NEXT GAME
Central Michigan at Dayton, 7 p.m. Saturday, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, 1290, 95.7
It’s not easy getting ranked. It’s not easy staying ranked.
Dayton’s time among the nation’s top 25 teams will end after one week, though there are five straight home games ahead to impress the voters again. The No. 25 Flyers lost 81-75 at Illinois State on Saturday at Redbird Arena in their second game since entering the poll last Monday.
Fans started chanting, “Overrated!,” as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Then in a sign of how far the Flyers have come since the start of the season, the students rushed the court — in a way, the ultimate sign of respect. Illinois State had been 0-2 all-time against non-conference ranked teams at Redbird Arena.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re ranked or not,” guard Jordan Sibert said. “All that matters is we’re together and we play better. Rankings shouldn’t change who we are. We should be the same every single day, whether we’re ranked or not.”
The Flyers (7-2) trailed 39-32 at halftime and led Illinois State (5-4) only once in the game. A 3-pointer by Vee Sanford gave them a 50-48 lead with 12:43 left in the game. That was the fourth 3-pointer in less than two minutes for Dayton. The Flyers were 3-for-18 from long range outside that span.
Illinois State had an answer for every Dayton run throughout, and it was no different then. A jumper by Zach Lofton and a 3-pointer by Nick Zeisloft gave Illinois State the lead for good.
A 19-4 run by the Redbirds from the 9:28 to the 4:16 mark put Dayton away. A furious rally by the Flyers in the final minutes made the final score respectable. If not for a miss by Khari Price in the final minute, the Flyers would have gotten as close as four points.
A season-high 18 turnovers killed the Flyers. Illinois State’s zone defense gave Dayton fits.
“They’re a very tough-minded group,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said. “Their team has changed a couple times early in the season, but the one they’re putting out there right now is very tough to guard.
“Obviously, I think their zone and pressure gives them a chance to play a unique style. You’ve got to be ready for it. Give them all the credit. They were the more aggressive team. They were the tougher team. They threw as many punches as any team has thrown at us all season.”
Sanford led the Flyers with 14 points, and Sibert scored 13. Price added 10. Sibert and Devin Oliver each had six rebounds.
Daishon Knight scored 20 for Illinois State, and Bobby Hunter had 16.
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