UD found a way to win despite not shooting well -- 50% from the field and a paltry 18% from beyond the 3-point line.
After taking the lead at half, the first 12 minutes of the second half was a back-and-forth contest. George Mason tied the game at 41 with a little more than 8:00 remaining in regulation.
Dayton began to pull away at that point, sparked by Dwayne Cohill and Ibi Watson. The Flyers matched their biggest lead of the game -- eight points -- at 49-41 but the Patriots wouldn’t go away. Dayton had to seal the win at the foul line in the closing minutes, despite missing as many as four attempts.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
The Flyers shot 50% from the free-throw line for the game.
Obi Toppin led all scorers with 19 points (he had seven rebounds as well) and was named the WHIO Radio Player of the Game.
Jalen Crutcher put 13 in the books, while Watson had all nine of his points in the second half. Cohill contributed with four points, all in the second half.
UD can win the league title outright with a win Friday against Davidson at UD Arena.
UPDATE @ 8:25 p.m.:
The Flyers are finding themselves in a nip-and-tuck battle, losing the lead for the time tonight and then quickly regaining it.
5-0 run Ibi Watson. 39-36 Flyers.
— John Bedell (@JBedellWHIO) February 26, 2020
Dayton can’t let a team hang around and build confidence, News Center 7 Sports Director Mike Hartsock says:
Worst thing that can happen....letting a team hang around and build confidence. Tied at 39 with 11 to play. @daytonsports @whiotv
— Mike Hartsock (@MHartsockWHIO) February 26, 2020
UPDATE @ 7:52 p.m.:
The Flyers, led by Jalen Crutcher with nine points, take a five-point halftime lead over George Mason, 30-25.
Dayton scored first and opened a 14-7 lead, building the advantage to eight points at 22-14 with 8:08 remaining in the first half.
The Flyers are not shooting well from the field, hitting just 46% from the floor and a pedestrian 16% from three. Rodney Chatman has put seven points in the book, while Obi Toppin has added six.
The Flyers bench players have produced no points.
Like what I'm seeing from the main 2 Dayton guards tonight. Crutcher and Chatman have 16 of UD's 30 at the half.
— Michael Purves (@michaelpurves) February 26, 2020
Dayton can win a share of the A-10 regular season title with a win tonight.
UPDATE @ 7:42 p.m.:
The Flyers are maintaining the lead over George Mason, 28-22, with less than 3 minutes remaining in the first half.
INITIAL REPORT
The No. 4 Dayton Flyers return to action Tuesday night at George Mason in Fairfax, Virginia.
RELATED: Dayton Flyers climb to No. 4 in Associated Press Top 25 Poll
The Flyers are looking to continue their perfect start to Atlantic 10 play and extend their winning streak to 17 games.
Radio coverage of the game will start at 6 p.m. on 1290 and 95.7 WHIO with the Bud Light Pregame Show, hosted by John Tisdell.
>>Listen to the Flyers on 1290 and 95.7 WHIO
Larry Hansgen and Keith Waleskowski are on the call and will be courtside, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
>>How far can they go in March? Experts weight Dayton Flyers’ chances in NCAA Tournament
TV coverage for the game will be on the Stadium sports network and will also air in Ohio on Fox Sports Ohio.
Following the game, John Bedell with join Tisdell for Flyer Feedback, also airing on WHIO Radio.
Dayton jumped to fourth in the Associated Press poll released Monday, following two wins last week. Dayton is currently tied for the nation’s longest active winning streak and is the first Atlantic 10 team since 2006 to start conference play 14-0.