Flyers pass early season test at Georgia Tech

By: Steven Wright – Sports Editor

Playing in its first game of four over an eight-day span, the University of Dayton men’s basketball team came through with its most complete game of the season.

Three players set individual career-highs in scoring, and Dayton picked up an early season road win at Georgia Tech 82-72 Wednesday, Nov. 20, in Atlanta, Ga., to kick off its road trip.

Redshirt junior guard Jordan Sibert set his record in the first half with 15 points, eventually finishing with 20.
Senior forward Devin Oliver also scored 20, while sophomore forward Devon Scott had 13 on 5-of-6 shooting.

Redshirt senior guard Vee Sanford also added 15 points.

Dayton (4-0) trailed 30-24 with 6:11 left in the first half when it used a 13-0 run over the next four minutes to take its first lead of the game.

The team’s lead grew to 14 in the second half at 68-54 with 6:21 to go following Oliver’s steal and layup after picking GT sophomore guard Chris Bolden’s pocket off an inbounds pass.

Georgia Tech (3-1) was eight down the stretch from a basket by senior center Daniel Miller, who also scored a career-high 20 points. Dayton put any chance for a late GT run at bay by converting at the line, making 20-of-25 free throws in the game.

Head coach Archie Miller told WHIO radio he was pleased to look at his team’s stat lines after the game, especially the 17 assists it shared.

Dayton forced 19 turnovers, 17 coming off steals. The team also made a season-high eight 3-pointers.

UD’s leading scorer, sophomore forward Dyshawn Pierre at 15.3 points per game, picked up four fouls in 10 minutes of play and was held to just two points.

The win was the fifth in the previous six years for Dayton in its first road game of the season.

The game was scheduled as part the contract terms GT head coach Brian Gregory held while he was head coach at Dayton, stipulating Gregory’s new school must schedule a home-and-home series against Dayton. Gregory told Atlanta reporters earlier in the week he would not have chosen to play Dayton if he could, citing his admiration for his former program.

Georgia Tech will make a trip to play at UD Arena next season.