Flyers Win Fourth Consecutive Home Opener, 52-49

The Dayton Flyers men's basketball defeated the Wofford Terriers in its 2008-09 season opener Sunday at UD Arena, 52-49, behind 17 points from sophomore Chris Wright and junior Marcus Johnson. Combined, Wright and Johnson shot 14-of-23 from the field as Dayton won its fourth consecutive home opener.

Although Wofford's Junior Salters poured in five three-pointers, UD held the Terriers to 39 percent shooting. Salters led Wofford with 15 points.

The contest was close until the final buzzer. The Terriers led early by as many as eight points, but the Flyers crawled back to take the lead. Dayton's largest lead of the night was just five points, but UD made key defensive plays when they needed them.

UD washed away Wofford's early 19-11 lead by ending the half on a 16-7 run. With 3:00 remaining in the half, Johnson scored on a lay-up to make the score 25-24, giving Dayton its first lead since 3-0.

Following a basket by the Terriers, Wright ended the half by connecting on a jumper giving Dayton a 27-26 lead at the break.

The teams traded baskets for most of the second half. Wofford stayed close, but the momentum began to swing in the Flyers' favor with 9:57 remaining. Senior Charles Little rejected a Terrier shot attempt, leading to a Rob Lowery alley-oop pass to Wright who finished with a high-flying dunk.

Wofford remained calm in front of the Arena's 12,254 fans, and turned to its leader, Salters. His three-pointer with six minutes left gave the Terriers a 44-42 lead, but it was quickly erased by a 6-0 Dayton run. The stretch climaxed when Johnson intercepted a pass and went coast-to-coast, finishing with a one-handed slam.

With 15 seconds remaining, Lowery converted on a pair of free throws to extend Dayton's lead to 52-47, an advantage too large for Wofford to overcome.

Dayton returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 19 against Delaware State at UD Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can following the game via live video streaming and Gametracker by logging onto www.DaytonFlyers.com.