Posh Alexander came off the bench and scored 16 points. (Press Pros File Photos)
After losing two tight games to nationally-ranked North Carolina and Iowa State, the University of Dayton basketball team made a resounding statement Wednesday night in the Maui Invitational by outclassing and embarrassing No. 2 ranked UConn, 85-67, to claim seventh place in a game that resembled the championship game in the NCAA Final Four.
Hall of famer Hal McCoy writes UD Flyer basketball exclusively for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Lahaina, HI — ESPN broadcaster Kanoa Leahey said it perfectly and eloquently before the University of Dayton took the floor to play UConn Wednesday night in the Maui Invitational:
“Dayton has played well enough to play in the championship game and they are 0-and-2.”
Indeed.
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They then made him a sage witness as the Flyers destroyed No. 2 ranked UConn, 85-67.
And ESPN analyst Corey Anderson said it correctly, too. . .and he said it late in the first half: “Don’t let anybody tell you that Dayton is a mid-major team, because they are not.”
And did they ever show it on every level imaginable.
They put four players in double figures — Enoch Cheeks with 20, Nate Santos with 18, and Zed Key with 15 and Posh Alexander came off the bench and scored 16.
Against a team that prides itself on defense, the Flyers shot 50 per cent (25 for 50), made 8 of 17 threes and outrebounded the Huskies, 41-28.
Nate Santos contributed 18 points with a couple of big threes.
And get this. After struggling at the foul line all year, the Flyers made 27 of 30 free throws.
Unable to finish games in their first two losses, the Flyers finished the game on a 42-24 run.
“I’m really proud of our group,” said UD coach Anthony Grant. “I thought they fought in every game, gave everything they had. They believed, they believed in themselves. And it’s great to see that consistency rewarded with a win against a very, very talented team.”
They were vast underdogs against No. 10 ranked North Carolina and No. 5 ranked Iowa State.
And they were a play or two away, a few seconds away, from winning both games.
So there they were in the Lahaina Civic Center facing UConn, No. 2 in the polls and the winner of the last two NCAA championships.
But UConn, like Dayton, lost two tight games and this one was not for the tournament title. It was for seventh place, but the Flyers played it as if it were for the NCAA championship.
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And the way they played, what they learned about themselves, should inject a high level of confidence the rest of the season.
“We knew coming in that this was the best tournament in the country, the hardest field in the country,” said Grant. “Our guys were up to the challenge and we knew we’d find out alot about ourselves.”
They found out they can
play with, and beat, major programs with a high pedigree.
Zed Keys was a major factor with his play under the boards.
“The first two games we didn’t finish the 40 minutes,” said Grant. “But today there was a determination by our guys to do what we needed to do in the second half, specifically on the defensive end. We had a alot of guys step up to help us win the game.”
For 30 minutes, UConn kept challenging the Flyers, but every time it got close somebody stepped up with a big play.
It was 45-43 with 14 minutes left. Key hit two free throws, Santo hit a three and Javon Bennett drove for a basket and it was 52-45.
It was 55-51 with 10 minutes left. Cheeks hit a three and it was back to 58-51.
It was 58-55 with seven minutes left. Key dunked and Santos hit two free throws and it was back to 61-55.
It was 62-57 with 5 1/2 minutes left. Then came the game-turning sequence. Isaac Jack went up for a rebound and was undercut by Alex Karaban. He was called for a Flagrant One Foul.
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That gave Jack two shots and UD the ball after the free throws. Jack was injured and unable to take the free throws. Key shot them for him and made both.
Then one second later, Alexander was fouled and made both, completing a four-point sequence and UD’s lead was back to 66-57.
UConn tried a 1-3-1 defense, something Grant had prepared the Flyers to see. Cheeks slipped under the basket for a layup and Santos hit a three that quickly knocked the Huskies out of the 1-3-1.
Malachi Smith played a big part as his role as point guard.
And it was 85-65 and UConn coach Dan Hurley was out of ideas.
“What we preach and the guys buy into it is that different guys can fill a stat sheet on any night, but at the end of the day it is all about guys supporting each other, willing to sacrifice for each other to do the hard stuff on both sides of the ball,” said Grant. “And we’re learning that.
“It is great to see the excitement and joy of being able to finish the job,” he continued. “Like I told the guys at the end of the game, ‘When you go North Carolina, No. 10 in the country, Iowa State, No. 5 in the country and then a UConn team that’s No. 2 in the country. . .this didn’t feel like a seventh place game.
“And our guys understood the opportunity that was in front of them and I’m glad we were able to make the most of it,” he added.
For the 6-2 Flyers, it was the first time since 1951 that they played three top-ranked teams three straight games —No. 12 Arizona, No. 9 NYU and No. 11 St. John’s.
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UD beat Arizona and NYU, then lost in the championship game to St. John’s.
And on Wednesday it was another knuckle-breaker. . .for 30 minutes. After that, all of UConn’s knuckles were badly bruised or broken.
UConn opened with a three by Solo Ball, then the Flyers took over and built a 19-12 lead on a Posh Alexander three.
Javon Bennett played a solid floor game with his ball-handling.
And they maintained that lead until Alex Karaban went off by burying four straight threes. His third gave UConn its first lead since 3-0, 27-25, and his next one pushed UConn’s lead to 30-27.
Given the chance to fold, to pack it in, the Flyers picked it up quickly. Javon Bennett tied it with a three and Malachi Smith hit a three and the Flyers were back on top, 33-30.
From there, the Flyers hit six straight shots, the last three by Posh Alexander to build a 41-34 halftime lead.
UD finished the half on a 14-4 run.
After struggling most of the season at the foul line, the Flyers made 13 of 15 in the first half while UConn was only 2 for 4.
After making 4 of 5 threes in the first half, Karaban was 0 for 3 from three in the second half and 7 for 15 overall for the game to lead UConn with 15 points. Nobody else scored more than 10.
Liam McNeeley scored 20 points in UConn’s second-game loss to Colorado, but was 0 for 9 against the Flyers and didn’t score.
Enoch Cheeks led the scoring with 20 points, many coming at crucial times.
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