Javon Bennett scores the game-clinching lay-up off a late-game inbounds pass. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
The University of Dayton basketball team struggled mightily offensively Tuesday night in UD Arena against an inferior Davidson College, but two technical fouls against Davidson. one in the final 50 seconds that led to five UD points in two seconds, helped the Flyers to a 69-63 Atlantic 10 victory.
Dayton, OH. — The negative part of the University of Dayton basketball team’s split personality surfaced again Tuesday night.
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Their modus operandi is to be very, very good (Against Saint Louis last Friday) or very, very bad (Against St. Bonaventure last Tuesday).
The Flyers would perplex Sigmund Freud with their floor fluxuations.
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They were on the down side Tuesday night against a below-average Davidson College team, but scored a technical knockout, 69-63.
The Flyers were on the brink of a home disaster in the final minute when Davidson’s Hunter Adam scored underneath.
That gave Davidson a 61-59 lead with 50 seconds left. But Adam couldn’t keep his mouth shut in celebration of his only two points of the night. He said something offensive and referee Lee Cassell called a technical foul.
UD’s Javon Bennett didn’t know what he said. UD’s Amael L’Etang didn’t know what he said. UD coach Anthony Grant didn’t know what he said and told the media, “I don’t know what he said. I just know the official said we were getting two free throws and the ball.”
Nate Santos drives to the basket en route to 13 points.
What followed was five Flyers points in about two seconds, pushing UD from down 61-59 to up 64-61.
Bennett made the two technical free throws. During the timeout after the free throws, Grant drew up an inbounds play. A screen was set on Bennett and he broke for the basket.
Enoch Cheeks made an el perfecto pass to Bennett near the basket and he laid it in. And he was fouled and made the free throw after flexing his muscles for the crowd under the south basket.
Five points in two seconds.
“We knew they were going to be aggressive on the sideline inbounds pass,” said Bennett. “Coach drew up a play and we executed.”
Was it a play Grant made up on the spot by using a Sharpie on a white board or was it a designed play?
“We definitely practiced it,” said Bennett. “He knew what was going to happen defensively. He saw it in film and we practiced it and executed it.”
Grant said it a tad differently.
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“It was just a side-out-of-bounds that we had to make sure we executed,” he said. “We knew they were going to do what they do.They try to make it very difficult for you to get it inbounds.
“We had great screening, great cut (by Bennett) and a great read by Cheeks to make the pass,” he added. “It wasn’t really a play to try to get a layup. It was a play to try to get it inbounds. That was the first cut and Bennett and Cheeks were able to connect.”
Amael L’Etang uses all 7-foot-1 to go up and over.
From there the Flyers made five of six free throws in the final 39 seconds to wrap up their sixth Atlantic 10 victory against four losses.
There was another technical foul called against Davidson early in the second half that played a big part in the proceedings.
The score was 30-30 when Davidson’s Mike Loughnane sucker punched L’Etang in the mid-section, an elbow to the solar plexus that would have gotten a hockey player ejected.
L’Etang flopped to the floor like a beached octopus. Officials checked the monitor and called a flagrant foul.
“I don’t even know what happened,” said L’Etang. “I wasn’t watching. I was standing and somebody hit me. I couldn’t breathe for a few seconds and that’s why I went to the floor.”
It awoke the inner anger in the 7-foot-1 Frechman. He made the two free throws, igniting a 12-2 run that pushed the Flyers in front in 42-32.
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During that spurt, L’Etang scored six points and grabbed five rebounds. And he finished with a double-double, 13 points and 13 rebounds. And he added two steals and two blocked shots.
Not a bad night for the human Eiffel Tower, a 7-foot-1 player who is feather-thin and feather-light for an under-the-basket player.
Posh Alexander takes the low road around a Davidson defender.
Ah, another UD double-digit lead. But a big lead for the Flyers this year lasts about as long as a bottle of Irish whiskey at a party.
That 42-32 lead that L’Etang helped construct. disappeared faster than a drumstick in a homeless shelter.
In no time, Davidson was within five (50-45), within four (52-48), within three (54-51, within one (54-53) and tied it (59-59).
That’s when Adam scored to put Davidson in front, only to open mouth, insert foot. . .evoking the technical.
It wasn’t a game that either coach will ever pull out the video to show future teams, unless they want examples of how not to play offensively.
It was a putrid shooting night for both teams. The Flyers were 21 for 56 (37.5%) and 6 for 26 from three (23.1%). Davidson was no better — 24 for 55 (43.6%) and 5 for 24 from three (20.8%).
The free throw line was a difference-maker. UD made 21- of 24. Davidson didn’t shoot a free throw until ealry in the second half and finished 10 for 11.
Enoch Cheeks made three of four free throws in the final 33 seconds.
Nate Santos and Bennett joined L’Etang’s 13 points with 13 for each of them. Enoch Cheeks scored 10 and Posh Alexander started in place of an ill Malachi Smith and scored 10.
Cheeks suffered a nearly miss-‘em-all night — 2 for 11 and 1 for 8 from three. He was 0 for 8 from three when he hit a big one from the left corner. It gave UD a 57-53 lead after Davidson crept to within 54-53.
“I felt very fortunate to get the win today,” said Grant. “Neither team was fluid, from an offensive standpoint.
“From a defensive standpoint, our emphasis was to try to take away the three-point line because we felt that’s where they were the most dangerous. We wanted to make them make tough twos.”
It worked, to a point. Davidson couldn’t make threes, but they scored freely and frequently under the basket, 34 points in the paint.
Davidson, 13-9 overall and 3-6 in the A10, was led by Reed Bailey with 19 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
It might have been just enough without unnecessary verbiage. But, Adam, The Mouth That Roared, probably rode back to Davidson, N.C. with adhesive tape across his mouth.
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