STARKVILLE, Miss. – A Quinndary Weatherspoon layup with 0.8 seconds to go spoiled a tremendous comeback as the Dayton Flyers lost 61-59 to the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Flyers were down by as many as 21 in the second half and tied the contest at 59-59 with a chance to win in regulation.
Jalen Crutcher led the way with 18 points.
Darrell Davis tallied his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Josh Cunningham added 16 points and eight rebounds as Dayton dropped to 3-4 on the season.
FIRST HALF
- Crutcher started off the game well hitting back-to-back 3-pointers.
- Kostas Antetokounmpo each picked up his third foul, Mississippi State went on a 21-7 run and led 35-20 at the half.
SECOND HALF
- Dayton trailed by as many as 21, 41-20 before slowly clawing back into the contest.
- UD's first comeback attempt came five minutes in as the Flyers went on a 13-0 run to cut the deficit to 43-38 with 13:05 to play.
- Cunningham added a field goal and Davis hit two free throws to cut the lead to 53-50 with 4:58 remaining, but the Bulldogs added a three to push the advantage back to six.
- Crutcher hit a three to tie the contest at 56-56 with two and half minutes to play. After a MSU three, Cunningham cut the advantage to one with 1:53 to go.
- The Flyers tied the game 59-59 with one minute to play after Darrell Davis split a pair of free throws.
- UD had two chances to take the lead, but a turnover in the final seconds led to the Bulldogs game-winner.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Crutcher had 35 friends and family members in attendance for his first career start at Dayton. He reached double figures in points for the second straight game.
- Darrell Davis has scored in double figures in all seven games this season.
- Dayton had 16 first-half turnovers, a season high.
- If the Flyers would have rallied, it would have been the third largest halftime deficit overcome in the program's history.
UP NEXT
- Dayton begins a three-game homestand hosting the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. ET.
