LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.– The Dayton Flyers defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 86-70 to capture the 2011 Old Spice Classic championship.
Five Flyers scored in double figures led by the Old Spice Classic Most Valuable Player, Kevin Dillard. Dillard recorded 19 points, 10 assists and career-highs with seven steals and three blocks.
Chris Johnson had 18 points and six rebounds and Josh Benson scored 16 on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
Josh Parker added 12 points and Luke Fabrizius scored 11 as the Flyers won their fourth in a row and improved to 5-1 overall.
The Old Spice Classic is Dayton’s 12th in-season tournament championship. UD has won three of the last five it has participated in and is the first since taking the 2008 Chicago Invitational Challenge.
Dayton also improved to 14-5 against BCS programs over the previous five seasons and has won eight of the last nine.
In the program’s history, Dayton had never beaten a Big Ten team by double-figures prior to the game against Minnesota. It was their first win against a Big Ten foe since winning at Illinois during a run to the 2010 NIT title. It was their first regular-season win over the a Big Ten school since knocking off Purdue in 2001-02 at the Conseco Fieldhouse.
The Flyers led by as many as 18 in the second half and cruised thanks to some sharp shooting. Dayton connected on 47 percent of their shots and converted 12-of-27 from 3-point range. The Flyers also shot 86 percent at the free throw line converting 18-of-21 shots.
UD led 37-28 at halftime after connecting on seven 3-pointers. The Flyers used a 25-5 run to end the opening 20 minutes.
Dillard finished the game 6-of-12 from the field, hit two shots from beyond the arc and went 5-of-6 at the free throw line.
The Flyers return home to face the Buffalo Bulls on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. ET.
Bet some Dayton fans I know were happy with this result!
Dayton is tough, they seem like a legit team this year. This Dillard kid has had some start to the season, giving the Flyers a huge lift. If they can keep playing like this, is it reasonable to project them as a top 6 team in the A-10 with the potential to grab a bye (the 4 seed) in the A10 tourney. I know St. Louis is great and Xavier’s always up there, but why not Dayton as the next tier
Kyle – you will get no argument from me. Don’t forget Temple. Their loss to Bowling Green was an aberration that had a lot to do with the injury to Michael Eric. The Bonnies will have something to say about who finishes in the top 4 of the A-10 AND don’t sleep on St. Joseph’s.
It was never more apparent than this weekend that point guard play has been holding back the Flyers. Dillard made very few mistakes. I love how he distinguishes when to pass when to go and when to shoot. He bailed out the Flyers late in the shot clock a couple of times. He helps Dayton spread the floor with his vision.