The Toledo Rockets made a hanging bank shot with under four seconds remaining to beat the Flyers 56-55 in front of 11,764 fans Saturday night. Dayton opened an 11-point second-half lead after Tony Stanley stole the ball for an uncontested dunk just seconds into the final frame, then UD went without a field goal for nearly nine minutes as the Rockets took advantage of multiple Flyer miscues and turned them into gold. Dayton’s record falls to 3-3 while Toledo improves to 8-0. Tony Stanley led all scorers with 20 points.

In what can only be described as the second disappointing loss in a row, Dayton once again showed a propensity to commit the untimely turnover, miss the critical shot, and throw away easy points at the free throw line. All told, Dayton was clearly the better team but did not deserve to win the game because they refuse to execute the fundamentals and play smart basketball.

The first half started off slow for Dayton as the Flyers fell behind 18-13 before good things started to happen. Cain Doliboa and Tony Stanley connected on treys and Dayton stepped up defensive pressure to take a 32-23 halftime lead. Despite UD’s inability to get many good looks at the basket in the first half, Dayton converted on 12-19 attempts but managed only 4-10 from the FT line — including two misses on the front end of a one-and-one. Dayton’s first half fortunes rested on Toledo’s early foul trouble as PG Clayton Burch and two other players got into foul trouble that allowed the Flyers to get back into the game.

Just seconds into the second half Stanley stole a backcourt pass for a flush that pushed UD’s lead to 34-23 and everyone figured Dayton’s second-half sluggishness would not show its ugly face. The Flyers didn’t make another basket until Doliboa connected on a jumper with just over 10 minutes left in the game — a time when the score was close and the game still in doubt. Unfortunately, UD couldn’t stop Toledo from penetrating on the offensive end and cashing in on short jumpers or drawing fouls. Ironically, it was Dayton’s inability to drive to the basket and foster a mid-range game that ultimately ruined any chance at squeaking out the home victory. Unless Mark Ashman posted up near the basket or Doliboa and Stanley were hitting treys, Dayton had no offense in the 5 to 16 foot range from the basket.

Edwin Young continues to play well defensively but refuses to drive to the basket to initiate Dayton’s offensive set. If Dayton isn’t passing along the perimeter or posting Ashman inside the paint, the Flyers have no other protocol for scoring points and winning basketball games. As it stands, only David Morris and Andy Metzler are driving to the basket.

Unfortunately, Young is a better defender and Morris is a better playmaker which causes problems for Purnell in the rotation. If Morris can improve his defensive strength and avoid off-the-ball lapses he may see more playing time as the season progresses. Morris played only five minutes.

Edwin Young did not take a shot the entire game and committed 6 turnovers to go with 5 assists. Coby Turner hit a trey late in the game to give the Flyers a lead and followed it up with a bucket to reclaim a one-point lead for the Flyers with 12 seconds remaining, but continues to struggle from the field as he finished with just 7 points on 3-9 shooting. Mark Ashman finished with 11 points.

Dayton’s Achilles heel occurred at the free throw line as UD made only 9-19 at the charity stripe including several misses on the front end of one-and-ones.
One of the few bright spots was Tony Stanley who finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-12 shooting, a team-high 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in 36 minutes.
Dayton steps back on the court next Saturday against yet another MAC team as Eastern Michigan comes to town. The Flyers have a lot to improve on and a lot to prove before fans show confidence in this ballclub.