GAME 14: XAVIER

The Pessimist:
With a national TV audience looking on, the Flyers hoped that this would be the game that got them going. With spectators hanging from the rafters, the Flyers sprinted to a 16-6 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Early on it seemed like X was more intent on forcing things and taking cheep shots at Tony Stanley. It wasn’t working and the Flyers moved out to a 45-35 lead at the half. X continued to zero in on Stanley as the second half unfolded. Four minutes into the half Stanley and one of the benchwarmers for X got into a shoving match. Having warned each of the players just two minutes before, they both got tossed. X’s strategy worked as the Flyers were down to just Ashman as on offensive weapon. Despite a 16 point second half by Mark, X pulled out a 83-81 victory to snap a four game losing streak at the Arena. (6-8)

The Optimist:
Annually, this is the biggest game in the Arena. Always sold out and equally as loud, ESPN and the Musketeers were in for a show. Brooks Hall took this game over in the first five minutes and never let go. Although he has shown flashes of brilliance, he has also looked like a freshman at times. X never saw the freshman. He hit six of his first seven shots and UD was up by 12 at the half. Going with a quick lineup, X’s press never had an impact. Things did not change a great deal in the second half as Holland scored at will on the fast break and the Flyers rolled to a 102-88 victory. Hall scored a career high 30 points and Holland chipped in with his new high of 24. (12-2)

GAME 15: at FORDHAM

The Pessimist:
In a game that reminded many of the GW game from last year, the Flyers entered the game minus not one but two of their big guns. Tony Stanley has to sit out this game due to his ejection from the previous game and Brooks Hall is being kept out because of the bad ankle. OP decided the Flyers would slow the game down by using most of the shot clock. This work in the first half as neither team led by more than four points and the Flyers trailed by just two at 22-20. The second half was a different story as Fordham began a pressure defense as soon as the clock hit 10 seconds. On four occasions the Flyers didn’t get a shot off and on five others they turned the ball over. Edwin Young had probably his best game in two years with 18 points and 7 assists, but the Flyers ran out of steam at the end and lost 65-57. (6-9)

The Optimist:
The Flyers travel to a vastly-improved Fordham for the first league road game of the season. The Ram administration decided that it was time to join the big boys and brought in Bob Hill to turn things around. They have started off the season well and are two point favorites despite the Flyers 12-2 record. Even though they have won at Fordham, the Flyers always make it difficult and today was more of the same. Both teams shot the ball poorly in the first half and the officials were making it even tougher for either team to get into a flow as they blew their whistles to the tune of 30 fouls.
Neither team was very deep on the front line as the beginning of the second half started as both squads sat four starters on the bench in foul trouble. The Flyers were hurt the most due to Ashman’s three fouls in only five minutes of play. Holland was also on the bench saddled with three. The combination of Hall and Doliboa kept the Flyers in the game. Each finished the game with five treys as the Flyers continued their winning ways 59-55. (13-2)

GAME 16: at UMASS

The Pessimist:
To top off what was looking to be a nightmare season, the NCAA finally decided to let UD know just how bad we were in the Brooks Hall case. The NCAA decided that UD would lose two scholarships in 2000 and one in 2001 and would not be allowed to participate in this year’s tournament. As poorly as the Flyers had been playing, the loss of the tourney was no big deal but the loss of scholarships would hurt the recruiting efforts for some time. The On-line bulletin boards lit up with a great deal of anguish and great delight from WSU fans. How could this happen to a school that turned itself in? As John H. stated, “There is never any rhyme nor reason when dealing with the NCAA. We will just have to take our lumps and recruit smarter.” By the way, UMass shot 57% from the field, out rebounded us by 23 and won going away, 96-65. Hall played eight minutes and was held scoreless. (6-10) The

The Optimist:
The Flyers entered uncharted territory even before the opening tip-off. For the first time in over a decade, the Flyers found themselves in the USA Today Top 25 at #23. The 12-1 run had caught many voters’ attention and talk of the NCAA tourney had begun. They UD administration also received good news before the game that there would be no sanctions against UD due to the recruiting of Brooks Hall. The game started like most Flyer road games in that UD shot 23% in the first eight minutes. We found ourselves down 18-6 before we even cracked a sweat.
At that point, Cain Doliboa entered the game and Stanley sat down. He immediately began raining threes from heaven. Mr. “I never saw a shot I didn’t like” was on fire and the Flyers pulled even at the half 40-40. The Minutemen stepped up the full court pressure at the beginning of the second half and gradually pulled away from the Flyers to take a 68-60 lead with 8:15 remaining. Within two minutes, both Ashman and Green got their fifth foul and the party was over. Final score, 85-69. (13-3)

