Flyers fall in fifth-place game at Charleston Classic

Old Dominion dominates most of second half

Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer

Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer

The 1,000 or so fans of the Dayton Flyers who traveled to the Charleston Classic saw the best and the worst of their team in the three games — often on consecutive plays and sometimes on the same play.

It's destined to be that type of season. It was that type of game Sunday when Dayton lost the fifth-place game 75-67 to Old Dominion at TD Arena, finishing 1-2 at the tournament and falling to 2-2 on the season.

The Flyers showed glimpses of potential but showed much more of their weaknesses. An experienced Old Dominion team with a fifth-year senior, a senior, two redshirt juniors, a redshirt sophomore and a redshirt freshman overwhelmed a Dayton team playing one senior, a redshirt junior, two juniors, a redshirt freshman and three true freshmen.

RELATED: Darrell Davis blossoming as senior

> OHIO GAME: Five takeawaysJordan Davis steps upPhotosGrant on Pierce

> HOFSTRA GAME: PhotosAntetokounmpo starsFive takeawaysGame story

Dayton got off to a strong start. Darrell Davis hit his first two 3-pointers and scored 10 points in the first nine minutes. He finished with 27 points in part by hitting three 3-pointers in the last 50 seconds.

Old Dominion took control midway through the first half with a 17-5 run.

Old Dominion’s Randy Haynes did the most damage in the first half. He entered the game averaging 7.0 points per game and scored 19 in the half on 6-of-10 shooting. He finished with 25 points.

The Flyers had to feel fortunate to only be down 39-29 at the break thanks to a 3-pointer by Josh Cunningham in the final seconds.

Dayton got as close as seven points in the second half only to see the Monarchs (4-1) go on a 10-4 run to put the game away.

Looking ahead: Dayton will play Akron at 7 p.m. Saturday at UD Arena. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Ohio. It will be third time in the first five games Dayton has played a Mid-American Conference school. The Flyers beat Ball State and Ohio. The Zips are 2-0 with victories over Cleveland State and Tennessee-Martin.

About the Author