Flyers show offensive arsenal in 2nd half in comeback win; Big test vs Butler awaits; Headed for Top 25?

Coach Anthony Grant looks to take Flyers back to Top 25 

In trailing against Purdue-Fort Wayne early in the 2nd half (55-50) in the newly remodeled UD Arena, there was a sense of when, as opposed to if, the Dayton Flyers would take over the game.

They would, midway throught the 2nd half, after going on a 41-25 run spanning the latter portion of the game.

But the real nugget about the 2nd half for the Flyers?

A complete team effort (5 players in double figures), which was led by the adjustments made by Anthony Grant and the staff, which helped lead the Dayton Flyers to a big 91-80 comeback win over a feisty Purdue Fort Wayne squad.

Senior Big Man Josh Cunningham led all the scorers with 20 points and 8 boards, and was dominant in the 2nd half of the game, as he threw down a couple of monstrous dunks and was able to hold it down inside all night.

Purdue Fort Wayne, which hit 10 3's in the first half, was only 3-12 in the 2nd half, and their overall shooting took a dip as well, as the Flyers bigger, strong defenders and deep bench proved too much.

Kason Harrell was on fire early, with 13 on 3 3-ptrs, but cooled off in the 2nd half for Purdue Fort Wayne.

NBA prospect Junior G Trey Landers dropped 15, while Jordan Davis added 10 for the Flyers and with the connection with rising PG Jalen Crutcher (18pts, 7assists) on a couple of sweet plays, shows that when Clicking on all cylinders?  Could be a top 25 team.

Obi Toppin, the talented 6'11 big man who has NBA lottery ability, threw down 2 thunderous dunks and a big block which help change the game. Toppin had been the leading scorer coming into the contest.

With the win Dayton moves to 3-0 on the season.

Coach Grant was pleased with his teams effort, and feels like his bench was huge, particularly Ryan Mikesell (10pts) and Jhery Matos, in the turnaround of the 2nd half.

The Flyers are headed to the Bahamas to take on Butler (3-0) in the Atlantis Classic. That will be a good test to see how good the Flyers are in this early season.

Mens, Womens Raiders hoop teams go for NCAA Berth

In what has been one of the great years for Wright State basketball, the men's and the women's team will compete for a chance at a NCAA tournament berth tonight.

The women's team was able to reach the championship game by defeating the #2 seed 60-52. The Lady Raiders had a huge winning streak during the season and looks like they have all the tools to reach the tournament. They will be taking on the top seed today (noon).

The men defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee as Loundon Love led the Raiders along with Grant Benzinger (son of Former Cincinnati Red Grant Benzinger).

That duo has been unstoppable, and the writers will face Cleveland State, who was in 8th seed. The Vikings have Evan Claiborne, the former Dunbar Wolverine who will be playing in the game.

This has to be an exciting time for Raider Nation, as Wright State could potentially have both teams in the tournament, and legitimately so, as both teams have heck of a season.

The men's team have set a record for most wins (24), and the women's team for the winning streak that they had during the season.
Both teams are well-coached (Merriweather & Nagy) and this shows that Athletic Director Bob Grant knows exactly what he's doing.

Could this be the year of the Raiders in the Horizon League?

Don't be suprised.  Tune in today!

#RaiderUp

Week in Review: Flyers storm back behind Antetokounmpo, Landers, stop St. Louis; Then fall to Rhode Island after 2nd half surge

Could Kostas Antetokounmpo be the wild card for Flyers?

If the Dayton Flyers are going to make any March Madness noise this season, the game against the Billikens might be the one that changed the tone of the season for the Flyers.

 Dayton trailed by as many as 13 in the game before rallying in the 2nd half to knock off St. Louis 53-50 before a big home crowd in a nationally televised game.

 With the arrival of 6'11 big Kostas Antetokuonmpo, the younger bro of All-Star Giannis of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Flyers could be a sleeper team come A-10 Tourney time. He scored 12 points, with 4 boards and some key blocked shots and interior defense which was huge, as St. Louis tried to pound it inside all night.

While the offense wasn't great, it was  a nice sight to see the highly touted Antetokuompo be able to have a major impact on the floor.

 Flyers Head Coach Anthony Grant had talked about his energy, his vibe coming into the game.
"He knew he would have to be aggressive against a physical team like St. Louis. They beat us up last game, so he was mentally ready this game.

If Antetokounmpo can contine to have that type of energy and presence, the Flyers could make a run for a A-10 tournament title.

Star Players: Kostas Antetokounmpo, Josh Cunningham

#18 Rhode Island rolls past UD after 2nd half surge 

Despite losing by a wide margin at Rhode Island Friday, the Flyers showed a little promise. It featured a first half that saw the Flyers go toe to toe with the A-10 Regular Season Champs.

If the Flyers can find a silver lining?
Rhode Island won't be playing the A-10 Championship at home. And Grant knows that anything can happen in March.

The Flyers committed 13 turnovers in the 1st half against the Rams, and still was only down 2.
However Rhode Island came out firing in the 2nd half, and went on a 21-8 run to push the lead to 15 (57-42) in which they would never look back.

Trey Landers dropped a double double (10 pts,10 reb) in the loss while Freshman PG Jalen Crutcher added 12 to lead the Flyers in the loss. Kostas Antetokounmpo had 8pts, 4 boards, and 2 blocks in 25 minutes of play.

If Landers and Cunningham can keep producing, the addition of Antetokoumpo and maybe a Xeryius Williams to the frontcourt rotation could be huge come tourney time.

Flyers now go to 1-9 on the road as they take on LaSalle Wednesday before finishing its final home game this weekend.

Star Players:  Jalen Crutcher, Trey Landers

Top photos of the Week:

Classic VIdeo: Dayton Flyers Biggest Fan Contest (Featuring Trey Landers) Week 1

When brought to his attention that University of Dayton Sophmore F Trey Landers would be meeting his biggest fan during the taping of S.E.Live! 365 (College Edition), Landers was surprised and intrigued.



We had the privy of bringing Landers on our weekly sports show SportsEffectLive 365 after his great play in recent weeks.  At the end, Landers had a host of fans who were dying to meet the high rising hooper from Wayne.



Check out the great battle for Landers Biggest fan! MUST SEE TV as 2 ladies go at it!







The full episode of the Trey Landers Inteview will air on Friday on DaytonHighSchoolSports.com



S.E.Live! 365 TV show will tape every week at Romer's Bar & Gill, with Deon Cash,  Former Flyers Cain Doliboa and Nate Green co-hosting the show. The trio will talk college sports and feature the best athletes, business owners, fitness brands, and fashion experts in Southwest Ohio.



Romers also will be announcing the Flyers Biggest Fan contest, which will conclude at the end of March.





NOTE:

The S.E.Live365 APP will be available in February, which will become the primary location for all the S.E.Live 365-College Edition Episodes.







more info?



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