GAME 17: GEORGE WASHINGTON

The Pessimist:
With Brooks Hall back in the lineup and closer to 100%, the Flyer Faithful felt that this was a game that we could win. Although he appeared slow in the opening minutes, Hall reminded us what we had been missing for the last three weeks. He passed, scored, and rebounded as though he hadn’t missed a game. Stanley was back to his normal at-home shooting and they each had 15 points at the half. The only problem was that the rest of the Flyers only had six points and GW led 43-36. Despite an opening 10-2 run in the second half, the Flyers could not keep up with the Colonels and eventually lost 79-72. (6-11)

The Optimist:
Smarting from the blowout at UMass and the probable drop from the Top 25, the Flyers went into this game determined to show GW that you can’t beat us in our house. For the first time in what seems like eight years, Shawnta Rogers could not kill the Flyers. The Flyers knew they were a different team than in the past and took it directly to the Colonels. UD pressed from the opening tip and kept it on for the entire 20 minutes of the first half. The strategy worked as Stanley and Holland put on a fastbreak dunk clinic. We were up by 15 at the half and continued the onslaught before winning, 87-67. Stanley led all scorers with 26 and Holland and Green combined for 15 rebounds. (14-3)

GAME 18: LASALLE

The Pessimist:
Tony Stanley started off the game by hitting his first three buckets from long distance and the Flyers led by eight with 13 minutes left in the first half. It was at this point that Stanley got his second foul and sat the remainder of the half. Ashman almost single-handedly kept the Flyers ahead throughout the rest of the first half with 12 points and five rebounds. At the start of the second half, the Explorers scored the first six points and took a one-point lead. Ted Fitz came off the bench at that point and led a surge that lasted the next five minutes of the game. Fitz, playing perhaps his best game of the season, scored eight points on offensive rebounds and had six rebounds in all. Stanley caught fire again and the Flyers held on 78-68. (7-11)

The Optimist:
Although the Explorers have been playing better than they have in a number of years the Flyers enter the game as 18 point favorites. The game see-sawed during the first four minutes, until Tony Stanley started a 10-game winning streak similar to Negele’s in leading the Flyers to the 1990 NCAAs. Within the next eight minutes, Stanley had 16 points and the Flyers were up by 12. In the last seven minutes Ashman began to use his superior offensive post moves inside and the Flyers were up 52-30 at the half. The benchwarmers and walk-ons saw most of the playing time in the second half as Stanley ended with 30 points and eight rebounds. (15-3)

GAME 19: at ST. JOSEPH’S

The Pessimist:
Still looking for their first road win of the year, the Flyers looked like they had forgotten what they needed to do against the 3-2 zone that St. Joes threw at them. Shooting just 17% from the field and 1-18 from three-point land, UD was down by 18 at the half. They finally started working the ball in to Ashman in the second half but could never get any closer that 10 and fell 76-61. They ended up shooting 29% for the game and to make things even worse, turned the ball over 23 times. Ashman ended with 25 as the only bright spot. (7-12)

The Optimist:
The Flyers traveled to Philly hoping to get another road win and possibly get themselves back into the Top 25. St. Joe was as pesky as ever however. Out-quicking the Flyers in the first half, they opened up a 34-30 lead with three minutes left in the first stanza. Once again, Stanley decided that it was time to make things happen. Making his third steal of the first half, Tony flew by two defenders and finished with a thunderous dunk. After a St. Joe travel at the other end, Tony bombed a three from NBA range. St. Joe’s then missed the front end of a one-and-one and Stanley dropped in another three. That made it eight points in 37 seconds and the Flyers enjoyed their first lead since the 10-minute mark. The teams traded baskets for the final two minutes and the Flyers led 44-40 at the half. OP must have had one of his better half-time talks as the Flyers scored the first 12 points of the second half and coasted to an 80-65 win. (16-3)

GAME 20: at XAVIER

The Pessimist:
Having not won in Cincinnati since what seems like the dark ages, the Flyers were not about to change things on this day. Once again the shortage of wing players hurt UD. Hall picked up his second foul early in the first half and Doliboa could not keep up with the much quicker Musketeers. The Flyers were down by 10 when they called their first TO with nine minutes remaining in the half. Number two was called 2:57 later and we were down 16. Number three was called four minutes later and we were down 22. The second half was not much better with the final score at 104-73. (7-13)

