Fourth-seeded Dayton held off a charge from No. 13 St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament Friday afternoon, securing a 68-63 victory at PPG Paints Arena.
St. Bonaventure (17-17), which upset No. 12 La Salle and No. 5 George Mason in the first two rounds, had no answer for Dayton guard Javon Bennett, who finished with 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including six 3-pointers.
Guard Jordan Derkack added 15 points, and forward Amael L’etang had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Dayton (22-10) advanced to play No. 1 Saint Louis (28-4) in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“Our guys did a heck of a job of battling and persevering through all of it, on both sides of the ball, and found ways to make enough plays defensively and offensively,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said.
“(Javon Bennett and Jordan Derkack) were tremendous tonight, just in terms of their ability to make plays, offensively getting to the free-throw line, just scoring the ball, just really taking some of the pressure off what wasn’t a great night for us offensively.”
Dayton advanced to the A-10 semifinals for the 11th time. The Flyers fell short in the quarterfinals the past two seasons after upset losses to No. 6 Duquesne in 2024 and No. 6 St. Joseph’s in 2025.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Bennett said. “You come in every year trying to play as far as you can in March. Just being able to win and do it with this group of guys and what we’ve been through this season, it means a lot.”
Derkack came through in the clutch at the charity stripe, knocking down 7 of 8 free throws in the second half. He was 10 for 12 for the game.
“When I’m in the game, all I can really think about is trying to win,” Derkack said. “Always preaching let’s figure out a way to win this game. In that case, I thought that getting fouled and getting to the free-throw line was going to be the best possible situation for us to win.”
Guard Buddy Simmons had 20 points, and forward Frank Mitchell added 16 points and six rebounds for St. Bonaventure.
The loss signified the final game in the career of Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt, who said he planned to retire after the season. He spent the past 19 seasons at St. Bonaventure after six previous campaigns at Robert Morris.
“Yeah, you’re disappointed. I wish we could go on and win the national championship, but only one team is going to do that,” Schmidt said. “So you’re disappointed in that. You’re disappointed in having your players lose and seeing their faces in the locker room.
“But yeah, I’m content, and I can’t wait to get the hell out of here, stop talking to you (reporters) and go drink some beer.”
Dayton will make the quick transition to preparation for its semifinal meeting with Saint Louis on Saturday. The Billikens beat Dayton, 102-71, in January but won the rematch, 77-62, on Feb. 24.
“At the end of the day, this time of year, it’s about surviving and advancing,” Grant said. “So we’re excited that we get a chance to compete again tomorrow.”