Dayton hangs tough with Virginia but falls short in Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals

Flyers will play Oklahoma in third-place game

Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer

Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer

The Dayton Flyers hung with No. 4 Virginia for 40 minutes but didn't make enough stops in the second half to get over the hump and lost 66-59 on Thursday in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis at Imperial Gym.

The Flyers (4-1) will play Oklahoma in the third-place game at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Virginia (5-0) will play Wisconsin in the championship game at 2 p.m. as it seeks its sixth straight title in a Thanksgiving week tournament.

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Dayton trailed throughout the second half but cut the deficit to four points four times. The last time came at the 1:29 mark on a dunk by Obi Toppin. However, Virginia answered with a 3-pointer by De'Andre Hunter, who led the team with 23 points.

That shot clinched the victory for the Cavaliers, who improved to 3-0 against Dayton. The teams hadn't played since 1987. Virginia didn't lead by more than nine points.

Josh Cunningham led the Flyers with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and had five rebounds. Toppin scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He took over for a stretch in the final 10 minutes and hit his first career 3-pointer. Jalen Crutcher had 11 points and seven assists. Trey Landers scored nine.

Virginia won the game in part by making 17 of 22 free throws. Dayton made 4 of 8. The Flyers shot 54 percent from the field. Virginia shot 43 percent.

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In the first half, Virginia outscored Dayton 7-2 in the last 2:02 to take a 27-22 halftime lead. Dayton led 7-0 and didn’t trail until the 5:58 mark. Cunningham led the Flyers with eight points in the half. Landers scored five, including the first four of the game.

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Dayton shot 53 percent from the field in the half and Virginia shot 37 percent, but Dayton committed 11 turnovers and Virginia had five. Dayton out-rebounded Virginia 16-13.

Hunter led Virginia with 10 points in the half. Kihei Clark scored eight.

Dayton shot 53 percent from the field, and Virginia shot 37 percent, but Dayton committed 11 turnovers and Virginia had five. Dayton out-rebounded Virginia 16-13.

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