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Home > Blogs > Flyer Connection: University of Dayton sports > Archives > 2009 > February > 11 > Entry
Flyers get to revel in victory over rival
A dominant performance. A thorough thrashing. A cathartic victory.
All of those phrases describe Dayton’s 71-58 pounding of Xavier on Wednesday. The Flyers led from start to finish. They wobbled a bit early in the second half when their lead was cut to two, but they pulled away beginning at the 17:10 mark and coasted to the finish, ending a six-game losing skid against their arch-nemesis.
And there were heroes aplenty. UD coach Brian Gregory went with an 11-man rotation, and all 11 players scored.
Chris Wright had perhaps his best game of the year in tying his season-high with 19 points — 17 in the second half. He also had six rebounds and three blocks. And while fans tend to grimace when Wright pulls up for a 3-pointer — he was just 6-for-27 going into the game — he knocked down a pair during the Flyers’ second-half surge.
“It was an excellent game by both teams out there, and both teams played extremely hard,” a gracious Wright said afterward. “They’ve played in a lot of big games, and they have a lot of pride. But we came out with the win, and to win in our house feels extremely good.”
It was the Flyers’ third straight win at home against a ranked team and their eighth victory in nine attempts against Top-25 foes at UD Arena.
“I credit Dayton,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “I thought they played well. They had some timely baskets. Chris Wright was the difference in the game. They were very quick, and they were deep, and I thought they wore us out a little bit.”
A Cincinnati columnist created a stir earlier this season when he wrote the Musketeers had out-grown the Atlantic 10. But they’ve suffered back-to-back league losses and are tied for second with UD at 8-2, trailing one-loss Saint Joseph’s.
“The message that I had for our team, that I really think is important for our basketball team, is to keep this in mind: We’ve never felt we’re bigger than this conference,” Miller said. “We just feel like we’re one of the best teams that are trying to win the conference. And no matter what conference you’re in, it’s never going to be a smooth road from start to finish.”
The Flyers’ celebration was tempered by the loss of point guard Rob Lowery. The team’s third-leading scorer suffered a knee injury midway through the first half, and he was sitting in a wheelchair with his leg immobilized afterward.
“What we know right now is he’s torn a tendon in his knee,” UD trainer Nate Seymour said.
Lowery will be examined Thursday, and surgery is likely.
How long will he be out?
“It depends on what structure is damaged, but usually … you want to keep that immobilized for four to six weeks before you start any rehab,” Seymour said.
That means the Flyers point-guard spot will be manned by London Warren and Stephen Thomas the rest of the season. And while Lowery’s loss is a blow, that duo showed against Xavier that they’ll certainly be a handful for any opponent.
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Comments
By Kyle
February 11, 2009 11:18 PM | Link to this
Tough loss for the Flyers. Prayers go out to Lowrey for a speedy recovery for next year at the very least. He’s been a sparkplug for this team and a big part of why UD is now 22-3.By Joe
February 12, 2009 12:50 AM | Link to this
I wonder if all the commenters complaining about the 12 man rotation get it now? Steven Thomas had to step in and play half the game at point guard and he did great! That would never have happened if the team wasn’t using the 12 man rotation (he was clearly the 12th man). UD’s depth was on display tonight and it is that depth that will make them so difficult to contend with in a tournament setting, especially the A-10 tourney playing back to back days. UD will get a first round bye in the A-10 tourney and that should be enough of an edge to guarantee a trip to the championship game.By Greg E
February 12, 2009 7:46 AM | Link to this
Dominated is the correct word. Xavier just didn’t have an anser for UD’s intensity and depth. We’re dancing now.By xu 82
February 12, 2009 8:28 AM | Link to this
great game UD. great intensity, great hustle, great defense, and shooting 60% in the second half says it all. it is clear your depth will keep you at the top of the a10 and heading to the dance for years to come. Go A10, Go XU, Go Dayton!!By FaithfulFlyer65
February 12, 2009 9:35 AM | Link to this
I admit that I was a doubter and have been critical of Coach Gregory’s 12 man rotation, but no longer. Congratulations Coach. I am a convert. It took a total team effort to win against Xavier and that’s exactly what happened. Chris Wright got the MVP, and he had his best game of the season, but I’m sure Chris would agree that the team should have gotten the award. However, this win doesn’t guarantee anything if the Flyers have a let down and lose 4 or 5 of the next 6 games. Enjoy the moment, but remember what happened in Charlotte and get prepared for Richmond.By doug
February 12, 2009 10:40 AM | Link to this
Great all around performance by everyone, sans Huelsman. 2 points, 1 rebound, 5 fouls in 15 minutes of action. Not to mention he did zero to slow down Jason Love. We are better off with only having 4 players on the court. Awful performance for a starting center.By Joe
February 12, 2009 1:26 PM | Link to this
Doug, I disagree. When you play teams with big bodies inside like Love and Freese you need a big body to lean on them. Huelsman may not have put up much number-wise but I think he served a useful purpose in his 15 minutes.By Bhoops
February 12, 2009 5:06 PM | Link to this
KH is a role player who takes up space, plays decent post D, and clogs the lane. He is not an offensive threat! I have been drinking KH haterade all year. My first instinct is to look at his limitations that do not show up on the stat sheet anyway. However, I had to accept KH for what he is and stop criticizing him for what he is not. He is a role player, who’s job is to defend the post,take up space and wear other bigs down offensively. His role is vital to any team, especially the FLYERS. If their is one thing we can learn from this years FLYER team, is that winning is a team effort! Besides, Searcy has been playing well and is beginning to do someof the things KH lacks.(o-rebound, run floor, shot blocking, free throws, scoring from post) Let’s allow KH to be what he is! Put down the KH HATERADE and take a drink of KH GREATERADE…