Toppin’s Career Night Leads to a Comeback Victory

Brandon Heath
Contributing Writer

Redshirt freshman Obi Toppin extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to seven in a row as the Dayton men’s basketball team rallied in the second half to defeat Duquesne 68-64 Saturday afternoon.

The Flyers went into halftime down 36-28 and without a single three-pointer to its name but finished 5-8 from beyond the arc in the second half.

“Coming back from being down 11 at the beginning of the game, it’s just a good feeling,” Toppin said. “The crowd was amazing today, and our players stayed together through the adversity, and we came out with the win.”

Toppin, who earlier this week became the NCAA leader in field goal percentage, finished with a career-high 26 points on 11-16 shooting. Sophomore guard Jalen Crutcher knocked down three three-pointers in the second half comeback, finishing with 16 points.

“The more you play, the more you learn. And the more you grow, the better you’ll be. And he (Toppin) is a guy that loves the game, plays with a lot of emotion and energy, and he’s really talented,” head coach Anthony Grant said. “He just continues to grow and get better.”

The Flyers went on an 11-0 run, capped off by a Jordan Davis three to put the Flyers up 50-48 with 10 minutes left. From there, both teams exchanged baskets until a Toppin alley-oop from junior forward Trey Landers, and a Crutcher jump shot on back-to-back possessions put the Flyers up for good with 1:39 left in the game.

Duquesne junior Eric Williams Jr. led the team with 20 points, while teammate Sincere Carry chipped in 15 points and six assists.

The Flyers improved to 15-7 on the season and will travel to Saint Louis (14-8) on Tuesday night.

Photo courtesy of Griffin Quinn