DAYTON, Ohio – Despite a ferocious comeback late in the second half, the University of Dayton men's basketball team fell to the #17 Saint Mary's Gaels at UD Arena Saturday afternoon by a final score of 61-57.  After trailing by 20 with 8:20 left in the game, Dayton went on a 23-7 run. But, the lead proved to be insurmountable and Saint Mary's escaped with the victory.

Game Breakdown

First Half

• John Landale and Calvin Hermanson combined to score the first 19 points for the Gaels, giving Saint Mary's a 19-11 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
• The Flyers would cut the Gaels' lead to three after a Scoochie Smith contested lay-up, making it 19-16. From there Saint Mary's went on an 11-0 run, stretching their lead back out to 14.
• Turnovers and rebounding proved to be the Achilles' heel for Dayton, allowing Saint Mary's 17 points off turnovers and 12 second-chance points during the first period.
• Eight was the number. Dayton turned the ball over eight times in the first half and gave up eight offensive rebounds, resulting in 29 points for Saint Mary's.
• Smith led the Flyers with nine points in the period while Hermanson and Landale led the Gaels with 13 & 11 respectively.
• Saint Mary's assisted on 11 of their 13 made field goals in the first period compared to UD assisting on two of seven.
• The Gaels led at half 39-26.

Second Half

• Over the first 12 minutes of the second half, Dayton shot 11 percent (2-17) from the field. Saint Mary's took advantage and stretched the lead to 20, leading by a score of 54-34.
• From there on out, it was all Flyers. Scoochie hit a three, followed by a Mikesell layup and then a Cooke three, cutting the lead to 12.
• A few possessions later, Cooke got a steal on defense and took it the other way, was fouled, and knocked down both free throws to cut the lead to eight with 2:18 to play
• Smith then picked the pocket of Saint Mary's Emmett Naar which led to a fast break lay-up. The deficit was down to six with 1:51 to play when Dayton got another stop. Cooke missed a three but Sam Miller was right there for the put-back and the SMC lead was 58-54 with 1:42 to play
• With 25.7 seconds left and Dayton down four, Cooke hit a turn-around jumper in the lane and was fouled on the play, he missed the free throw and Dayton trailed by two, 59-57.
• That was the closest Dayton would get. The Flyers pressed the subsequent inbounds pass which led to Xeyrius Williams stealing the ball and going for a game-tying layup. He was called for a charge on the play and Saint Mary's regained possession. Naar then made two free throws to extend lead to four and seal the victory.
• Dayton shot 31 percent from the field (9-29) including 23 percent from three (3-13) during the second period.

Inside the Numbers

• Dayton went on a 23-7 run over the final 8:20 but it wasn't enough to overcome Saint Mary's lead.
• Charles Cooke led Dayton with 19 points (11-13 free throws) and seven rebounds. Scoochie Smith contributed 16 points, three assists and three steals.
• The Flyers shot 34 percent (16-47) in the game, including 27.3 percent (6-22) from three.
• Dayton assisted on five of its 16 made baskets, compared to Saint Mary's assisting on 16 of 20 field goals.
• The Flyers were out-rebounded 38-31, giving up 12 offensive rebounds.
• Calvin Hermanson led the Gaels with 16 points while Jack Landale dropped 15 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.

Up Next

• Dayton will travel to Anaheim, California, to play against Nebraska at 8:30 p.m,. on Thanksgiving night in the Wooden Legacy tournament. The Flyers will play three games in the tournament (11/24, 11/25, 11/27).
• Dayton's next home game is on Saturday, Dec. 3 against Winthrop.