A foot of snow, pouring sleet, and a Level 3 weather emergency couldn’t keep 5,000 of the loyalist Flyer Faithful from watching Dayton beat the Fordham Rams 71-55 in 1998-99 Atlantic-10 opener. The weather emergency called for everyone to stay home or risk being pulled over for a ticket, but several thousand UD fans defied the authorities and mushed their way to the UD Arena on Saturday night. Those like myself brave enough to skirt the law enjoyed a complimentary super pretzel from the concession stands of the Arena, making the journey through slush and ice a worthwhile experience in spite of the cold feet.

Mark Ashman led the Flyers with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Tony Stanley chipped in 16 and 6. Coby Turner, still coming off the bench due to a couple of nagging injuries, scored 9 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 32 minutes. Andy Metzler came off the bench to score 14 points on 4-5 shooting and grab 4 rebounds in 23 minutes.

With a thinning-out of the regular UD Arena crowd, the atmosphere was subdued and the game was much like the outdoors — very sloppy. Both teams played nearly the entire first half neck and neck, but UD made a strong run in the final two minutes to build a 30-19 lead on a Tony Stanley jumper near the free throw line with 8 seconds left in the half. Fordham pushed the ball and converted on a trash shot to end the half at 30-21.

Though Dayton carried a comfortable lead into the locker room, their execution seemed to suggest they were trying to lose the game in spite of themselves. There was little emotion, no intensity, sloppy fundamentals, and only a handful of solid offensive and defensive stands.

The second half started off much like the first with each team connecting on a handful of buckets, but Nick Macarchuk’s squad started to make a move around the 12 minute mark by sinking a flurry of treys to tie the game at 42.

Familiar with scoring droughts of their own but hardly a team who has run away from teams in stretches, Dayton tightened up the defense and converted on the other end to break the game open. All told, the Flyers outscored the Rams 15-0 to take a 57-42 advantage by the 8 minute mark. Fordham made a couple of efforts to get back into the game but Andy Metzler’s second-half scoring paced the home team to a comfortable finish.

Dayton’s defense was not as watertight as compared to recent outings but it was good enough to limit Fordham to .351% shooting on the evening. The Flyers also used their size advantage to out-rebound the Rams 40-27. Ram center Alejandro Olivares and shooting guard Jason Harris did the most damage against Oliver Purnell’s team. Olivares finished with 18 points and 5 boards while Harris nailed three treys on his way to 15 points.

Considering the lousy weather conditions, small attendance (paid attendance was 11,091), and subdued atmosphere, this was a game that could have been trouble for the Flyers. The familiar home court advantage was at home listening on the radio and the weak opponent took the edge off any excitement one might have otherwise experienced. The best news coming from this game is that UD survived it.

Dayton gets tested once again on Wednesday as a underrated St. Joseph’s team arrives in town for a 7:30pm. tip-off. Phil Martelli’s Hawks have played and survived a brutal schedule much like the Flyers. The Hawks could surprise a few teams this year in the A-10 because their early season defense has been outstanding and they field a host of athletes who like to compete.