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02-11-2009, 11:50 PM
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj89/xhoops/f5837c92-87f6-4704-bf89-d8fec355339.jpgFlyers’ D, hot shooting prolong #14 Xavier’s struggles, 71-58
By Mike Damone
In Dayton’s 21 wins prior to Wednesday evening’s battle with Xavier, their defense carried the day, flustering opponents with a sticky pressure defense, spear-headed by its feisty guards and punctuated by a feared shot-blocker roaming inside. In one of their most important games of the year Wednesday evening at UD Arena, another dimension of the Flyers took off, whipping the Musketeers, 71-58, for the Flyers’ first win over Xavier in seven games, and first since February 2006.
From wire-to-wire, Dayton (22-3, 8-2) controlled the tempo, shooting an impressive 50 percent from the field, while frustrating the Musketeers into 15 turnovers on the other end. The Musketeers (20-4, 8-2) managed to trim Dayton’s lead to one on several occasions, but Flyers Marcus Johnson (13 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb) and Chris Wright (19 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk) were often there to get a big bucket and kill Xavier momentum.
After trailing at halftime by five, 33-28, a lay-up from Derrick Brown (17 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and a long jumper from BJ Raymond (12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) cut Dayton’s lead to just one, 35-34, with 18:09 to play. A Wright three-pointer pushed Dayton’s lead back out to seven. A pair of jams from Brown brought Xavier back to within three, 42-39, before Dayton went on a run that gave the Flyers their first double-digit lead of the game, 52-41, with 12:24 to play.
The run started with an opportunistic tip in from Chris Johnson (5 pts, 6 reb) and finished with a three off a curl from Paul Williams (3 points). The Musketeers could get no closer than seven, as Dayton’s defense didn’t allow Xavier any easy inside shots, as seemingly uncontested dunks for Xavier turned into emphatic blocks by the Flyers.
On the defensive end for Xavier, the Flyer guards were having their way with the Musketeers with dribble penetration. When Xavier would close off the lanes, the Flyers would drill a three. After Xavier trimmed Dayton’s lead to seven, 57-50, Marcus Johnson cut through Xavier’s defense for an easy lay-up, then answered with a three from the corner to essentially put the Musketeers to bed, 62-50, with under six minutes to go.
A pair of Wright free throws gave UD their largest lead of the game, 66-52, and Xavier could get no closer than 10, while Wright scored the Dayton’s last five points to provide the final margin. Xavier wouldn’t score for the game’s last 2:23.
It was obvious the Flyers were ready for this game from the get-go, racing to an 8-1 lead. London Warren (5 pts, 4 ast) started off the game with a hoop and foul to put the Flyers up early. Marcus Johnson cut through for a lay-up and Rob Lowery (3 points) capped the run with a three.
After Dayton took a 14-7 lead off another Marcus Johnson score, Xavier began to claw their way back, using a 7-2 run to trim their deficit to two, 16-14, with 10:36 left in the first half. Five of those points came from Raymond, who hit a long jumper, then followed with a mid-range jumper while being fouled.
Dayton answered with a 6-0 run to push their lead out to eight, 22-14, off a jam from Wright, a short jumper from Stephen Thomas (5 pts, 4 reb) and another jumper from Mickey Perry (7 points). Xavier would answer with a 7-0 run to trim their lead to one, 22-21, capped by a three from Raymond with 6:12 to go in the half. The teams kept it close for the remainder of the first half, with UD getting the final tally to provide the halftime margin, 33-28.
Wright scored a game-high 19 points, but of the 11 players who stepped onto the floor for Dayton, all scored, exuding tremendous offensive balance for the Flyers with great contributions from their bench. Brown led Xavier with 17, while junior Jason Love scored a respectable nine points with six rebounds.
The loss for Xavier – their second-straight – creates some alarm for the Musketeers. For the second-consecutive game, freshman point guard Terrell Holloway had failed to record an assist or a single point. In that span, he has turned the ball over five times. And despite priding themselves on their defense, Xavier has also allowed their opponents to shoot 50 percent or better from the field in consecutive games for the first time all season.
Saddled for much of the contest with foul trouble, senior CJ Anderson did not turn in one of his most memorable games for the Musketeers. Anderson scored just three points along with one rebound, and was an abysmal 1-for-6 from the foul line. As a team, the Musketeers were a miserable 9-for-17 from the charity stripe.
The Flyers weren’t known for their long-range prowess, yet torched Xavier from long distance, connecting on 42.9 percent from three. Dayton is now 15-0 at home on the season, having not lost at UD Arena since falling to, coincidentally, Xavier last February, 57-51.
The Musketeers now find themselves in a tie for second with the Flyers, both trailing St. Joseph’s by a half-game. After struggling mightily through the crucial two-game road trip, the Musketeers return home to take on the Fordham Rams on Saturday at 4 p.m. In the teams’ previous meeting last month in the Bronx, Raymond led the Musketeers with 18 points in an 86-60 Xavier win. The Rams (3-18, 1-8) are coming off a 91-68 loss to UMass.
