Dayton basketball: Flyers end Maui Invitational with biggest upset in more than 50 years, knocking off No. 2 UConn

The Dayton Flyers recorded their biggest upset since 1974, knocking off No. 2 Connecticut 85-67 in the seventh-place game game Wednesday in the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Here’s a quick recap of the game:

What it means: Dayton (6-2) avoided a winless tournament and bounced back from losses to No. 12 North Carolina and No. 5 Iowa State.

Dayton had not beaten a top-two team since it upset No. 2 Notre Dame 97-82 at UD Arena in 1974. It had lost its last nine games against teams ranked first or second. The most recent opportunity came in the 2014 NCAA tournament when it lost 62-52 to No. 1 Florida in the Elite Eight.

Dayton is now 4-18 against top-two teams. It beat No. 1 Duquesne in 1954 and No. 1 Seton Hall in 1953.

Star of the game: Enoch Cheeks scored 10 of his 20 points in the last six minutes. He made 8 of 12 field-goal attempts and 3 of 5 3-pointers.

Stat of the game: Dayton made 27 of 30 free throws (90%).

Big run: Dayton led throughout the second half, but it was a close game until the final five minutes. With the score 62-57, Dayton started a 7-0 run that included a four-point possession: two free throws by Zed Key after a flagrant foul and then two free throws by Posh Alexander.

Looking ahead: Dayton flies home on Thursday and returns to action at 7 p.m. Dec. 3 against Western Michigan at UD Arena.

HALFTIME RECAP

Dayton took a lead into halftime against a ranked team for the third straight day, building a 41-34 first-half advantage against Connecticut.

Dayton led No. 12 North Carolina 51-33 at halftime in the first round Monday but lost 92-90. Dayton led No. 5 Iowa State 41-37 at halftime Tuesday but lost 89-84.

Here’s a quick recap of the first half:

Key players: Posh Alexander made 4 of 4 shots from the field, including a fast-break layup in the final minute, and led Dayton with nine points.

Connecticut star Alex Karaban scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He made three 3-pointers in a one-minute stretch.

Key stat: Dayton made 13 of 15 free throws. UConn made 2 of 4.

Big run: Dayton trailed 30-27 after Karaban’s third 3-pointer at the 4:23 mark. Then Javon Bennett and Malachi Smith made back-to-back 3s. Enoch Cheek added a jumper to cap an 8-0 run. Dayton led 35-30 with 2:47 to play.

Late start: The game started after midnight back home in Ohio when the previous game between Michigan State and North Carolina went to overtime in the fifth-place game. The Spartans won 94-91.