Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball Tournament |
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Atlantic 10 Opening Round Recap(7) Dayton 70, (10) George Washington 60
The Big Picture: Dayton (20-11) survived a characteristically uneven performance and withstood a determined second-half rally from George Washington (16-14). Poised shooting from the charity stripe in the final seven minutes of the game was the key to the Flyers’ win. UD’s 6-10 senior center Kurt Huelsman made 7-of-9 free throws down the stretch to help seal Dayton's “dubbya.” The reward for the victory is a Thursday evening go-round with the A-10's second-seed, Xavier. The Good: It's often said that basketball is a game of runs, and Dayton's game-ending 15-5 run can be filed away as evidence that, well, runs matter. A case can be made that they matter even more in March. The Bad: There was virtually no way the Colonials could win this game without a significant contribution from their starting backcourt of Lasan Kromah and Tony Taylor. Unfortunately for the Colonials and their fans, Kromah and Taylor finished 4-of-14 from the field and with as many fouls (4) as rebounds.
The Ugly: Dayton is one of the A-10's more enigmatic teams, but there was no reason for the Flyers to come out so flat on Tuesday. The Flyers were trailing 13-4 before most Dayton fans had a chance to blink. Have a start like that versus Xavier on Thursday and the Flyers will get buried.
What’s Next The Battle for Ohio takes place on the Jersey Shore this Thursday evening when the Flyers and Musketeers square off. Dayton and Xavier split the season series, with both teams holding serve at home. On to the rubber match this Thursday.
By: Tim Coyne |