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Juwan Staten had a career-high 16 points on Wednesday |
Dec. 29, 2010
Box Score | Photo Gallery
DAYTON, Ohio –The University of Dayton men’s basketball team defeated George Mason University 73-67 on Wednesday night in front of the second sellout crowd of the season at UD Arena.
Dayton (11-3) was led in scoring by junior forward Chris Johnson for the sixth time this season. The junior from Columbus Brookhaven had 18 points and five rebounds while finishing 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Freshman guard Juwan Staten, Wednesday’s WHIO Player of the Game, notched 16 points with five assists on 7-of-9 shooting. Senior Chris Wright finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
George Mason (9-3) was led by Cam Long who tied a season-high with 20 points of 7-of-15 shooting. Guard Andre Corneilius recorded a season-high 18 points behind 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
Down 22-27 with 4:29 on the clock in the first half, the Flyers made a vigorous comeback including a trio of 3-pointers from junior Luke Fabrizius and a 15-0 run to take a 40-32 halftime advantage.
Johnson scored the first five points of the comeback on a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to tie the game at 27. After a Staten layup, Fabrizius scored his first points of the night from long range to give Dayton a 32-27 lead. Johnson converted on two shots from the free throw line after a technical foul by George Mason, followed by another Fabrizius trey to give UD a 10-point cushion nearing the end of the half, 37-27. Fabrizius’ third 3-pointer in as many tries set a new season-high for the Arlington Heights, Ill., native at nine points and gave UD a 40-32 halftime lead.
At the break, Johnson had 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting. For the third time this season, the Flyers finished a half with perfect shooting at the free throw line, going 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in the first half. UD went 5-for-5 in the first half at Seaton Hall on Dec. 22 and, in a 63-61 win over Central Connecticut State on Dec. 7, went 10-for-10 in the second half.
Dayton never surrendered its lead in the second half despite not making another 3-point field goal (0-3) after draining six in the first half. George Mason was able to pull to within two, but UD was able to push out to a 10-point margin. The Flyers sealed the win by going six-of-eight from the line in the game's final 1:20.
All of senior forward Chris Wright’s 13 points came in the second half as the Trotwood, Ohio native reached double-digit points for the 11th time this season. Staten recorded 10 of his 16 total points in the second half without missing from the field on four second-half shooting attempts.
The Flyers shot over 40 percent from the field for the sixth time in the last seven games – finishing with 44.9 percent (22-49). UD out-rebounded the Patriots 40-32 with 28 offensive boards.
Dayton now leads the series with George Mason 3-1 after winning the last three meetings. The Flyers and Patriots have played each season since 2007-08.
UD now averages 12,423 fans per game this season as Wednesday night’s contest marked the 98th capacity crowd in the 41-year history of UD Arena.
The Flyers conclude non-conference play on New Year’s Day at the Arena, playing host to the 11-2 New Mexico Lobos at 2 p.m. ET.
