Dayton coach Archie Miller has been clamoring for more defense from his players, and that’s exactly what he got in a 60-43 win over Northern Illinois before 12,637 fans Saturday — at least for the first 20 minutes.

Then again, it probably helped that the Flyers were playing against an opponent that was colder than a contestant in the Iditarod race.

The Flyers set a program defensive record while building a 26-5 halftime lead. Yep, the Huskies managed just five points. The previous record for the lowest total in a half against UD was eight points by Miami in 2001 and Richmond in 2007.

The five points also equaled the NCAA record for low total in a first half since the shot clock era began in 1986.

The Flyers held the Huskies to two points over the first 16:53 of the game. The youthful MAC team, which started three freshmen and had seven rookies in its 11-player rotation, began 1-for-16 from the field, 0-4 from the foul line and had 12 turnovers over that span.

Guard Akeem Springs scored from 18 feet on the team’s first shot with 19:05 to go, but the Huskies didn’t score again until guard Mike Davis made the first of a 1-and-1 with 3:07 left.

When the 23-possession drought finally ended, the crowd of 12,637 cheered derisively. NIU second-year coach Mark Montgomery broke into a smile while applauding and then bantered with UD fans in the first row.

The Flyers (5-2) were laboring offensively, too, but they built their 21-point halftime lead despite going 2-for-8 from the foul line and shooting 38 percent from the field.

The Huskies (1-5) finished the first half 2-for-19 from the field (10.5 percent). They didn’t reach double figures until 17:46 of the second half.

They played without sophomore star Abdel Nader, who has been suspended all season for an unspecified violation of team rules. The 6-7 forward was a preseason All-MAC West Division pick after averaging 10.4 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman.

Oliver was 4-of-7 from the field, including 2-for-3 on 3-pointers, and had six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Benson had 12 points, while Devon Scott had 10 rebounds.

The Flyers built a 30-point lead in the second half before a late Huskie surge cut into the gap.