ESPN Men's Basketball

DAYTON, Ohio -- Marcus Johnson scored 16 points and Dayton used a late nine-point run to defeat George Washington 70-60 Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.

Dayton (20-11) led 44-33 in the second half, but the Colonials (16-14) chipped away at the lead and tied the game at 55 on Damian Hollis' jumper with 5:58 left.

The Flyers responded by going 8-for-10 from the line, fueling a 15-5 run that included the 9-0 run to close the game. Kurt Huelsman was 6-for-8 at the line in the final 7 minutes.

Chris Johnson and Rob Lowery added 11 points apiece for Dayton, which trailed 13-4 after the first 7 minutes.

Dayton, the No. 7 seed, will play No. 2 seed and regular-season co-champion Xavier in the quarterfinals Friday in Atlantic City, N.J.

Hollis scored 19 to lead George Washington, which qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2007.