Dayton had trouble even completing passes against Saint Louis’ half-court pressure, and one possession ended limply when forward Josh Benson had to go one-on-one as the shot clock was expiring, and his stumbling shot was swatted out of bounds.

The Billikens’ Kwaimain Mitchell waved his arms emphatically toward the stands, and a near sellout crowd of 9,548 in Chaifetz Arena roared its approval.

Having to deal with Saran Wrap defense for 40 minutes, the Flyers committed 21 turnovers and never found any flow offensively while getting blasted 81-52 here Saturday afternoon. They shot only 34.5 percent in the first half and 42.3 for the game.

The Flyers (12-9, 2-5 Atlantic 10), who began the day tied for 12th in the league standings, took a 7-6 lead but scored on only three of their next 19 possessions while falling behind, 31-13. They went seven minutes without scoring in one stretch.

There was concern in the Billiken camp about playing Dayton just 36 hours after an emotional win over No. 9 Butler. So much for a letdown.

“That’s the best team we’ve seen to date this season,” UD coach Archie Miller said. “They’re hitting their stride at the right time.

“We had no resistance. Their staff out-prepared our team. They out-competed us. They knocked us on our heels. At the end of the day, it was kind of men vs. boys out there.”

The Billikens (16-5, 5-2) shot 50.9 percent from the field, making 9-of-22 three-pointers, and became only the fourth team this season to top 50 percent against UD.

Benson, pulled from the starting lineup for his inconsistent play, had a team-high 12 points off the bench. Vee Sanford chipped in 10.

“They imposed their will. They’re physical. They’re very, very good on the ball. They’re the best on-ball defensive team in the country, maybe,” Miller said. “When they put (Jordair) Jett, Mitchell and (Mike) McCall on the floor all at the same time, I don’t really care who you are, you’re going to have a very, very difficult time operating from the perimeter.”

The Flyers’ starting front line of Jalen Robinson, Dyshawn Pierre and Devin Oliver combined for 11 points and nine rebounds.

Opponents are loading up to stop star point guard Kevin Dillard (nine points), and his supporting cast hasn’t been providing much help.

“It’s a telling sign,” Miller said. “When you shoot five free throws tonight and six on Wednesday night (against Xavier), our team right now has no paint presence. We don’t have the ability right now to get an easy basket in the paint. Our break has been nonexistent due to the fact we haven’t gotten stops.”

The Flyers managed to shave the Billikens’ 22-point first-half lead to 15 early in the second half, but they had three straight turnovers after that, and the deficit reached blowout proportions and stayed there.

Dillard knows the Flyers are running out of time to salvage their season.

“It’s rough, very rough,” he said in hushed tones while sitting by himself in the corner of the expansive visitors locker room. “Somehow, someway, we’ve got to get through it. I don’t know how. But we’ve got to do something. The clock is ticking.

“We’ve done enough talking. … We’ve got to let our actions do the talking.”

The 29-point defeat tied for the second-worst for the Flyers in the last seven years.

“I know they’ve had a lot of heart-breaking, tough losses,” Saint Louis coach Jim Crews said. “When that happens, it’s tough sometimes to get oxygen. When you win, it gives you a little oxygen. When you don’t, it doesn’t.

“Ebbs and flows in a season,” he added. “ I’ve never seen a season go (smoothly). Ever. That’s life off the floor, on the floor, in sports, not in sports.”