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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The University of Dayton men's basketball team came up just short in its bid for a trip to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship with a 75-64 loss to No. 17 Connecticut Friday.

In the first half, Dayton used a pair of runs to keep pace with the defending national champions. Over a 4:14 stretch, the Flyers out-scored the Huskies 12-2 and held a lead.

Through the first 20 minutes, there were five lead changes, five ties, and plenty of fast-paced action. The Flyers shot 53.8% from the floor while holding UConn to 43.8%. Jordan Sibert led the way for Dayton with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting while Kendall Pollard provided 12 points, five rebounds, and a spark off the bench.

The second half was just as back-and-forth as the first half with both teams taking the lead only to have the other team counter. The Flyers led by as much as five at the 14:00 mark, but the nationally ranked Huskies battled back and took the lead with nine minutes remaining in the game. Dayton then found itself attempting a comeback and fought down to the wire.

In the end, No. 17 UConn held off the Flyer rally to advance to the title game.

Sibert had a team-high 18 points to go with four rebounds. Pollard added 15 points and seven boards while Pierre contributed a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds of his own. The Flyers shot 40.7% from the floor compared to UConn's 45.5%. Dayton managed to out-rebound the Huskies on both ends of the court with 14 offensive rebounds and 24 defensive rebounds.

Dayton (2-1) will now face either West Virginia or Boston College Sunday, Nov. 23 at 4:30 p.m. ET.