By PAUL GOTHAM
PITTSBURGH — Terrence Hill Jr. scored seven of his 14 points off the bench in the first half when No. 2 Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) pulled away from a tie game and went on to defeat No. 4 Dayton, 70-62 in the 2026 Betterment Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship game in front 9,114 fans at PPG Paints Arena.
The championship was the second straight for the Rams who clinched the program’s 21st trip to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s just special, man,” said Hill, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “We had nine new guys come in this offseason. We bonded very well. We went out there every single day and practiced, cussing each other out, fighting each other. But when it came down to crunch time, we knew we were ready. We knew what we had to do to get to the Big Dance. I’m just so proud of these guys.”
Hill snapped a 10-all game when he connected from five feet behind the 3-point arc to give the Rams a lead they did not surrender. Later in the half, he followed a Nyk Lewis corner three with a layup, and VCU (27-7) had its largest lead of the game 40-23 with 1:01 left before the break.
“Every single day, our main focus was just get the next one, get the next one,” Lewis said. “One game at a time, and I feel like that’s really carried us through these last two months.
“So I feel like us just staying in the moment, us staying together, we really grew as a group together the whole year. But us meshing at the right time just really held it all together for us and the mentality of just one game at a time has really helped us.”
Hill averaged 17.3 points and 3.0 assists during the championship. He shot 53.8 percent (21-of-39) from the floor. He finished with team-highs of 20 points and six assists in the Rams’ 71-66 victory over Duquesne in the opening round of the tournament.
“Duquesne was a close game; we got tested early,” the sophomore guard said “But just knowing what we need to do in those close games, how to execute, how to get defensive stops, stick to the game plan, defend without fouling. I think that Duquesne game was a great test for us early, so when we got to this point, we were ready for sure.”
The A-10 title was the fourth in program history for the Rams who also won in 2015 under current Marquette head coach, Shaka Smart, in 2023 under Mike Rhoades (Penn State) and last year with Ryan Odom (Virginia).
Current Dayton head coach, Anthony Grant, led the Rams to Colonial Athletic Association championships in 2007 and 2009.
“To now be sitting here at VCU, a program of championships, and to be adding to that legacy, I’m super grateful,” said Rams’ head coach Phil Martelli Jr. “And to all the players, the coaches, including Anthony Grant, that came before and the administrators that have built this foundation, like we’re just standing, and I told Anthony this, we’re just standing on his shoulders. We’re just standing on those people’s shoulders. We’re not the greatest to be here; we’re just the latest to be here and to be part of something truly, truly, truly special.”
Martelli, a former assistant at Niagara University, led Bryant for two years before taking the helm at VCU last March.
With the four titles, VCU matched St. Joseph’s for the most among current members of the conference. Only Temple (9) and UMass (5) have won more.
Martelli’s dad, Phil Martelli Sr., took St. Joseph’s to conference titles in 1997, 2014 and 2016. The championship in ’97 came in the elder Martelli’s second year leading the program.
“It was 29 years ago, ’97 when he won his first at the Spectrum,” Martelli Jr. said. “They (Saint Joseph’s) beat Rhode Island. I can picture that game and picture those moments.
“Those moments, those are priceless, right? And now to be on the other side of that, to have those memories with him on this side, to watch my kids and be able to celebrate that with us, there’s nothing like it.”
Dayton was making its sixth conference championship game appearance and first since 2011.
The Flyers knocked off top-seeded Saint Louis on Saturday to reach the final.
“Hats off to VCU,” said Grant. “Obviously, disappointed in the outcome, but I’m really proud of the fight our guys showed to put ourselves where we could be here on Championship Sunday.
“Obviously, it’s hard immediately after you lose. Our guys felt we had a great opportunity today. Unfortunately we came up short. But like I said, just proud of the fight, the resiliency that this group has shown all year, the leadership that we got from our senior group throughout the journey to get here.”
UD had converted 12 turnovers into 16 points in its 68-63 win over St. Bonaventure on Friday. Against Saint Louis, the Flyers forced 18 ballhandling miscues that contributed to a 19-9 advantage in that same category.
VCU, which averaged 10.7 turnovers per game coming into action, committed five turnovers in Sunday’s final. The Flyers scored four points off those opportunities.
“For us, it wasn’t about necessarily creating turnovers but making them have to earn what they got,” Grant said. “They stepped up today, and guys made shots, guys made plays for them. We just couldn’t manufacture enough consistency on the offensive end to put us in position in that first half. And obviously the second half, we made a little bit of a run at it, but obviously, couldn’t finish it in terms of some of the opportunities that were there.”
Amael L’Etang connected on a pair of free throws to pull Dayton within seven at 60-53 with 2:02 remaining in regulation, but the Flyers could not get any closer.
VCU’s Lazar Djokovic converted 6-of-6 free throws over the 1:20 to ice the game.
Lewis, who joined Hill on the All-Championship team, posted game highs 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Javon Bennett (Dayton), Jordan Derkack (Dayton) and Robbie Avila (Saint Louis) completed the All-Championship team.
VCU earned an 11-seed in the South Region and will face sixth-seeded North Carolina in the first round. That game is scheduled for a 6:50 PM tip off, Thursday night in Greenville, South Carolina. The game will be televised on TNT.
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