“They found a way to continue to trust each other and continue to battle. It was different guys at different times stepped up. They all made plays and that’s the mark of a great team when everybody understands what they need to do at a given moment.” – Anthony Grant. (Press Pros File Photos)
After surviving a harrowing start against Virginia Commonwealth University Friday, a 26-9 deficit in the first 10 minutes, UD’s Flyers roared back to win in overtime in their final regular seasons game and now their sights are set on winning the Atlaantic-10 tournament this week in preparation for a run in The Big Dance as part of their own March Madness.
Dayton, OH — For 10 minutes Friday night, the University of Dayton Flyers were in a purple haze, looking as if they were trying to figure out the difference between hypotenuse and an obtuse triangle.
Virginia Commonwealt University was playing as if it had entitlement to UD Arena. When the Rams burst to a 26-9 lead it looked as if the Flyers had as much chance of surviving as a chrome bumper factory in today’s bumperless world.
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It was as one-sided as a turkey shoot and the Flyers were the turkeys. The Rams were shooting as if there was a leather magnet at the bottom of the net and the outcome already was pre-ordained.
But the Flyers stayed the course, doggedly doing battle to protect their homestead.
In one of the most incredible displays of intestinal fortitude and stick-to-it concentration, the Flyers brought the house down with a 91-86 overtime triumph.
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As the Flyers steadily whacked away at the Rams, the UD Arena was a cacophony of ear-splitting, ear-piercing noise, sounding like 31,000 instead of 13,000.
Anybody who has paid witness to a UD game knows that UD Arena is not so much a basketball venue as it is a basketball shrine.
As overtime hero (nine points) Kobe Elvis said, “This felt like a March Madness game, the atmosphere completely felt like one because of the fans.”
It was the perfect finale to the regular season, a 24-6 overall work sheet, 14-4 in the Atlantic-10, as the Flyers prepare for the A-10 tournament as the No. 3 seed.
VCU owned a perplexing hex over the Flyers, three straight wins at UD Arena and seven wins in the last 10 meetings.
So what did it mean to yank this one out of a bonfire?
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” said Koby Brea, whose three direct hits on three-pointers in the second half kept the Flyers close. “It is always a battle against them. They always give us their best and we always give them our best. It’s a rivalry.”
Brea, who hit a three to start the Flyers back from the 26-9 sink hole, smiled and said, “We knew the game was going to be ours.”
That’s because after falling in arrears, 26-9, the Flyers were textbook good.
And that putrid start?
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“When we were down 17 (26-9) we just found a way to come close together,” he said. “We just figured it out. We had each other’s backs and undstood it was a 40-minute game. We can come back from anything because we’ve done it before.”
And it was a ‘we’ win. Everybody chipped in and chipped away. All five starters hit double figures — DaRon Holmes II with 23 (and 10 rebounds), Nate Santos with 21, Brea with 18, Kobe Elvis with 15 (nine in the overtime), Enoch Cheeks with 14.
An em0tional coach Anthony Grant could not say enough about what he saw his team accomplish on this night.
“We struggled early offensively,” he said. “They found a way to continue to trust each other and continue to battle. It was different guys at different times stepped up. They all made plays and that’s the mark of a great team when everybody understands what they need to do at a given moment.”
UD’s Nate Santos scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half to bring UD back to within seven points at halftime versus VCU.
It was Santos scoring 15 of his 21 in the first half to bring the Flyers back to within seven at the half. It was Brea with his threes in the second half. It was Holmes with his all-game steadiness. It was Cheeks with his floor play and defense. It was Elvis with his big-time step-up in the overtime and his 15 second-half points after going scoreless in the first half.
With point guard Javon Bennett still bench-ridden with a thumb injury, Elvis and Cheeks have assumed that role. Cheeks looks more like a middle linebacker than ball handler and Elvis aimed high praise his way.
“Enoch has stepped into that role for us and done a phenomenal job,” said Elvis after Cheeks distributed six assists. “He has been able to get us into our sets and help us play in transition, help us play fast and push the pace.”
And that’s why Grant scatters praise to the entirety of the roster.
“I’ve said this before. . .the sum becoming greater than the individual parts,” said Grant. “That’s teamwork. They weren’t going to be denied tonight. They made plays for each other, they played for each other.”
“This is not like a video game, this is real life, this is real time,” he added. “You are talking about some guys who have grit and perseverance and they love each other. They play for each other.”
And the Flyers finished 15-0 at home, only the fourth time it has been accomplished since UD Arena swung open its doors in 1969. Two other teams went 17-0.
“One of the goals we set and this team goes down in history,” said Grant. “They’ve established a legacy as one of the best teams to have played here. I’m proud of the group and that’s something they should be extremely proud of.
“It has only been done a handful of times in the history of Dayton Flyer basketball, OK? Put that in perspective of some of the great teams that have been through here. That’s special when you know the history of this program,” he added.
And now the Flyers have a chance to make more history, more important history. Can they win the Atlantic-10 tournament? Can they make a run in the NCAA tournament?
“We have an excitement about what lies ahead of us,” said Grant. “We’re looking forward to that, we really are. We’re excited about getting to Brooklyn, we’re excited about the opportunity to compete for a championship there and what lies in front of this group.”
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