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Home > Blogs > Flyer Connection: University of Dayton sports > Archives > 2012 > January > 21 > Entry
UD beats Xavier, moves into first
Matt Kavanaugh had 20 points and nine rebounds and Kevin Dillard had 16 points and nine assists to lead to Dayton to an 87-72 win over Xavier today before a capacity crowd of 13,435, the 100th sellout in UD history.
Josh Parker had 16 points and Paul Williams had 13.
Dillard was named the Blackburn-McCafferty most valuable player.
The Flyers (14-5 overall) took over first place in the Atlantic 10 at 4-1, while Xavier (13-6) fell to 4-2. All other A-10 teams also have at least two losses.
The Flyers soared to a 32-23 lead with 7:14 to go in the first half with some crisp offense. Mark Lyons answered with a 3, but the Flyers kept rolling behind Dillard and Kavanaugh.
Working the clock on their last possession of the first half, Dillard missed a 3, but Kavanaugh grabbed the long rebound and zipped a pass to Chris Johnson for a lay-up with four seconds left for a 46-33 halftime lead.
Kavanaugh had 12 points and six rebounds and Dillard 10 points and three assists in the first half.
Lyons was hurt when he tumbled to the court after missing a drive with about 1:25 to go in the first half. He appeared to have injured either his tailbone or hamstring. Parker took the rebound coast to coast for a lay-up to push UD’s lead to 44-30.
Lyons, the Musketeers’ leading scorer, was helped off the floor and went straight to the locker room but returned for the second half.
Although they were accumulating fouls, the Flyers sprinted to a 52-34 edge on a Luke Fabrizius 3-pointer with 17:12 left. Xavier cut it to 11 with 12:50 to go. The Flyers scored the next six points, but Lyons (20 points) and Tu Holloway (21) ripped back-to-back 3-pointers to make it an 11-point gap again with 10 minutes to go.
Williams, though, splashed a 3 to push the spread to 14 again, and the Flyers, winning for only the seventh time in their last 21 games in the rivalry, never let it get under double digits.
Xavier, shooting 66.5 percent from the foul line, made just 12 of 24 free throws.
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By Wess
January 21, 2012 3:47 PM | Link to this
We Zipped-em up!!!!!
By Doug
January 21, 2012 3:48 PM | Link to this
This team continues to surprise and impress me. So balanced and patient. Love their play today. Great win Flyers!!!
By Wess
January 21, 2012 3:48 PM | Link to this
We Zipped-em up!!!!!
By Bobby G
January 21, 2012 3:52 PM | Link to this
Wow, what a great win. Can’t say enough about how coach had these kids ready to play. CJ still looks like he’s not quite back from his concussion, but Kav, Parker and KD stepped up big. And when Kav went to the bench, Gav steps in and looks like he’s ready to take over. That kid is going to be a beast in a year or two. Arch coached right to the very end, and UD looks every bit like an A-10 contender. It’s fun to be a UD fan right now!
By steve
January 21, 2012 3:54 PM | Link to this
xavier who. we dominated them all game long.keep it up flyers
By FaithfulFlyer65
January 21, 2012 4:08 PM | Link to this
OH YES !!!! How can you not love this team of overachievers? Are they 15 points better than X? Probably not, but they were today. This game should once and for all silence the MK critics. And how about the contribution from RH? Add in unselfish play from KD, JP, LF, PW, AG and DO and it’s called teamwork. Coach Miller is certainly bringing out the best in these players. All that being said, celebrate tonite and start getting ready for St. Joe tomorrow. Way to go Flyers! A job well done.
By dw
January 21, 2012 4:24 PM | Link to this
What AM has done with this team is just unbelievable. It’s too bad C Wright never had the chance to play in his system. MKav is playing with confidence and beginning to show some real basketball skills. Last year the Flyers struggled to score 25 points in the first half of many games, their free throw shooting was terrible, and the offense was painful to watch. What a difference a coaching change has made in less than a year. No one would have ever predicted the Flyers would be in first place in the A10 and playing so well. Especially with the injuries they’ve overcame along the way. Great job Flyers and Archie Miller!