The Optimist:
It was showdown time in Cincinnati as the Flyers once again had entered the Top 25 at #22. Xavier was right behind them in the league standings and weighed in at #24 in the AP poll. Once again Stanley was “En fuego” and led the Flyers with 19 points at the half. Green added 10 and Morris had six points and eight assists. The only problem was that we couldn’t stop X on the inside after Ashman got his second foul. The halftime score was 59-57 Xavier and the scoreboard operation strained his index finger with the workout that he had gotten in the first 20 minutes. The second half was more of the same as Hall joined in the fireworks with the first six points of the second half. In a surprise move, Young started the second half and became an assist demon. He added five dingers in the first four minutes as the Flyers stormed to a 70-62 lead. During the next six minutes, what was a well played game became a turnover fest as Holland travel twice and Ashman coughed up three possessions out-of-bounds.

With 5:43 left the game was tied at 80-80. Both teams became conservative at this point and became much better at getting closer shots while working the clock. With 47 seconds remaining, Xavier nursed a three-point lead and had the ball. The Flyers fouled and X made the first but missed the second. Stanley rebounded and raced the length of the floor for a score. Just forty seconds remained and the Flyers trailed by two. Xavier worked the clock to 15 seconds and called their last time out. OP used this opportunity to put in a small, quick lineup. With just three seconds left on the shot clock, X stepped out of bounds during a scramble for a tipped pass. UD, out of timeouts, quickly brought the ball up the court, set a screen for Hall at the three-point line. With the clock at 0:01, Brooks shot a three. The ball arched perfectly toward the rim and fell through the net as the horn sounded.

UD had beaten Xavier in Cincinnati for the first time in a generation and the 1,000 fans that had followed the Flyers to Cincy rushed the floor and celebrated with the Flyers. (17-3)

GAME 21: DUQUESNE

The Pessimist:
Even though Dayton is having another down year, the Flyers found themselves 10 point favorites. This was a game that would feature the Flyers future as Morris, Green, and Hall played well above the rest of the Flyers. The first half was all Green and Morris, as they teamed up for three assist/dunk combos. Duquesne hung close for most of the first half but Green led all scorers with 12 points. Trailing by just four, the Dukes’ big center picked up his fourth foul just 1:59 into the second half. Hall took advantage of the big hole in the middle and continued to drive the ball inside and either score or get fouled. The Flyers eventually pulled away as both Green and Hall passed the 20-point mark. (8-13)

The Optimist:
The Dukes continue to struggle this year and had little hope of taking out the Flyers on their home court. Fresh off a stunning victory over Xavier in Cincinnati, UD just needed to stay focused and do what they are capable of doing. In reality, only one Flyer really showed up while the rest seemed to be standing around and watching the show. Tony Stanley put on a clinic. Striking from both inside and out, Stanley passed his career high with 10 minutes left in the game. He passed 40 with three minutes left and finally left the game at the two-minute mark with 41 points in his pocket. The rest of the Flyers pitched in with 37 and the Flyers won easily 78-53. (18-3)

GAME 22: at GEORGE WASHINGTON

The Pessimist:
The Flyers continued to play sloppy basketball as turnover after turnover doomed them from the start. The physical play did not seem to suit UD and the officials decided early that they would let them play. Rebounding like they had never heard the term before, GW gathered in 16 more caroms than the Flyers in the first half and led 40-27 at intermission. It didn’t get much better in the second half. Cain Doliboa played one of his better halves of the season with 14 points, but the Flyers could get no closer than seven points. They would finally lose 82-68. (8-14)

The Optimist:
After their game with Duquesne, the Flyers gathered around the TV to see just where they would be rated in the USA Today ratings. Riding the tail of the big victory over X in Cincinnati, the Flyers were not disappointed as they found themselves in the Top 20 for the first time since the 70’s. At #18, the Flyers were beginning to think about a possible number four seed in the tourney. The only problem was they forgot that they needed to play GW on the road. Always tough at the Smith Center, the Colonels decided early that it wasn’t going to be a game of finesse. Fifty-seven fouls later, GW won a game that the Flyers were never really in, despite the closeness of the score, 76-71. Ashman, Green, Fitz, and Bami all fouled out. Brooks led the Flyers with 16 points. (18-4)