-5 (4-1 A-10), Dayton 12-6 (4-1)

The short story: Sophomore guard Nick Kern Jr. picked up a steal and converted a go-ahead layup with 16 seconds remaining to complete a furious VCU comeback and give the Rams a thrilling road win at Dayton. The Rams trailed by as many as 16 points in the game.

OPENING TIP

• Senior forward David Shriver hit 6-of-8 three point attempts – all in the second half —  and finished with a team-high 18 points for VCU
• Graduate forward Brandon Johns Jr. also provided 16 points for the Black and Gold, while Kern, making his second career start, added nine points, three rebounds and two steals
• Toumani Camara led all scorers with 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Flyers

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU trailed 62-58 in the final minute, but Shriver intercepted a Dayton inbounds pass at midcourt and buried a 3-pointer from the left wing to cut the Flyers advantage to 62-61 with 28.1 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, VCU trapped Camara on the left sideline. Kern poked the ball away and raced to the hoop for the go-ahead score. Dayton had one last look on its final possession, but Camara’s jumper fell short
• The Rams trailed by as many as 16 points and trailed 33-19 at the half. Shriver hit back-to-back triples with 14 minutes remaining to pull VCU within 42-40. Then, at the 10:35 mark, he hit another to trim the Flyers lead to 46-45
• Dayton would extend its lead back to eight, at 58-50, but three straight buckets by Johns brought the Rams within striking distance at 60-57 with 2:06 on the clock
• VCU turned Dayton over 18 times and converted those miscues into 18 points 

NOTABLE

• VCU led for a total of 1:16 in the game
• The VCU bench, led by Shriver, outscored Dayton’s 25-3
• VCU has won four of its past five games at Dayton, including the last two seasons by a single point

NEXT UP
VCU will return home to take on UMass on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. That game will be streamed exclusively at NBCSports.com.

COURTESY VCU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS