Senior Chris Wright’s double-double Saturday night snapped the Dayton men’s basketball team’s two-game losing streak as it handled Miami (Ohio), 70-58.
Wright did it all for the Flyers (6-2), scoring 18 points, grabbing 11 boards and chipping in with a pair of assists, steals and blocks. Junior Paul Williams sunk 3-of-4 from beyond the arc as part of his 15-point effort.
The first half saw four lead changes, with the RedHawks (3-5) holding a 30-24 lead with under two minutes remaining in the opening frame. Williams responded for DU with a layup and a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one, however Julian Mavunga, Miami’s leading scorer with 18 points, pushed the MU lead back to four after connecting from long range.
The Flyers stormed out of the locker room, as the RedHawks jumped out to a seven-point advantage with 11 minutes, two seconds left on the clock.
MU did not go away easily, regaining the lead after a Chris McHenry 3-pointer with 7:34 remaining.
Williams nailed a trey off a feed from redshirt junior Josh Parker (six assists on the night) to make it 55-52. The Flyers would not relinquish the lead again.
Juwan Staten (12 points) sealed the UD victory, going six-for-six from the charity stripe in the final two minutes, 30 seconds.
Dayton returns to action on Tuesday as it hosts Central Connecticut State, while Miami hosts Saginaw Valley State.
Temple holds off Maryland
Temple survived Maryland’s late second half surge in its 64-61 victory on Sunday to close out the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center.
Ramone Moore led the Owls (5-2) with 16 points in their balanced offensive attack. Juan Fernandez, Lavoy Allen and Scootie Randall also chipped in with 14,13 and 10 points, respectively.
TU dominated the Terrapins (6-3) in the opening frame, entering the locker room with an 11-point lead. The lead reached 15 after baskets by Moore and Randall.
The turning point came when Allen was called to the bench with 15: 40 remaining in the game after quickly earning his third and fourth fouls.
Maryland seized the opportunity by reeling off 10-straight points to get back into the contest.
The Owls held a 59-56 lead and the ball with less than a minute remaining. With the Terps’ needing a stop, MU senior Dino Gregory stripped Rahlir Jefferson of the ball, however his outlet pass was stolen by Temple’s Khalif Wyatt for an easy two, pushing its lead to five with 34 seconds on the clock.
TU takes on Georgetown in front of a national audience on Thursday night while Maryland hosts North Carolina Greensboro on Wednesday.
Nicholson’s jumper lifts Bonnies
Andrew Nicholson nailed a jumper with 6.8 seconds left as St. Bonaventure survives with a 76-74 win over Buffalo.
Ogo Adegboye shined for the Bonnies (4-2), sinking seven 3-pointers (one shy of a school record) for a game-high 24 points, while also dishing out a career-high 10 assists. Nicholson contributed with 16 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double in the last five games.
Trailing by 19 points, the Bulls (4-3) mounted an impressive comeback, thanks in large part to their stingy defense. Having cut the lead to 13 with 5:53 remaining in the game, Buffalo’s defense buckled down and limited the SBU offense to one field goal (Nicholson’s game-winner) for the rest of the contest.
Buffalo had an opportunity to send the game to overtime, however Byron Mulkey’s attempt with two seconds remaining would not fall. The senior led the Bulls with 21 points while also grabbing seven boards in their fourth-straight road game.
St. Bonaventure returns to action on Tuesday with a road test at St. Johns. Buffalo will try to rebound in, as its hosts Niagara on Wednesday night.
Stephen Sellner can be reached at [email protected].
