With Mark Ashman resting a pulled hamstring and Stephen Bamigbola awaiting fatherhood, senior center Matt Cooper made a rare start and made the most of it as Dayton outpaced AIA Blue 82-75 before a nice crowd at the UD Arena. The good news is Cooper played the best game of his career. The bad news is it won’t ever count. Coop’s 14 points and 7 rebounds kept Dayton’s interior game from throwing a timing belt, and bodes well for the Flyers considering the player absences.

Dayton and AIA traded blows in the early going but it was Cooper who kept the Flyers marching. The Worthington, OH, native scored six of Dayton’s first 10 points but picked up his second foul near the 12-minute mark and had to sit on the pine for much of the remaining minutes of the half. Dayton had another answer in the paint however.

Freshman Nate Green put on a clinic in the first half with take-no-prisoners rebounding and strong moves to the bucket. Green was a man-child, and Purnell gave him plenty of minutes in the opening half because of his effectiveness. Also apparent was Purnell’s intention to get Green in game shape. Green hung onto his shorts several times but the coaching staff elected to keep him in there and work on the cardiovascular side of things. Green sucked it up and made the most of it.

As the half wore on, Dayton built up a 10-point lead on the long-range shooting of Brooks Hall and Cain Doliboa, but AIA came back and closed the lead just minutes later. The Flyers clawed back and a full-court pass to Cain Doliboa was all that was needed for the Springboro sharpshooter to nail a jumper at the buzzer for a 42-40 halftime advantage.

Tony Stanley’s first half was frigid and full of mistakes. Not only did he not score a point, but he was beaten several times on back door buckets and transition breakaways at the other end of the court.

AIA Blue came out of halftime with guns blazing as they quickly built an 8-pt lead before the Flyers scored their first points of the second half. Dayton clawed their way back into things with a couple bombs from Brooks Hall and the reemergence of Stanley. Tony picked up his game and hit a couple baskets while tightening things up on the defensive end.

The Flyers regained the lead with about 10 minutes to go in the game and held on down the stretch without much nail-biting.

Edwin Young and David Morris swapped point guard duties all night and, by and large, Morris performed better. Unlike the first exhibition when Young controlled the game, Morris pushed the ball and created more scoring chances for the Flyers in this game. While Morris still has the tendency to take the bad shot or force the bad play, his upside frequently makes those mishaps worth the indigestion. Morris finished with seven assists and no turnovers.

While it’s encouraging to see the Flyers beat a team without Mr. Reliable — Mark Ashman — there’s still much to be concerned about. Defensively, Dayton’s effort was unacceptable. Time and time again AIA had open jumpers, back-door lay-ups, or transition opportunities. Even more frustrating was AIA’s ability to score three or more points every trip down the floor. Besides bombing away from the outside, AIA had several traditional three-point plays and ended the contest with two trips yielding four points apiece. When Dayton trades two for three, the math speaks for itself.

As of today, the likeliest players to start in the season opener at New Mexico is Edwin Young, Tony Stanley, Brooks Hall, Nate Green, and Mark Ashman. Green won the PF spot tonight with his Perryman-like performance before fouling out in the second half. Yuanta Holland had trouble finishing all night and has yet to show a reliable jumpshot. Brooks Hall should get the nod at QF based on two things. First, Hall has been the most reliable player in the two exhibitions. He’s played unselfish, passed the ball with authority, and taken only those shots that a coach would want taken. Hall doesn’t shoot much, but when he does, you know it’s the perfect time to do so. Tonight, Hall finished with 12 points — shooting 4-8 behind the arc on a night in which he took no 2-pt shots — 5 assists, and just a single turnover. Second, Purnell may elect to keep some veteran firepower on the bench — a player like Doliboa. While Doliboa has played well the entire preseason and equally deserves to start, someone must be this year’s version of Andy Metzler and take one for the team. Doliboa is unselfish enough to be that guy.

Young should get the nod at PG based on his veteran status, especially in the opener at The Pit. But expect Purnell to utilize Morris early and often and play which ever PG is playing well. Stanley and Ashman are secure starters.

UDPRIDE will have a complete preview of the UNM game by the middle of next week. Game time is Friday, Nov, 19, at 9pm EST.