One 3-point attempt hit the side of the backboard. Another bounced high off the rim and over the backboard. Javon Bennett and Amaël L’Etang each made one 3 on 16 combined attempts. No one else was even that lucky.
In a 74-62 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats on Tuesday at Fifth Third Arena, Dayton shot 7.7% (2 of 26) from 3-point range. It was the worst percentage for the Flyers since a 1-of-15 performance against Bowling Green on Dec. 9, 2014, but still better than the 0 of 24 performance against Auburn on Nov. 28, 2008.
Cincinnati had a somewhat historic night of its own, committing 24 turnovers, its most in a game since 2006, but it made 9 of 19 3s (47%). That was the biggest difference in the game.
“I think, at the end of the day, when you look at the stat sheet and you see 2 for 26 from the 3-point line and then the struggles we had in terms of finishing plays, I think we’re better than that,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. “We’ve just got to be able to figure out how to play our strengths.”
Three games is a small sample size, but 3-point shooting has been a weakness for Dayton. It’s shooting 20.3%, which ranks 343rd in the country.
“We’re way better than that,” Montgomery said. “You’ve got to get to back in the gym and keep shooting.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Here are three takeaways from Dayton’s first loss:
1: The Flyers couldn’t escape a big early hole: Dayton (2-1) trailed from start to finish. They fell behind by as many as 16 points in the first half but cut the deficit to 33-26 by halftime.
Cincinnati (3-0) made 5 of 10 3-pointers in the first half. Dayton made 1 of 13.
Dayton still had a chance because of Cincinnati’s turnover issues. Cincinnati committed 14 turnovers to Dayton’s eight in the half. The Bearcats finished with 24 turnovers, their highest total since they had 25 in a game at Louisville in 2006, to Dayton’s 13.
“That was a big part of the game plan because they like to push the ball in transition,” Montgomery said. “So we had to make sure we were in the right spots.”
Credit: David Jablonski
2: Cincinnati beat Dayton in transition too many times: Dayton trailed 48-38 in the second half when it started an 8-0 run, cutting Cincinnati’s lead to 48-46 on a dunk by De’Shayne Montgomery with 9:32 to play.
After the Montgomery basket, Cincinnati pushed the ball fast the other way, as it did all night, and scored to push the lead back to four points. That was the start of a 12-2 run. The Bearcats had a comfortable cushion the rest of the way.
“Give Cincinnati credit,” Grant said. “I thought their speed and their athleticism really bothered us. I thought, in the first half, we were able to kind of get the shots we were looking for in terms of the way we were running the offense, but we weren’t able to have success, so they were able to build the lead. I think our guys did a really good job of fighting and competing. We put ourselves in position to make it a two possession game there at the end of the half.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
3: The Bearcats continue to hold a big edge over Dayton: Cincinnati leads the series 62-32. This was the third meeting in the last three seasons, and the Bearcats have won the last two.
Cincinnati plays at Dayton next season as the series continues.
“I’m really, really pleased that we won,” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said. “I have so much respect for Anthony and for the Dayton staff, I’ve gotten to know those guys, being in the area here. I respect them as people. I respect them as coaches, and I respect the program a lot. I don’t think of them as an Atlantic 10 team. I think of them as a Power 4 team. So we found a way to win a game against a big-time program and a big-time team at home.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Bethune-Cookman at Dayton
When: Saturday, 7:15 p.m.
Streaming: Channel 7 WHIO-TV
Radio: 95.7-FM, 1290-AM
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