Flyers Avoid UMBC’s Upset Bid, Defeat Retrievers 77-71
(Photo via Hunter Ross)
Gabriel Ward | Sports Editor
DAYTON, Ohio — The Dayton Flyers men’s basketball team defeated the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) 77-71 on Saturday at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, in front of 13,407 fans.
The game was tightly contested as the UMBC offense was able to keep the Retrievers in the game. UMBC’s first-half offense was led by Ace Valentine, who scored nine first-half points along with having two assists to lead UMBC in first-half scoring. Jose Roberto Tanchyn provided a spark for the Retrievers as he came off the bench and hit three 3-pointers in the first to end the half with nine points of his own.
For UD, everyone got involved in the first half as they were able to spread the ball around, leading to eight different players scoring. Jordan Derkack provided some first-half offense from the bench, as he scored four points in just five minutes.
The Flyers showed off their athletic ability, as with 8:35 remaining in the first half, De’Shayne Montgomery scored his first points of the game on a layup, but just 19 seconds later, he threw down a massive dunk, energizing the crowd. A few minutes later, Malcolm Thomas had a highlight moment of his own as he met UMBC’s Daylon Dickerson at the rim, swatting a dunk attempt out of bounds.
Despite the high-flying moments for UD, the Retrievers kept it close in the first half, as a late 10-3 run brought the score to 41-37 at halftime with Dayton ahead.
In the second half, the retrievers continued to ride their momentum, as with just over 17 minutes remaining in the game, Jah’Likai King hit a three to give UMBC a 46-44 lead. That lead would then grow to six as DJ Armstrong Jr. hit a three of his own with 14:48 remaining to make it 52-46, the Retrievers ahead.
UD regained momentum; however, after a Montgomery basket, Dayton coach Anthony Grant used a timeout, and on the very first possession after the break, Keonte Jones stole the inbounds, and Javon Bennett layed it in to cut the deficit to 2.
Dayton pulled even with 11:20 remaining in the game after a Jaiun Simon and-one layup was followed by a Bennett free-throw line jumper to tie the game up at 57 with 11:20 remaining.
The Flyers continued to make the plays that they needed to down the stretch. Up 2 with 1 minute remaining, the Dayton gathered multiple offensive rebounds before UMBC was forced to foul Bennett. Bennett then converted both shots, putting UD up 75-71 with 22 seconds remaining. A defensive stand on the other end, followed by two Montgomery free throws, secured a 77-71 victory for the Flyers.
Dayton’s next matchup will be a road trip to the University of Cincinnati; the matchup that has been played at the Heritage Bank Center the past two seasons will return to campus sites, as this year’s matchup will be played at Fifth Third Arena, the home of the Bearcats. The game will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.