DAYTON, Ohio – Jamie Skeen scored 16 points and Virginia Commonwealth more than held its own inside against bigger and stronger Southern California to beat the Trojans 59-46 Wednesday night in the finale of the NCAA’s inaugural “First Four” tournament games at the University of Dayton Arena.

The 11th-seeded teams traded elbows and punishing defense all night, with the Rams (24-11) pulling away down the stretch to earn the chance to face sixth-seeded Georgetown (21-10) on Friday in Chicago.

Jio Fontan had 14 points and Nikola Vucevic 11 for USC (19-15), which had just one field goal over the final 9 minutes.

Texas-San Antonio 70, Alabama State 61: Melvin Johnson III scored a career-high 29 points while leading the Roadrunners (20-13) to a victory over the Hornets (17-18) in the “First Four” round.

Next up for UTSA on Friday is a date with top-seeded Ohio State.