It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the Dayton Flyers did win their first basketball game away from home in the 1998-99 season as Mark Ashman had 27pts and 9 rebounds and Coby Turner added a double-double to halt a four-game losing streak before 5,323 fans at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh. Dayton improves to 8-9 (3-4) while Duquesne falls to 4-12 (0-6).

Dayton’s first road victory had nearly as much to do with their opponent as it did their own play. The Dukes, now losers of nine in a row, took the court without the services of Kevin Shand, a 6-10 tree trunk who was suspended for unspecified reasons by first-year coach Darelle Porter. Without Shand, the Flyers called Mark Ashman’s number early and often as he carried the team on his shoulders for much of the game. The Dukes lack talent and discipline and it shows, but they did play well enough to nearly pull out the victory.

Dayton got off to an excellent start to begin the game, benefiting from a Coby Turner trey and inside baskets from Ashman to build a 12-2 lead. The Dukes fought back and reduced the lead to half that margin for the rest of the half with key baskets from Courtney Wallace. While the Flyers did a good job of containing talented freshman Wayne Smith, Wallace scored 14 first-half points to keep his team within striking distance. Wallace would finished with 20 while Smith would net 14.

UD committed only five turnovers in the first half but were outrebounded and outflanked for easy jumpshots by Porter’s team. Tony Stanley picked up two quick fouls and had to sit on the bench for some of the first half, giving Cain Doliboa and David Morris a chance to make a valuable contribution.

In the second half, neither team looked like they wanted to take control as sloppy ball-handling and poor passing turned the game into a battle of two struggling teams trying to win a game in spite of themselves. Three technicals were assessed in the game as a result, one on David Morris for running his mouth and two on Duquesne for similar reasons.

Despite the ugliness, UD continued to pound the ball inside to Ashman to take advantage of his post moves and free throw shooting. Dayton held a slim lead until the last five minutes of the game as Duquesne started hitting from long distance and converting loose balls for garbage points.

With Dayton down by two with under 2:30 in the game, Cain Doliboa nailed a huge three-pointer with a hand in his face to give his team the lead and confidence to make enough plays down the stretch for a road victory. Mark Ashman and Tony Stanley iced the game with free throws in the final minute to give the Flyers their first win in a tight ballgame. Ashman finished 13-14 from the charity stripe while Stanley hit 5-7.

Stanley scored 16pts and added 3 rebounds while Cain Doliboa and Ted Fitz scored 6 points apiece to help keep the Flyers in good standing. With Andy Metzler out for the year with a torn ACL, Morris and Young played at the same time for several stretches of the contest.

Yuanta Holland and Stephen Bamigbola played only a handful of minutes and were a minimal factor in the outcome.

Though Dayton won a game they absolutely had to win, the Flyers did not play well. The offense was not unlike the last five games and the defense still has trouble containing the weak side. On too many possessions the Flyers once again passed the ball around the perimeter for 30 seconds and then took a tough shot to beat the clock.

Dayton shot only .333% from the field but outrebounded Duquesne 35-31. Coby Turner was a big reason for the victory on the glass, grabbing 11 boards to go along with 10 points.

Edwin Young dished out 7 assists and only 1 turnover but continues to struggle with shooting the basketball. He was 0-7 from the field and finished with just 1 point in 34 minutes. David Morris failed to score in 16 minutes. Over the last six games the UD point guards are shooting .150% and have been unwilling to penetrate in the lane. Young did a better job against Duquesne but still hesitates to make things happen off of the dribble.

Dayton returns home and has until Thursday to get ready for UMass, recent losers to Temple. Though UMass doesn’t have a lofty record, they possess a wealth of talent and are playing much better over the last few weeks.