For 28 minutes, the University of Dayton played well enough to win. Well enough to earn the first quality road win since joining the A-10 conference. Well enough to quiet all the naysayers and lift the monkey off the back of the program. If the Flyers gave a better effort against Shawnta Rogers Sunday night, we would be talking about a victory that might change the course of the season, but UD fell short once again as GW turned up the heat in the second half to win 81-69 at the Smith Center. Dayton, who got manhandled by Rogers for a career-high 36 points, evens its record at 8-8 (2-2) while the Colonials improve to 9-4 (3-0).

Dayton’s fate in this contest reads like so many other road games in recent years. The Flyers play well until the men get separated from the boys, go on a 5-10 minute drought, and get outhustled down the stretch for yet another road loss.

Purnell’s club played a decent first half despite getting pummeled on the boards 27-15.

Dayton controlled tempo and made key baskets to stay close but could not control Rogers on the offensive end or snag rebounds on the defensive side of the ball. It was an encouraging sign to see Dayton trailing only 32-31 at the half despite key deficiencies.

In the second half, Dayton held serve for several possessions and eventually took a 44-40 lead on an uncontested Tony Stanley dunk. Everything seemed to be going in the Flyers’ direction. Stephen Bamigbola was playing aggressive in the paint, Ashman was hitting jumpers, and Dayton took care of the basketball. Then, as is always the case, the roof finally caved in and Dayton got torched in the final 12 minutes.

Just as the Flyers built a four-point lead, GW went on a 14-0 run and kept Dayton scoreless for over 7 minutes. By the time UD started playing more intense basketball however, the outcome was a formality.

Edwin Young had one of his worst performances as a Flyer, letting Shawnta Rogers run wild on the offensive end for penetrating baskets and wide open treys. He nailed 6 of 8 from behind the arc. Young continually let Rogers get in front of him, allow the extra step, and reach with the hands instead of moving with the feet.

David Morris played a fine game off the bench for Purnell and showed once again his willingness to not back down in the face of adversity. Morris played solid defense against Rogers, forcing him to make the spectacular pass instead of a shot. Unfortunately, the Flyers were caught ball-watching too often and allowed Rogers to look like a miracle worker.

Coby Turner struggled yet again and was fortunate to receive the minutes he did. While Turner scored 9 points and grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds, he was completely inactive on the offensive end and forced several bad scenarios that resulted in turnovers or loose balls. Turner is clearly not the player he once was and hasn’t made any significant strides in his game all year. Time will only tell if Purnell will stick with Turner or opt for a younger player to develop the future players of the program before the season is over.

Mark Ashman played an excellent game and finished with 20 points on 10-15 shooting. No one in a Colonial uniform could guard Ashman all night on the offensive end, allowing UD’s center to step out for turnaround baseline jumpers and soft shots from 12 feet. Ashman is getting better by the game and could be one of the league’s top three centers — an incredible compliment for a player who only plays center because Purnell has no other credible big-man.

Dayton’s bench play was largely ineffective other than Bamigbola and Morris. Cain Doliboa nailed a couple treys but could not compete against GW’s stronger players everywhere else on the court. Ted Fitz, benched for much of the last three games, provided a couple of hustle plays in the first half that kept Dayton close but struggled on defense against Tom Pender’s poster children for Muscle Magazine.

Tony Stanley played a fine all-around game yet again, scoring 15 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and playing good defense for most of the contest. Stanley’s problem is that he and Ashman get very little help from teammates and must carry the load on their own. Stanley was rarely the benefit of a good screen or crisp pass that would have enabled him to get a few more quality looks at the basket. Stanley’s best look all night was a spectacular alley-oop dunk off an Edwin Young pass late in the game.

While Stanley and Ashman continue to shine for the Flyers, UD cannot afford to be a two-man band much longer — especially on the road. Since 1995-96, Dayton is 21-5 at home in A-10 play while just 5-22 on the road.

George Washington was a solid test Thursday night, but they could have been beaten by a team who had a little more fire in their eyes and a propensity for making plays on the heels of adversity.

The Flyers finish up the three-game road trip Saturday against LaSalle, clearly a game the Flyers have no choice but to win. After dropping two road games to opponents Dayton needed to beat to quiet critics who say UD can’t beat anyone decent on the road, this Dayton team must accept the reality of the situation and beat a very beatable Explorer team.