Men’s Basketball Takeaways: Foul Trouble Gives Dayton The Edge In Overtime

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By: Roberto De La Rosa-Finch – Online Editor

Redshirt forward Josh Cunningham put up a career-high 29 points and grabbed 18 boards to go along with senior guard Darrell Davis’ eighth 15+ point game of the season as the Flyers hung on to beat the Georgia State Panthers 88-83 in overtime Friday night.

With the win at UD Arena, Dayton is now 5-5, once again twiddling with the .500 line this season. Like every game, there were highs and lows to the Flyers play but here are three takeaways from Friday’s game:

Flyers Takeoffs

Cunningham can’t stop, won’t stop

The 6-foot-7 forward has been dominating all season long. Cunningham leads the A-10 in field goal percentage (73.3) and rebounds (11) while averaging 16.2 points per game. That field goal percentage is not only good enough for the Atlantic 10, it sits him at fifth in the nation just below Alabama’s Donta Hall with 75 percent.

“I just wanted to come out and do everything for my team,” Cunningham commented on his performance.

That he did, Cunningham had a double-double before the first half ended and over the last four games has made 30 out of his 32 shot attempts.

Coach Anthony Grant spoke to his consistency and commented that Cunningham is “as good a competitor as I’ve been around.”

Dayton camps out by the free throw line

The Flyers reached the free throw line 38 times Friday. In their last game, a 70-78 loss to Penn, the squad only attempted five.

“There were a lot of ebbs and flows to the game but we stuck together, found a way to get enough stops at the end and make enough free throws to be able to pull out a victory,” Grant said after the game.

Dayton only averages around 10 free throw attempts a game but four out of their five wins this season have come when they’ve had at least 15 attempts. Georgia State’s proficient deep shooting (50 percent 3FG) and their mixture of the 2-3, 1-3-1 and 3-2 zones kept them in the game.

But the Panthers couldn’t keep their claws off the Flyers and the free throw shooting gave Dayton the edge. If the Flyers can get their opponents into foul trouble and visit the line more often, good things are sure to come.
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Professor X returns

Junior forward Xeyrius Williams played his first game since his back injury. Williams missed the last five games and received a huge roar from UD Arena when he stepped onto the court. He played 13 minutes and finished with two points and two rebounds.

“It’s always good to see people come back, especially (Xeyrius),” Cunningham said. “I just can’t wait until he gets into the flow of things and gets going more.”

What’s next…

Dayton will head to Moraga, California Saturday to square off against a tough, 9-2, Saint Mary’s team.

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Photo Courtesy of Griffin Quinn/Staff Photographer