UD fans got a small glimpse of the prime-time talents of freshman David Morris as the Maryland native scored all 14 of his points in the second half to help the Flyers cruise to an 83-58 win before 12,811 fans at the UD Arena on Saturday night. Morris, who has handled the ball well but struggled from the field all year, connected on 4 of 5 shots including all three 3-PT attempts in 16 minutes of action. Tony Stanley added 12, Coby Turner 11, and Cain Doliboa 10 to pace the Flyers. Freshman Nate Green, starting his first game as a Flyer, finished with 6 points and 4 boards in 16 minutes. Dayton improves to 4-3 but cannot celebrate long as Louisville arrives for a Monday night contest.

The Flyers got out of the gates early as Coby Turner nailed a trey and Tony Stanley added several jumpshots to give Dayton a first-half cushion. Eastern Michigan rarely gave UD a scare as the Eagles played a dressed-up version of alleyball that included poor shot selection, weak defense, and a lack of basketball fundamentals. EMU kept the margin under 10 points the entire first half but never put forth a serious stab at making a run at the Flyers. Edwin Young asserted himself offensively for the first time in three games by driving to the basket and taking some open shots. Young finished with 7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and only one turnover on the evening and played an excellent all-around game.

As the second half tipped-off, Tony Stanley gave fans a replay of the Toledo game by stealing the opening EMU possession for an uncontested basket. EMU’s defense quickly went from bad to worse as Dayton converted several open looks from long distance to break open the game and coast for the last 15 minutes.

David Morris took advantage of a loose perimeter defense by nailing two treys and converting on another — the old-fashioned kind. Those worried about Morris’ early season shooting slump need not be concerned. Morris has a nice stroke from long distance and made a living in HS by sinking the big shot. He finished with 2 assists and 3 turnovers but handled the ball well and led the offense on a number of solid offensive possessions and should provide more offensive punch as he regains his confidence and plays a few more games.

Yuanta Holland played his best game as a Flyer, scoring 7 points on 2 of 4 shooting and played active on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately Holland still struggles from the charity stripe as he connected on only 3 of 8 attempts. In Holland’s defense, the entire team struggled at the line, shooting just 18-32 as a team — not including missed opportunities squandered from botching the front end of a one-and-one.

Dayton managed to win the game with defense once again, holding EMU to .375% from the field and out-rebounding the Eagles 43-32. On the offensive side of the ball, UD shot 32 free throws while EMU attempted only 9, a strong indicator of Dayton’s aggressiveness near the basket. The Flyers also connected on 9-21 treys.

In a bit of a surprise, the Flyer Faithful came out to watch the game in carloads as UD Arena saw its largest crowd of the season. After two straight disappointing losses, many students away from campus for Christmas break, and a winless Eastern Michigan team for an opponent, this game had all the makings for a low fan turnoout. Instead, the crowd was treated to a solid Flyer effort and got their appetites wet for Monday’s games against Louisville.

The Flyers get a short reprieve before hosting the Louisville Cardinals for an 8pm contest Monday night. Denny Crum’s Cards are extremely athletic and recently blew apart a talented DePaul team in Freedom Hall. Check back soon for a full pregame report on the Louisville contest.