Kyle Davis sealed the victory with two free throws with 13 seconds left. Scoochie Smith and Charles Cooke missed free throws seconds earlier to give Vanderbilt new life.
Kendall Pollard led the Flyers with 21 points. Smith added 13.
Dayton opened the second half on a 13-2 run, taking a 45-44 lead on a jump shot by Cooke at the 15:29 mark of the second half. Vanderbilt pulled back in front at 47-45 after a 3-point play by Damian Jones.
Five points in a three-minute span by Pollard gave Dayton a 52-47 lead at the 12:07 mark. The Flyers didn’t trail again.
UD trailed 40-32 at halftime. It could have been worse.
Vanderbilt broke open a close game with a 12-0 run beginning at the 5:21 mark. The Commodores led 38-22 with 3:03 to play.
Dayton responded with a 10-2 run to end the half. Darrell Davis led the spurt, scoring eight points in a two-minute span. Twice he stole the ball and converted it into a layup.
Smith ended the half with another steal. Vanderbilt fouled him, and he made both shots.
Pollard got the Flyers going early, scoring seven points in the first six minutes. The Flyers led 11-9 but trailed the rest of the first half.
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