Flyer fans squirmed in their chairs Wednesday night but walked away with a victory after Dayton outlasted IUPUI 76-66 before 10,483 at the UD Arena. The Jaguars, in their first year as a Div-I program, gave Dayton everything they could handle for 30 minutes, but faded when it counted as the home team escaped the jaws of an early season ratings-buster. Tony Stanley netted 23 points to lead all scorers and Coby Turner added 18 as the Flyers improve to 2-0.

Dayton struggled from the opening tip as IUPUI built an 8 point lead early in the contest with dribbling penetration and second-chance opportunities. Only after the Flyers found themselves in a real battle did they start putting up a fight, clawing back to take the lead at 29-22 lead by the last TV timeout of the first half. Dayton held on for a 33-27 halftime advantage as they headed to the locker room to refocus their efforts on an apparent oversight.

The first half was so ugly that Dayton fans were beginning to wonder if this was a replay of the Cleveland State game of 1997-98. The Flyers shot just 39% from the field against a team that lacked any tangible size in the frontcourt and a mediocre backcourt comprised of newly-baptized college kids making their first splash in major Div-I basketball.

In the second half, Dayton tightened up the defensive effort in spurts, but never bottled up the Jags for more than a few possessions at a time. Just as the defense was hit or miss, so was the rebounding. In the end, the Flyers outfought IUPUI for only one more rebound as UD’s players wore lead shoes for tonight’s game. At times it was disheartening.

Thankfully, Tony Stanley and Coby Turner stepped up when the Flyers needed answers, breaking a tight game into a win that should not have been as highly contested. After IUPUI cut the UD lead to 56-53 with around 10:00 to play, Turner nailed a pair of treys and Stanley converted at the free throw line to ice the game in the end.

Mark Ashman, plagued by early foul trouble, was limited to 6 points and 4 boards in 19 minutes. Ted Fitz saw the floor for 28 minutes and chipped in a respectable 7 points, 5 boards, and a couple assists. Edwin Young and David Morris split time at the point guard spot. Morris failed to score but dished out 5 assists with 3 turnovers in 18 minutes. Morris ran the offense well and had 3-4 strong scoring chances but could not finish them off — at times he did everything right but hit the basket. Of note, two of Morris’ three turnovers were five-second closely-guarded calls late in the game — mistakes that he will remove from his game over time.

In all, Dayton tip-toed their way to a win, but Flyer fans aren’t worried about the team arriving in Oxford as an over-confident group on Sunday when they face a powerful Miami RedHawk team.

Dayton’s greatest weaknesses lie in the defense. UD does not move well laterally and gets beat off the dribble on too many occasions. While the Flyers are quick going up and down the court, the team has difficulty stopping opposing players from driving to the basket for easy buckets or assists. At the same time, UD’s three-point defense has taken a nosedive over the last year. In 1997-98, UD led the A-10 in 3-PT FG% defense but stands to be at the league’s bottom this season unless Dayton players start putting more pressure on the ball. Of special concern is UD’s inability to rotate to cover weak-side players when the Flyers elect to double-team, trap the ball, or challenge a player driving to the basket.

Dayton travels to Millett Hall on Sunday for an afternoon game against rival Miami University. With Wally Szczerbiak, Damon Frierson, and a host of other quality players, only the best Dayton performance will be good enough for a win. Should Dayton repeat their performance against IUPUI, it could be a long afternoon and an even longer busride home.