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Jalen Crutcher led Dayton with 23 points and made 1 of 2 free throws with 7 seconds left to force Ole Miss guard Devontae Shuler to attempt a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds. It was off the mark, and Dayton completed a sweep of Mississippi teams. It beat Mississippi State 85-82 in overtime a week earlier in Atlanta.
Rodney Chatman scored 21 points, his highest total at Dayton, and led a comeback in the second half. The Flyers trailed by nine points twice early in the half.
Dayton took its first lead of the second half, 42-41, on a layup by Jordy Tshimanga off a no-look pass from Crutcher. It was a back-and-forth game from that point forward, though Dayton created some separation in the final minutes.
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The Flyers took the lead for good on a basket by Tshimanga with 6:19 to play and stretched the lead to as many as five points three times in the final four minutes.
Dayton won the game in part by making 8 of 15 3-pointers. That helped make up for a 41-24 rebounding advantage for the Rebels, who grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to Dayton’s two and outscored Dayton 12-2 in second-chance points.
Ibi Watson added 11 points for Dayton. Tshimanga scored eight.
Southern California transfer Elijah Weaver made his Dayton debut in the first half. He was the second player off the bench. He played eight minutes and had one rebound and an assist.
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