TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Kevin Dillard scored 17 of his career-high 25 points in the first half to help the Dayton Flyers pull off a road win against the Alabama Crimson Tide, 81-76.
Josh Benson had 21 points and six rebounds as the Flyers improved to 6-2 overall and won five of its last six.
UD is also 19-8 against power conference programs and 7-3 under head coach Archie Miller. The Flyers have also won their seven straight against SEC opponents.
Vee Sanford scored 11 points, while Devin Oliver added nine points and seven rebounds.
But the night belonged to the seniors, Dillard and Benson.
Dillard finished with six assists and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Benson was nearly as efficient. He shot 7-of-8 from the field and hit 7-of-10 free throw attempts.
Alabama, which came into the game 46-9 at home under head coach Anthony Grant, was out-rebounded 37-28 by the Flyers and shot just 28 percent (7-of-25) from beyond the arc.
The Crimson Tide lost its second straight and dropped to 6-2 overall.
Dayton led by as many as 15 in the second half. The Flyers stretched their lead at one point to 70-55 with under six minutes to play after a Dillard layup.
However, Alabama came back in the final minutes and cut the Flyer lead to 76-71 with 45 seconds remaining. Dillard, Benson, Oliver and Dyshawn Pierre each sank free throws to extend the lead in the closing seconds and seal the victory.
The Flyers led 38-33 at halftime and led from the opening tip. UD jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the opening minutes and never looked back.
For the game, UD shot 49 percent from the field and hit 21-of-27 at the free throw line. The Flyers, who connected on 8-of-19 attempts from three-point range, also improved to 11-0 all-time when hitting 40 percent or better from beyond the arc under Miller.
The Flyers return to UD Arena for a four-game home stand starting Saturday against the Miami RedHawks. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET.
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