By Paul Casey Gotham
ORLANDO, FL — The waiting can be the hardest part. For the Dayton Flyers the anticipation took shape in the form of some expected scoring punch. In the meantime, the Flyers might have found a new contributor.
Paul Williams led five Flyers in double figures, and Matt Kavanaugh notched his first career double-double as Dayton defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first round of the 2011 Old Spice Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
After connecting just twice in 14 attempts from behind the arc during the first half, the Flyers drained seven treys after the break with Williams leading the way.
“We are a shooting team,” commented Dayton head coach Archie Miller. “Two for fourteen from three for the first half. Other than maybe a couple of quick ones, they were all pretty good looks. Second half it balanced out. We became the team we are everyday.”
Williams missed all six of field goal attempts including three from long range in the first half. But the senior found his range early in the second half.
Point guard Kevin Dillard took an outlet pass from Josh Benson and pushed the ball up the floor getting penetration into the key. Williams trailed the play and took advantage of the space created as Dillard jump stopped, pivoted and delivered a shuttle pass to his teammate for an open trey.
The tandem hooked up on the next possession when Dillard reversed the ball to Williams for a 41-35 lead.
Williams made it three in a row and gave the Flyers a 44-37 lead when Matt Kavanaugh kicked the ball out from the post for the basket and a Wake Forest timeout.
“We got some guys who can shoot the ball,” Miller noted. “They’re confident, and it showed at the right time.”
The lead was short-lived as Wake Forest’s Chase Fischer went on his own tear from long range.
The freshman guard connected four times from behind the arc. Fischer’s fourth trey, a catch and shoot jumper assisted by Anthony Fields gave the Demon Deacons a 59-55 edge.
Dayton rallied.
Williams delivered a block to block pass to Josh Benson who drew contact and finished a pair from the free throw line.
Dillard canned a pullup jumper. Then the redshirt junior hit a pair of free throws.
Kavanaugh tied the score at 64 when he grabbed the rebound of a Benson attempt, finished and went to the foul line for the three-point play.
Wake Forest responded again. Harris and Nikita Mescheriakov ran a screen and roll in the lane and the Demon Deacons led 73-69.
Dillard sparked the late comeback hitting a pullup jumper with the shot clock running down.
On the next possession, Dillard drove the lane and dished to Williams in the right corner for three.
The Flyers reclaimed the lead on the next trip when Dillard led Chris Johnson for an open trifecta. The basket was Johnson’s second in eight attempts.
“My teammates are doing a good job of finding me in transition,” Johnson said when asked about his mindset. “They had enough confidence in me to knock the shot down.”
Johnson followed that shot with an equally outstanding play at the other end stopping Wake Forest’s Travis McKie and sealing the victory.
“He ‘s a great player,” Johnson said of McKie. “I stepped up to the challenge and got in a stance.”
Williams finished with 18 points on 5-9 shooting from behind the arc.
Dillard and Kavanaugh added 15 apiece. Kavanaugh grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.
“He’s a physical kid,” Miller said of Kavanaugh. “He does in the game what he does in practice. He’s an everyday guy. He puts his hard hat on, and he goes to work.”
Johnson and Benson added 12 and 10 with each getting eight boards.
McKie had a game-high 20. Harris chipped in 18 with Tony Chennault adding 17.
The Flyers outrebounded Wake Forest 43-31 in a game that saw 14 lead changes and 12 ties.
The Flyers will play Fairfield in Friday’s second round. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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