By Mike Damone
In Dayton’s 21 wins prior to Wednesday evening’s battle with Xavier, their defense carried the day, flustering opponents with a sticky pressure defense, spear-headed by its feisty guards and punctuated by a feared shot-blocker roaming inside. In one of their most important games of the year Wednesday evening at UD Arena, another dimension of the Flyers took off, whipping the Musketeers, 71-58, for the Flyers’ first win over Xavier in seven games, and first since February 2006.
From wire-to-wire, Dayton (22-3, 8-2) controlled the tempo, shooting an impressive 50 percent from the field, while frustrating the Musketeers into 15 turnovers on the other end. The Musketeers (20-4, 8-2) managed to trim Dayton’s lead to one on several occasions, but Flyers Marcus Johnson (13 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb) and Chris Wright (19 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk) were often there to get a big bucket and kill Xavier momentum.
After trailing at halftime by five, 33-28, a lay-up from Derrick Brown (17 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and a long jumper from BJ Raymond (12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) cut Dayton’s lead to just one, 35-34, with 18:09 to play. A Wright three-pointer pushed Dayton’s lead back out to seven. A pair of jams from Brown brought Xavier back to within three, 42-39, before Dayton went on a run that gave the Flyers their first double-digit lead of the game, 52-41, with 12:24 to play.
The run started with an opportunistic tip in from Chris Johnson (5 pts, 6 reb) and finished with a three off a curl from Paul Williams (3 points). The Musketeers could get no closer than seven, as Dayton’s defense didn’t allow Xavier any easy inside shots, as seemingly uncontested dunks for Xavier turned into emphatic blocks by the Flyers.
On the defensive end for Xavier, the Flyer guards were having their way with the Musketeers with dribble penetration. When Xavier would close off the lanes, the Flyers would drill a three. After Xavier trimmed Dayton’s lead to seven, 57-50, Marcus Johnson cut through Xavier’s defense for an easy lay-up, then answered with a three from the corner to essentially put the Musketeers to bed, 62-50, with under six minutes to go.
A pair of Wright free throws gave UD their largest lead of the game, 66-52, and Xavier could get no closer than 10, while Wright scored the Dayton’s last five points to provide the final margin. Xavier wouldn’t score for the game’s last 2:23.
It was obvious the Flyers were ready for this game from the get-go, racing to an 8-1 lead. London Warren (5 pts, 4 ast) started off the game with a hoop and foul to put the Flyers up early. Marcus Johnson cut through for a lay-up and Rob Lowery (3 points) capped the run with a three.
After Dayton took a 14-7 lead off another Marcus Johnson score, Xavier began to claw their way back, using a 7-2 run to trim their deficit to two, 16-14, with 10:36 left in the first half. Five of those points came from Raymond, who hit a long jumper, then followed with a mid-range jumper while being fouled.
Dayton answered with a 6-0 run to push their lead out to eight, 22-14, off a jam from Wright, a short jumper from Stephen Thomas (5 pts, 4 reb) and another jumper from Mickey Perry (7 points). Xavier would answer with a 7-0 run to trim their lead to one, 22-21, capped by a three from Raymond with 6:12 to go in the half. The teams kept it close for the remainder of the first half, with UD getting the final tally to provide the halftime margin, 33-28.
Wright scored a game-high 19 points, but of the 11 players who stepped onto the floor for Dayton, all scored, exuding tremendous offensive balance for the Flyers with great contributions from their bench. Brown led Xavier with 17, while junior Jason Love scored a respectable nine points with six rebounds.
The loss for Xavier – their second-straight – creates some alarm for the Musketeers. For the second-consecutive game, freshman point guard Terrell Holloway had failed to record an assist or a single point. In that span, he has turned the ball over five times. And despite priding themselves on their defense, Xavier has also allowed their opponents to shoot 50 percent or better from the field in consecutive games for the first time all season.
Saddled for much of the contest with foul trouble, senior CJ Anderson did not turn in one of his most memorable games for the Musketeers. Anderson scored just three points along with one rebound, and was an abysmal 1-for-6 from the foul line. As a team, the Musketeers were a miserable 9-for-17 from the charity stripe.
The Flyers weren’t known for their long-range prowess, yet torched Xavier from long distance, connecting on 42.9 percent from three. Dayton is now 15-0 at home on the season, having not lost at UD Arena since falling to, coincidentally, Xavier last February, 57-51.
The Musketeers now find themselves in a tie for second with the Flyers, both trailing St. Joseph’s by a half-game. After struggling mightily through the crucial two-game road trip, the Musketeers return home to take on the Fordham Rams on Saturday at 4 p.m. In the teams’ previous meeting last month in the Bronx, Raymond led the Musketeers with 18 points in an 86-60 Xavier win. The Rams (3-18, 1-8) are coming off a 91-68 loss to UMass.