Jan. 22, 2005
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DAYTON - The University of Dayton used a pair of 20-point performances, including a near-perfect performance from freshman Norman Plummer, to earn its fifth-straight win as the Flyers downed La Salle University 66-58 at the UD Arena Saturday night. Plummer connected on his first 10 shots from the field and finished with a career-best 24 points while sophomore Monty Scott matched his career-best with 25 points.
Scott and Plummer were the only Flyers in double figures and entertained the sellout crowd of 13,409, which watched UD (11-5, 4-1) open up a half-game lead in the Atlantic 10 West Division.
While each Scott and Plummer were a similar 10-for-13 from the field, each did their damage in a different fashion. Plummer connected on his first 10 field goal attempts - all from close range - while Scott was five-for-seven from three-point range.
Taking things a while to heat up, the score was tied at 2-2 at the 14:06 mark before Jimmy Binnie nailed a three for the Flyers. Jermaine Thomas answered right back for the Explorers with a trey of his own and La Salle (5-11, 1-4) would eventually build a 10-7 lead thanks to another three by Darnell Harris at 12:37.
But that's when Plummer went to work. The 6-7 freshman forward scored 12 consecutive points in a four-minute span, building the UD lead to 17-12 and the Flyers would not trail again.
And Scott picked up right where Plummer left off. Scott scored 10-straight himself in a three-minute span thanks to two three-pointers and dunk, which extended the UD advantage to 27-15 with 4:55 left in the half.
After taking a 29-22 lead into intermission, the Flyers - well, Plummer and Scott - stormed out in the second half and built their largest lead of the game at 41-25 at the 16:16 mark. Scott drained a three to open the second-half scoring before Plummer rattled off nine more points in a row. The pair accounted for UD's first 16 points of the second half.
Closing in on the UD record for consecutive field goals made in a game (13 by Don May in 1967), Plummer finally flawed at the 11:30 mark as he missed a jumper on his 11th attempt.
As Plummer "cooled," the Explorers pieced together one last run and cut a 16-point advantage to four (49-45) with 9:05 to play. But two more threes and a breakaway slam from Scott helped slammed the door on La Salle.
For the game, Thomas led the visitors, who have now dropped 10 straight to UD, with 20 points. Although held to below his Atlantic 10-leading average of 21.2, Steven Smith scored 19 and pulled down a game-high nine boards.
Other than Plummer and Scott, just four other Flyers scored. Mark Jones and Binnie had six each, while Brian Roberts had three and Trent Meacham scored two. Although being held scoreless, Warren Williams had a career-high nine assists against just one turnover and four rebounds.
Dayton now enters what, on paper, appears to be the toughest part of this year's schedule. UD is on the road for five of the next six games, and six of the next eight. The Flyers are at Rhode Island Thursday, January 27. Game time at the Ryan Center is 7:00 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on the Atlantic 10 Television Network, which airs locally in the Miami Valley on Fox Sports Ohio.
