Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball

Duquesne vs Dayton Basketball Recap

Duquesne 73, Dayton 71

That sound you hear is the sound of the air quickly leaving the balloon that once was the Dayton Flyers' 2010 season. In the course of one disastrous eight-day stretch, coach Brian Gregory's team has gone from the NCAA candy store to the cold and unforgiving curbside of college basketball.

No, Dayton's not out of the running for an NCAA Tournament bid, but the Flyers - who once looked pretty solid as a candidate for the field of 65 - are probably sitting on top of the bubble, and maybe just a shade toward its negative side, after an awful two-point loss in Pittsburgh. A stomach-punch setback against the Duquesne Dukes won't quite knock UD out of the Dance, but it has certainly pushed the Flyers to the edge of uncertainty. Their margin for error is nil, and a looming road date at Temple has suddenly become a very urgent matter for a team that has squandered so much capital in recent days.

On Feb. 13, Dayton fumbled away a late lead and lost at Saint Louis in double overtime. On this Sunday afternoon in the Steel City, the Flyers overcame a 69-63 deficit to take a 71-69 lead with 2:03 remaining in regulation, but this NCAA aspirant quite literally lost hold of the proceedings when crunch time came calling.

The frustrating futility which marked this game was never more apparent than on a crazy series of events that unfolded in the final 80 seconds, with the score unchanged and Dayton still in front by a deuce. Duquesne went just 17 of 31 from the foul line, and with 1:19 left, Melquan Bolding continued the brick-fest for the Dukes by clanking two attempts from the charity stripe. However, two Dayton players fought for the defensive rebound and batted the ball out of bounds. Duquesne star Damian Saunders returned the favor on the very next play, however, as he stepped out of bounds to hand the ball right back to the Flyers with 1:17 remaining.

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Oh, but Dayton couldn't handle that kind of prosperity, as guard Rob Lowery - in the game because starting UD point guard London Warren fouled out (on a dubious call by the officials just moments earlier) - coughed up the pill with 1:10 left. Saunders earned two foul shots as a result, but the leading Duke couldn't hit both attempts. Dayton - for all its missteps - still had a one-point edge (71-70) heading into the final minute.

The Flyers - unlike a great relief pitcher - couldn't close the sale.

With 39 seconds to go, Lowery allowed himself to get trapped near the sideline along the Dayton bench. Basketball players are taught to keep the ball in the middle of the court when trying to break down defensive pressure, because the sideline acts as an additional defender. Lowery ignored that advice, and when he rolled out of bounds in a scramble situation while touching the orange, Duquesne got a chance to take the lead. In the first example of a team doing something well in the final 80 seconds, Saunders - on a great isolation play devised by Duquesne coach Ron Everhart - took his man to the bucket and converted a lefty layup for a 72-71 Duquesne lead with 25 seconds remaining.

Would Dayton be able to deliver the response needed to pull out a much-needed road win against an inferior opponent? No.

Flyer sharpshooter Chris Johnson missed two 3-pointers in the final 16 seconds, and even though the Dukes missed yet another foul shot at the end, they withstood Johnson's two makeable long-distance attempts to move to 6-7 in the Atlantic 10.

The Flyers? They moved to the middle of the bubble, just eight days after sitting pretty on the road to Bracketville.

Dayton needs to forget about this ugly loss. Temple needs to be taken down if this season is going to be remembered as a success. And if the Flyers fail to foil the Owls in Philadelphia? Well, they'll look back on this contest in Pittsburgh and regret the sad Sunday when their NCAA dreams were shattered.  

By: Matt Zemek
A10-fans.com Staff Writer