The University of Dayton Flyers put together a solid second half of basketball to defeat the Morehead State Eagles 71-53 Thursday night. Tony Stanley led the Flyers with 21 points, including 19 in the decisive second half. With the victory, the Flyers improve to 6-4 heading into their Saturday afternoon matchup with Louisville.

The first half seemed to follow the pattern of many recent Flyer home games, with Dayton managing to maintain a slim margin throughout the half but allowing an undermanned squad to remain in striking distance. The Flyers again lost track of shooters on the perimeter, at times coming off of shooters to provide help defense too quickly. Morehead nailed 5 of their 9 three point attempts in the half, while the Flyers all too often attempted quick threes against the Eagles 2-3 zone. Unlike their opponent, the Flyers were not nearly as proficient from the arc, canning just 1 of 12 attempts.

But there were two key differences from prior performances. The Flyers took better care of the ball in the first half, committing just 4 turnovers. And Brooks Hall was more active on the defensive and offensive ends of the floor. In the half, Hall converted two steals into lay-ins, and was able to get inside the seams of the zone for passes into the post. For the first half, Hall totaled 9 points and 3 assists. The beneficiary of the assists was Nate Green, who led the Flyers in scoring with 10. Chez Marks led Morehead with 13, including 3-3 shooting behind the arc. The Flyers left for the locker room with a 30-28 lead.

Any thoughts the Eagles had of pulling off the second consecutive upset in the UD Arena quickly vanished in the second half. The Flyers stepped up the defense and kept the three-point shooters in check. And Tony Stanley caught fire, going on a personal 10-0 run as the Flyers extended the lead to 53-36 at the 11 minute mark. Morehead managed to close the gap to 10 at the six minute mark, but Stanley nailed consecutive treys to reopen a comfortable lead.

For Dayton, Nate Green chipped in 12 points and Keith Waleskowski had 11 and 8 boards. Brooks Hall finished with 10 points and 4 assists, and David Morris got back in gear with 7 points, 8 assists and just 1 turnover. The Flyers finished with 19 assists and just 10 turnovers for the game. Sean Finn saw his first action in two games, and while he did not score, his presence in the middle altered several shots in the second half. Freshman standout Ricky Minard led the Eagles with 16 points, 13 in the second half. After scoring 13 in the first half, Chez Marks was held scoreless in the second half.

As the Flyers prepare for the Louisville Cardinals at Freedom Hall on Saturday the biggest worry may become the health of the team. Nate Green went down with a sprained ankle in the second half. His status will be determined on Friday, and his ability to suit up Saturday will be largely dependent on the extent of the swelling. If Nate is unable to go, Keith Waleskowski will probably move into the starting lineup and Sean Finn will see significant minutes off the bench. Also, Tony Stanley received a cut above his eye late in the second half, but was able to return to action, knocking down two long threes after being patched up. He should be ready to go on Saturday.