It was the best of halfs; it was the worst of halfs. In what has become a Dayton Flyers road tradition, the Flyers dug themselves a major hole in the first half. This time around, they overcame the largest halftime deficit on the road since 1956 to scrap out a 57-52 victory in Amherst, MA.

Most fans were writing this one off after 20 minutes of play, including yours truly. Let’s face it, Dayton would not have beaten St. Luke’s at the Beavercreek YMCA with that first half performance. They were out of sync offensively, and lost defensively. Dayton ended the half with all of 18 points and 10 turnovers. Massachusetts managed 30 points, shooting a respectable 50% from the field.

All too often, especially on the road, Dayton slows down mentally. Players like Mark Ashman fail to recognize double-teams until it’s too late. To their credit, UMass played excellent half-court defense at times, with an occasional full-court press thrown in. Because of this, the Flyers didn’t get many good looks at the basket in the first half. Sensing a blowout in progress, the Flyers stepped up the pressure in the second half. Suddenly, Dayton’s players were jumping into passing lanes and forcing UMass into poor ball-handling decisions. But most importantly, the Flyers converted many of those turnovers into points. In what looked to be a complete reversal of fortunes, Dayton began the second half on a 20-3 run. They were back in the game.

The Flyers needed a floor general and found one in David Morris. Morris stepped up his play, bringing his “A” game to Amherst. He was outstanding, giving the Flyers 10pts, 6 assists, 5 boards, 3 steals, and 4-9 from the floor with just a single turnover.

The initial run to bring the Flyers back into the game was followed by an impressive 3-pt shooting display by Hall and Morris. Hall finished with 13 points as did Tony Stanley. Dayton shot only 32% in the first half, but drained 58% of their shots in the second session — 50% from behind the arc. While Ashman had a sub-par evening — eventually fouling out — Holland and Green picked up the slack down in the paint. Both players were not to be denied, fighting for every rebound and loose ball in the second half. Nate Green sealed the deal for Dayton by sinking 3 key free throws in the final seconds.

Massachusetts received solid performances from center Kitwana Rhymer and forward Chris Kirkland. Rhymer finished with 11 points and 9 boards, while Kirkland paced the Minutemen with 15 points on 6-11 shooting. Monty Mack was held somewhat in check, dropping in 14 points on an abysmal 5-16 from the field. Unfortunately for Bruiser Flint, UMass shot a not-so-solid 27% in the second half.

Dayton’s mental game finally caught up with its physical one. And while the casual Flyer follower will note the win in tomorrow’s paper, the Dayton Flyers proved something tonight. They proved that this is their year, and they won’t be denied. Dayton stands at 13-3 (3-1) and in first place.