CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A slow start to the second half proved costly for the University of Dayton men's basketball team, as the Flyers did not have enough firepower to overcome Virginia on Saturday afternoon, falling 86-73 at the Spectrum Center.
 
The Flyers (7-3) utilized a 14-0 run over just 2:38 to climb back from a 21-point second-half deficit, but UD ran out of steam down the stretch and Virginia (8-1) finished the game from the free throw line
 
Senior Javon Bennett led the Flyers with 18 points in the contest, while junior De'Shayne Montgomery added 12 and senior Jordan Derkack finished the game with 10.
 
GAME RECAP
First Half – Virginia 37, Dayton 33

• Dayton got out to a fast start scoring the first four points of the game thanks to baskets from De'Shayne Montgomery and Javon Bennett.
• Virginia took a brief 6-5 lead before the Flyers responded with a triple from redshirt freshman Malcolm Thomas to go up 8-5.
• A slam by Montgomery gave the Flyers a one-point advantage, with Thomas following with a slam to put UD ahead 12-9.
• Sophomore Bryce Heard knocked down his first jumper of the game to put Dayton ahead 14-10.
• A free throw from Keonte Jones gave the Flyers a five-point cushion, its largest of the game.
• After the two sides traded shots on the next few possessions, the Cavaliers went on a 14-5 run over 5:19 to take a 32-24 lead.
• Dayton responded with a 7-2 run of its own, as a Bennett three made it 34-31 with 1:12 left in the half.
• Redshirt sophomore, Jaiun Simon converted a contested layup in the closing moments of the half to bring the score to 37-33.

Second Half – Virginia 86, Dayton 73

• The Cavaliers used two separate 6-0 runs to push its lead to 52-41 by the 15:12 mark.
• A quick 7-0 spurt by the Flyers thanks to a three from Simon, a layup from Montgomery, and a pair of free throws by Heard, got UD back to a 74-60 deficit.
• A put-back tip-in from Jones brought Dayton back to within a dozen.
• Bennett knocked down a three to pull the Flyers back to single-digits, making the score 74-65
• A two-hand slam from Jordan Derkack cut the deficit to just seven, 74-67.
• The Cavaliers countered with a 5-0 run out of the media timeout, and the Flyers weren't able to get the score back to single digits again.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• 22 – points off turnovers for UD in the contest
• 21 – turnovers forced by Dayton, its fourth 20+ turnover effort this season
• 18 – points for Javon Bennett, his eighth 10+ point performance this season, to lead the Flyers
• 12 – points for De'Shayne Montgomery, keeping his streak of double-digit scoring a perfect 10-for-10
• 10 – free throws attempted by Jordan Derkack, his third time shooting 10-or-more free throws in a game.
• 9 – turnovers committed by UD, its third-lowest of the season.

 
UP NEXT
Dayton will finish the non-conference portion of the schedule with three consecutive games in The Epicenter of College Basketball, UD Arena. The Flyers welcome North Florida on Saturday, Dec. 13 for a 7 p.m. game.