Dayton University came back twice to beat Miami of Ohio to clinch the Mid-America Conference South Division with a 21-16 victory Saturday.

With Western Michigan defeating Central Michigan 20-12, and Bowling Green defeating Cincinnati, the playoff matchups are set - Dayton will take on WMU, a team they beat earlier this season, and Bowling Green will play Miami.

The Dayton-Miami game was tight all the way. Miami led 6-0 at halftime, gave up the lead, got it back, and then were beaten late with a try from center Aeden Mangan to win 21-16.

“It was definitely a tough game all the way through,” said Dayton prop Ruan Burdine. “Both teams played hard and we just needed to play smart rugby, which we did in the second half. I have never seen our team as dedicated as they are now, and as able to bond through adversity.”

Prop and captain Conor Squier was a force for Dayton and said the team’s talk at halftime was a key turning point.

“We were down 6-0 but we knew if we just calmed down and everyone played his role, we’d be OK. And we scored two quick tries after that.”

Along with Burdine and Squier, Dayton got huge games from brothers Aeden and Seamus Mangan, while lock forward Patrick Barrett was big up front.

“It came down to the wire, and we expected that,” said Dayton Head Coach Shane Stacks. “Miami came back like they do every time we play them. They counter-attack very well and punish mistakes. But our forwards were working well together, and we got a good driving maul going. That allowed us to find some space for our centers.”