By Kyle
January 21, 2012 4:31 PM | Link to this
Nice beatdown. Xavier was never really into this game and it showed. The Flyers dominated the boards and shared the ball well. Way to hold serve and put some pressure on the rest of the A-10! Now take this momentum into St. Joes next week.
By RudyFlyer
January 21, 2012 4:51 PM | Link to this
Good win but expected at home. The real test is at Cintas. This team is fun to watch and makes me wonder how poorly this team would be if Gregory was still the coach. I also wonder how good UD would be if Chris Johnson started playing well? And, again I ask, why does Oliver get meaningful minutes? He may be a really good young man but he is totally lost on the court. It pains me to watch him as it is like watching a train wreck about to happen.
By Casual observer
January 21, 2012 4:56 PM | Link to this
It is very apparent that Staten transferred to W.V. Because of what he saw in Dillard during last year’s practices. Dillard was the best point guard on the court today, and X has great guard play. Plus he is capable of playing a lot of minutes, and seems to really show up in big games. UD got very lucky when he transferred there.
By Bubba
January 21, 2012 4:59 PM | Link to this
Who would have believed this after the losses to Miami and Buffalo? A well deserved win for a well coached team.They outplayed X the entire game. There is no quit in this team. I agree with RudyFlyer on one point. Ralph Hill has shown that he deserves more minutes than DO. Are we glad that BG skipped town or what?
By Wild Bull Curry
January 21, 2012 5:06 PM | Link to this
Thugalicious win today. Can’t wait to head down to Norwood and smash them in the mouth again!
By NickM
January 21, 2012 5:35 PM | Link to this
Where was that “gangsta” Holloway at? Scoreboard! Zipped em up! Great crowd. Place was rockin!
By XavierBob
January 21, 2012 5:42 PM | Link to this
Congratulations. Flyers were clearly the stronger team today, and better prepared.
By Biggest Fan
January 21, 2012 5:46 PM | Link to this
GREAT, GREAT WIN!!!!There is no quit in this team and kudos to AM. What a great coach and wonderful group of players. The chemistry speaks volumes! MK is the real deal, and KD the best point guard in the A-10! I have been a flyer fan since the early 60’s and man am I lovin’ this team! Way to to go Archie and the Dayton FLYERS! NOw lets take it on the road and get another win! #1 baby, way to go FLYERS!
By Wright State Fan
January 21, 2012 5:51 PM | Link to this
Congrats to the flyers on a very well played game and a nice victory. By the way two ex-coaches from Wright St. and UD also played each other down south today, and Clemson beat Georgia Tech. I wonder if that’s why UD has been afraid to play the Raiders all these years?
By Clint
January 21, 2012 5:57 PM | Link to this
Great …. Go Flyers ! Keep up the great basketball .
By NickM
January 21, 2012 6:23 PM | Link to this
@WSUFan, Nutter Center scares us. Those 200 fans can get pretty crazy. LOL. I bet we had more people in section 404 today then WSU had total the last 3 home games. Wright State, Wrong School.
By dbh
January 21, 2012 7:46 PM | Link to this
Did anyone get the plate number of that bus that ran us over today. Our alum and students who traveled up from cincy could only sit on our hands and wonder when will the Flyers run out of gas. They never did. See you next month.
By udchris
January 21, 2012 8:38 PM | Link to this
Great win!
By Sal
January 23, 2012 10:24 AM | Link to this
UD 1965 grad and Beaver Falls,Pa friend and fan of the Arch.Coaches are doing great job and players working hard. Keep up the great hustle,rebounding ,ball handling and foul shooting.GO FLYERS.
By ponemeister
January 23, 2012 1:52 PM | Link to this
Excellent win! I see a team that plays as a cohesive group and is not concerned about individual stats. With MK and KD only juniors, with the transfers being eligible next year, and with a strong recruiting class, 2012/2013 is already looking great!