By Stretch Jenkinson

3/21/2024

Dayton Down 56-39, Went On A 24-4 Run In The Final 7:39 To Get The Win

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Dayton men’s basketball team erased a 17-point second-half deficit to topple Nevada in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament 63-60, on Thursday night at the Delta Center.

The Flyers advance to the field of 32 and will take on No. 2 seed Arizona on Saturday.With Dayton trailing 56-39 with 7:39 to go, the Flyers found a new gear, going on a 24-4 run through the rest of the game to secure UD’s first tournament victory since 2015. The 17-point comeback is the largest in the NCAA Tournament in six years.

GAME RECAP
First Half – Nevada 34, Dayton 25
•  The Flyers jumped ahead early scoring the first five points of the contest.
•  A layup by Isaac Jack at the 5:06 mark gave UD its largest lead of the half at seven.
•  Junior Daron Holmes II scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds in the first half of action.
•  The Wolf Pack finished the half on a 16-0 run that spanned the final 5:06 of play.
•  Dayton shot 41.7% (10-24) from the floor while Nevada shot 48.3% (14-29).
•  The Wolf Pack hit 44.4% (4-9) from three while the Flyers shot 25% (3-12).

2nd Half – Dayton 63, Nevada 60
• Junior Nate Santos put the Flyers ahead for good with a layup with just 34 seconds to go. He then pushed the Flyers’ advantage to three by knocking down a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining.
• Over the final run, Holmes scored eight of his game-high 18 points.
• Also sparking the run was junior Koby Brea, who knocked down three three-pointers down the stretch.
•  Santos scored seven points in the game, all in the final 7
•  The Flyers held Nevada to 37.9% (11-29) from the floor and just 23.1% (3-13) from beyond the arc in the second half.
•  UD shot 50% (11-22) from the floor and 71.4% (5-7) from three in the second half
•  Dayton also went to the free throw line 13 times and made 11 for an 84.6% mark.

BY THE NUMBERS
•  30 – Dayton and Nevada each had 30 rebounds
•  17 – Consecutive points scored by Dayton to help erase a 56-39 deficit
•  42.1 – percent from three for the Flyers, led by Koby Brea (5-8)
•  12 – both teams finished with 12 turnovers
•  11 – bench point for the Flyers
•  86.7 – percent from the charity stripe for the Flyers, their second-best mark of the season when shooting more than 10 from the free throw line.

UP NEXT
•  The Flyers take on the West Region’s No. 2 seed University of Arizona on Saturday, March 23 at 12:45 pm.

COURTESY DAYTON MEDIA RELATIONS