The Flyers aren’t tall. And they aren’t deep. What they are is fast, and they’re at their best when their offensive sets are dominated by movement.
UD was much too quick for St. Bonaventure on Thursday night, surging to a 78-61 Atlantic 10 victory before 3,495 at the Reilly Center.
The Flyers (12-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10) started by missing five of six shots and also turned the ball over twice. After that, they rarely squandered an opportunity — especially from the perimeter, where they connected on a season-best 14 3-pointers on 24 attempts.
“Moving the ball and moving yourself is probably the whole key to this team,” Miller said. “We cannot stand and we cannot be one of those teams that is easy to guard. As the ball is moving and sharing we’re seeing some success. I think it has become a little bit contagious.”
Jordan Sibert led a balanced UD attack with 22 points. Dyshawn Pierre added 15 points, Scoochie Smith 14 and reserve Darrell Davis 11. Walk-on Bobby Wehrli contributed a career-high nine points.
“We trust each other with the ball,” said Pierre, who also grabbed seven rebounds. “We know the more we get it moving, the more we can tire teams out.”
The short-handed Flyers have won five in a row since forwards Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson were dismissed from the team. With six scholarship players at Miller’s disposal, they are averaging 78 points per game over that stretch.
Astonished? The Flyers aren’t.
“I don’t think anybody is really surprised,” said Wehrli, who sank a trio of 3-pointers. “We know that we have a good team. We practice hard every day and we expect to win.”
They couldn’t be guarded against the Bonnies. UD assisted on 20 of its 29 baskets and shot 55.8 percent from the floor.
“We couldn’t defend them,” St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt said. “We couldn’t keep them in front of us. When they shoot the ball like they did tonight, they’re a tough team to play.”
Marcus Posley had 17 points and Dion Wright 13 for the Bonnies. Seven-foot center Youssou Ndoye was limited to eight points against the smaller Flyers.
“We have to find different ways to win,” said Pierre, who was matched up with Ndoye plenty. “We know we’re at a little bit of a disadvantage. We have to play bigger, we have to play tougher and we have to play smarter.
Thanks to its torrid 3-point shooting and tough inside defense, UD held a sizeable lead most of the way. The Bonnies fell behind by a dozen points early but trimmed the deficit to six early in the second half.
The Flyers responded with a 7-2 run and built their lead from there.
“I think right now this team really understands how to play with one another,” Miller said. “The chemistry continues to grow.”
Dayton stays on the road to visit Fordham for a 7 p.m. tip Saturday.
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