By PAUL GOTHAM
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — The calendar read November, but it felt like March.
It was a day when a tiny school from Springsteen country knocked off a ranked opponent. Another ranked team nearly erased a seven-point deficit in the final minute, but a shot at the buzzer found the front of the iron.
So it was only fitting that a record crowd was treated a thriller between two teams destined for March battles.
Junior transfer Charles Cooke led four in double digits as the University of Dayton Flyers outlasted the Iowa Hawkeyes, 82-77 in the opening round of the 2015 Advocare Invitational.
Cooke connected on four of six attempts from behind the arc for the game. None larger than a catch-and-shoot three at a moment when it looked like the Hawkeyes might create separation from the Flyers late in the contest.
After Iowa turned a 14-point deficit into a four-point lead with 2:35 remaining, Cooke took a Scoochie Smith feed and hit from the right corner to pull Dayton within one at 75-74.
“Coach told us they were going to make some runs, this was going to be a game of runs,” Cooke said. “We weren’t surprised at all by it.”
Smith coolly followed with a pair of layups late in the shot clock to give UD the lead.
“Scooch was tremendous when things kinda got sticky,” Miller stated.
The junior point guard used a ball screen to go to his right at the top of the key and get in the lane for a layup and a 76-75 UD lead. He followed with a layup going to his left for an 80-77 advantage with 13 seconds left in the game.
“Scooch made some terrific plays down the stretch,” Miller commented. “You don’t get those type of victories without great point guard play when you need it. He had just some special plays I thought the last two and a half minutes.”
Cooke sealed the victory hitting a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining. He finished with 22 on the night.
Kyle Davis and Kendall Pollard added 16. Smith chipped in 11.
Earlier in the night, the Monmouth Hawks rallied from eight down at halftime to defeat No. 17 Notre Dame, 70-68. It was the first time in program history that the school from Freehold, New Jersey beat a ranked opponent. Prior to that, USC knocked off No. 20 Wichita State, 72-69.
Dayton will play Monmouth Friday night with a chance to advance to Sunday’s championship. A 9:30 pm tipoff is scheduled.
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