Flyers fall out of AP basketball poll

By Brian Kollars | Monday, November 23, 2009, 02:13 PM

The Dayton Flyers dropped out of this week’s Associated Press men’s basketball poll. UD, ranked 18th last week, is in the “receiving votes” category in the poll released today.

Three teams that weren’t ranked last week are in this week’s poll: Syracuse (10th), Notre Dame (23rd) and Vanderbilt (24th).

Kansas, Michigan State and Texas remain 1-2-3. Ohio State dropped to slots to No. 17.

Besides UD, which went 1-2 in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic over the weekend, Xavier is the only other Atlantic 10 team mentioned. The Musketeers also received votes (67). That puts them a few slots ahead of UD, which received 48 votes.

IN THE WOMEN’S POLL, UD is in the receiving votes category, with 39. That would rank the Flyers 28th in the poll.

The UD women are 4-1 after winning the Purdue Basketball Travelers Classic last weekend in West Lafayette, Ind.

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Wright knows team needs more composure

By Doug Harris | Monday, November 23, 2009, 01:03 PM

Dayton knows how to play with great effort, but the next step for this team will be playing with a high degree of smarts, too.

Coach Brian Gregory has been hammering that into his players, and they seem to be getting the message.

Chris Wright is normally a happy-go-lucky sort, but he was downcast while exiting the Coliseo de Puerto Rico after an 83-75 loss to Kansas State on Sunday, knowing the Flyers fell short in the basketball-savvy department.

“I thought we fought hard and played hard, but when you’re playing good teams, you have to play more than just hard. You have to play smart, too,” Wright said. “At different points of the game, we were playing with energy and effort and smartness, but it’s something we have to get consistent at during practice to help us win games.”

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Gregory looking for senior guards to take charge

By Doug Harris | Sunday, November 22, 2009, 11:02 PM

SAN JUAN — Dayton coach Brian Gregory wasn’t happy with the rebounding from his frontline — Kansas State had a 44-32 edge on the boards — and the guards didn’t end the game in his good graces, either.

Seniors London Warren (3-for-7) and Marcus Johnson (1-for-4) were a combined 4-for-11 from the foul line. And back-up senior guard Mickey Perry didn’t contribute much, either. Johnson needed a team-high 13 shots to get 14 points, and the trio combined for just eight assists with eight turnovers in the 83-75 defeat.

Kansas State, of course, is picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 behind Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma and is an NCAA tourney-caliber team, but Gregory expects more from his backcourt than that.

Warren and Johnson couldn’t deliver in a semifinal loss to Big East favorite Villanova, either.

“With upper-class guards, you have to have more poise in crucial situations, and I thought we didn’t have that these last two games,” Gregory said.

“I think we showed flashes. Unfortunately, these three games highlighted some deficiencies we have to address and improve on when it counts, when the (Atlantic 10) conference comes around.”

Perry had a chance to cut into a four-point deficit with a 3-pointer from the wing with 30 seconds to go, but it bounced long. And he was called for an intentional foul as Denis Clemente was taking off for a break-away lay-up.

It was the Flyers’ last gasp.

“You can’t play the way we played against a team of that caliber,” Gregory said. “It’s the same thing against Villanova. We played hard and we scrap and all that stuff — and that’s great. But you also have to play well, and we didn’t do that in this game.”

Chris Wright had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Chris Johnson had 16 points and Paul Williams 10. Jacob Pullen, who had UD in his final two schools as a recruit before choosing K-State, had 26 points, while Clemente added 21.

“Those two guards dominated the game … in every aspect,” Gregory said.

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Flyers fall to Kansas State in Puerto Rico

By Doug Harris | Sunday, November 22, 2009, 08:04 PM

SAN JUAN — Kansas State sent Dayton home from the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic with an 83-75 defeat in the third-place game tonight.

The Flyers gave up 17 offensive rebounds to the Wildcats, who had a strong and athletic front line. Chris Johnson had 16 points, Chris Wright 15, Marcus Johnson 14 and Paul Williams 10 for UD (2-2).

Jacob Pullen, who had UD in his final two schools during the recruiting process before choosing K-State, had 26 points, five rebounds and four assists. Backcourt mate Denis Clemente added 21.

K-State (4-1) had a 44-32 edge on the boards.

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Flyers down seven at halftime

By Doug Harris | Sunday, November 22, 2009, 06:29 PM

SAN JUAN — Dayton is trailing, 35-28, at the half against Kansas State. The Flyers shot just 40 percent from the field and made only 1-for-5 from the foul line.

They’re having trouble getting good looks. The Wildcats are big and athletic and are defending with a passion.

UD sent out a Tweet with a quote from coach Brian Gregory: “Must do a better job executing on offense and have to keep them off the offensive glass.”

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Lowery to suit up but he’s not cleared yet

By Doug Harris | Sunday, November 22, 2009, 04:27 PM

SAN JUAN — Dayton’s Rob Lowery, who has been working hard for more than nine months at his recovery from a serious knee injury, will be in uniform for the first time this season but isn’t quite ready to play and won’t see action against Kansas State today.

Lowery emerged from the locker room while the Flyers were stretching a little more than an hour before their game in the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic. The players cheered loudly, and a smattering of UD fans already in the stands applauded, too.

Lowery was all smiles.

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UD-Lehigh game Dec. 5 to start at 2 p.m.

By Doug Harris | Sunday, November 22, 2009, 01:52 PM

SAN JUAN — Dayton’s home game against Lehigh on Dec. 5 will start at 2 p.m.

The athletic department was waiting to see whether the football Flyers were going to play in the Gridiron Classic that day as PFL champions before setting a tip-off time (UD would have been the home team). The football squad finished as co-champ, but Butler will represent the league in the postseason because of its win over UD.

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