Senior forward Josh Benson knew the University of Dayton coaches would have some pointed words after a listless first half in an exhibition game Sunday night against Walsh.

“Coaches are always going to have their input,” he said. “They’re going to kick and scream and do their thing.”

But even before the staff hit the locker room, Benson and senior point guard Kevin Dillard had already pulled the players together for a pow wow, and the Flyers were ready to come out with fury in the second half.

“Going into halftime, me and K.D. called the guys together. But it’s not just our input. We tell the freshmen every day, ‘If you see something wrong, point it out. You’re a part of this program. Just speak your mind,’ ” Benson said.

“We all came together as a team. We knew we had to ratchet it up on defense and take care of the ball on offense.”

The Flyers did just that in overcoming an eight-point halftime deficit for an 81-63 win before 10,887 fans. And the 6-foot-9, 224-pound Benson was a big part of the turnaround.

After missing the second half of last season with a torn knee ligament, he looks to be a more sturdy player after picking up 18 pounds since last year, netting 22 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while making 11-of-15 shots in 28 minutes.

“He’s a huge part of the team,” coach Archie Miller said. “As much as Kevin is a big part, Josh is probably even bigger. He’s a talker, he’s a communicator, he’s smart. He practices every day really hard. I’m glad he’s getting 28 minutes. What he’s missing right now is just the sharpness and conditioning level you need to play.

“You keep your fingers crossed for a guy like him. But he’s very confident in who he is. We’re going to need him to be an all-conference-type player. If he’s not, we won’t reach our potential. He’s got to be that good for us every night. And the thing is, he knows that, which is good to see.”

Dillard had 11 points and nine assists with just one turnover, while freshman forward Jalen Robinson had 13 points and seven boards, junior guard Vee Sanford added 12 points and junior forward Devin Oliver had eight points and 11 rebounds.

Walsh, an NAIA power that is making the transition to Division II, shot 64 percent in the first half and was 7-for-11 from the 3-point line. But the Flyers went on a 22-5 run in the opening 5:10 of the second half to build a comfortable margin and coast the rest of the way.

“After the first half, we talked and came out more intense on defense,” Dillard said. “We felt like we had to defend the 3-point line. They’re a good shooting team. They hit seven 3-pointers in the first half. If we wanted to have any chance of winning, we had to stop them from hitting 3’s.”

UD had a 47-26 edge on the boards. The Flyers, who made 13 of their first 14 second-half shots, beat Walsh, 92-78, last season.

“They wore us down. They’re bigger, stronger and more physical than us. Over the course of 40 minutes, that’s going to take a toll,” said Walsh coach Jeff Young, whose team dropped a 12-point decision to fourth-ranked Ohio State last week.

“I like them a lot,” he added of the Flyers. “I know they’ve had some early injuries. But you have to have a good point guard to win at this level, and they have that. He can make plays and get guys involved. They’ve got great size. They can rotate some guys in and out of there. And they can really get to the glass.

“I think they’re going to be better than they were last year. But they’re younger, so it’s going to take some time. Coach does a great job with them, and they’ll continue to get better.”