Dayton Flyers settle down after erratic start in second game

Large metal signs spelling “Dayton” adorn one wall, and “Flyers” adorns the other wall. Three other signs give the team one last message before they enter the arena: “Always Fly Together.” This is just the first phase in the remodeling of the tunnel, which eventually will get a new paint job to make it look like an airplane runway.

The other new feature of the tunnel is a system of blue lights, which create atmosphere for the players, as long as someone turns out the overhead lights first, which forward Obi Toppin did on Saturday as the team prepared to run onto the court.

“It looked good,” Toppin said.

The same could be said for Toppin, who delivered his second standout performance of the season, scoring 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting with seven dunks and 11 rebounds in a 90-61 victory against Charleston Southern. He's averaging 25 points and 11.5 rebounds through two games.

While Toppin was strong as always on the offensive end, he was more concerned with the team’s defensive struggles early in the game. The Buccaneers (1-3) shot 18 percent from 3-point range in their first three games and then made 5 of 9 against Dayton in the first half. That’s how they rallied after giving up a 14-0 run in the first four minutes.

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“We really didn’t give everything we’ve got defensively,” Toppin said. “We weren’t bought into what coach was telling us to do. We’re a really good offensive team, but defensively, we just weren’t in sync. We’re glad we got the W, but it’s something to learn from.”

Dayton did a better job in the second half, holding Charleston Southern to 2-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. The Buccaneers shot 41 percent from the field in the game and 43.8 percent from long range.

Dayton coach Anthony Grant said his team was erratic in the first 10 minutes but settled down in the second 10 minutes. A 10-2 run to end the first half gave the Flyers a 46-33 halftime lead, and they led by double digits throughout the second half.

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“It was great to see 27 assists on 37 baskets,” Grant said. “It was great to see five guys in double figures. The ball moved. We shared it.”

All five starters scored at least 10 points. Trey Landers, who replaced Chase Johnson in the starting lineup, had 10 points. Jalen Crutcher had 12 points and seven assists. Rodney Chatman had 14 points and eight rebounds. Ryan Mikesell also scored 14.

Dayton shot better from 3-point range (9 of 24, 37.5 percent) than it did in the 86-81 season-opening victory against Indiana State (7 of 27, 25.9) but again did its best work inside the arc. The Flyers made 28 of 37 shots (75.7 percent) from 2-point range.

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Dayton’s offense thrived despite 17 turnovers — eight by Chatman.

“We had a high turnover number tonight,” Grant said, “and probably when I go back and look at it, some of it will be guys trying to get other guys shots. It’s a process, but it’s always great to see guys sharing it.”

The lopsided score allowed Grant to spread the minutes. No one played more than 27 minutes. With center Jordy Tshimanga still sidelined by a knee injury and freshman Moulaye Sissoko sitting out his second game as a redshirt, the nine available scholarship players all played at least 11 minutes. The coaches got more looks at different combinations and rotations, something that has been hard to do in practice.

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“Because of our limited roster, in practice when we go good against good, it’s hard to put different combinations against each other,” Grant said. “Some of what we’re experiencing as a team is just a process of guys getting comfortable and understanding what they can do individually and how it works collectively.”