Dayton has made quite a run, first beating Boise State, then 6-seed Providence, and capturing the hearts of college basketball fans everywhere. But playing six games in 10 days with only seven scholarship players on the roster, and point guard (Scoochie Smith) getting less than 3 minutes rest in the last three games, finally took a toll on Dayton. Dayton only scored 10 points in the last 10:30 of the game, and Oklahoma was able to capitalize with a 72-66 win.
Coming into the tournament Dayton felt like they should’ve been a higher seed, and they showed why tonight. The first half of the game was fairly even with a tie score going into halftime. Coming out of the locker room at halftime, Dayton started to get on a roll and within five minutes, the Flyers pulled away with a lead that Providence couldn’t overcome, holding on for a 66-53 win.
With an 11 seed in the field of 64 on the line the atmosphere in Dayton’s UD arena was that of a heavyweight bout. The contest went back and forth with each team exchanging long scoring runs, but the home team (which was actually the away team) held on for a 56-55 win.
Dorm Room Hoops 