Enoch Cheeks played a solid game, but was in foul trouble. (Press Pros File Photos)
UD basketball coach Anthony Grant has a late-game meltdown and drew a technical as his Flyers fell to Chattanooga, 87-72, in the second round of the NIT when UD had no answer for the 51 points scored by a pair of Mocs’ guards.
Chattanooga, TN — The frustration and discombobulation of the University of Dayton basketball team was illustrated in one quick vastly uncharacteristic incident Saturday afternoon.
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Anthony Grant blew his top like Mount Vesuvius.
The mild-mannered, soft-spoken UD coach stormed the court, drew a technical foul and had to be restrained by his assistant coaches from possible mayhem on the officials.
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There was 2:11 left in the Flyers’ season-ending 87-72 NIT loss to Chattanooga. UD guard Javon Bennett was grabbed around the neck by a Chattanooga player.
No call. Play on.
That’s when Grant bolted out to mid-c0urt and drew the technical.
It was frustrating and flummoxing all afternoon for the Flyers.
First of all, because UD Arena was booked, even though UD was a No. 1 seed, they had to play on the road, this one in a place they call The Roundhouse on the Chattanooga campus where Chattanooga is now 14-3.
It may be called The Roundhouse, but Chattanooga takes great advantage on shots from the corners.
Nate Santos scored 18 points, but endured a tough shooting day.
And the Flyers knew better than to not take their best onto the floor against the 26-9 Mocs, who two wins over NCAA qualifier Wofford and one over another NCAA contestant, Bryant.
And they lost kicking and screaming to NCAA participants St. Mary’s and Lipscomb.
After losing their first three, the Mocs have won 14 of their last 15. And when they score more than 80 points, they are 14-1.
UD has not had an NIT home game since 2010 and have played 11 straight road games. Had they beaten Chattanooga, they would have played a quarterfinal game next week in UD Arena.
That’s over and gone.
Chattanooga’s nickname formerly was the Mocassins, but it was changed to Mocs in honor of the state bird, the mockingbird.
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But on this day they played more like snakes than birds and the Flyers could not even kill a mockingbird.
The Flyers had no answer for Chattanooga’s guard tandem of Honor Huff and Trey Bonham. They combined for 51 points, 26 by Huff and 25 by Bonham.
Malachi Smith contributed 13 points to the UD cause.
Both formerly played at VMI and when Chattanooga coach Dan Earl came from VMI he wisely packed Bonham and Huff in his car with his luggage and brought them with him.
When Chattanooga jumped to a 5-0 lead to start the game, the Flyers played from behind the rest of the way and were down double digits several times.
Grant aimed praise at Chattanooga rather make excuses for his team’s demise.
“The story of the game was their offense was just better than our offense,” he said. We didn’t have any answers for everything they had. They came out and played really well. It came down to our inability to get stops.”
And there was an inability to get over the hump when the Flyers crept to within striking distance.
There were three times they had chances to chase down the Mocs and failed all three times.
***Early in the second half, they were down 10, 44-34, but drew within 46-39 and Chattanooga had a shot clock violation.
But Jalun Simon missed a three and Enoch Cheeks missed a shot and the Mocs went on a 7-2 run to claim a 53-41 lead.
***After falling behind, 65-51, the Flyers rallied to cut it to 65-57 and the Mocs committed a turnover.
But Amael L’Etang committed a turnover, Javon Bennett missed a three and suddenly Chattanooga was back in command, 71-59.
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***The Flyers were afforded one final opportunity when they clawed back to within 73-67 on a Nate Santos three and Chattanooga then turned it over.
But Cheeks missed a three, Santos missed a three and that’s when Grant went ballistic. Huff made three of four free throws and then drained a three and it was 81-67.
And that drew the curtain on Dayton’s 23-11 season.
Javon Bennett scored 15 after scoring 30 against Florida Atlantic.
Perhaps the most frustrated Flyer was Santos. He led UD with 18 points, but was 5 for 16 from the field. He missed several shots in close proximity and threw up three air balls.
Cheeks was a solid performer with 15 on 6 of 10 shooting, 3 of 5 from three, but drew his second and third fouls in a span of 14 seconds late in the first half. That meant playing cautiously in the second half.
Javon Bennett, the Flyer who scored a career-best 30 and made eight three-pointers in UD’s first-round win at Florida Atlantic, scored 15, but made only three three-pointers. Chattanooga often double-teamed him when he neared the arc with the ball.
Chattanooga played its preferred fast pace and operated smoothly and efficiently. The Mocs mad 28 of 49 shots (57.1%) and hit 10 of 22 threes (45.5%).
Before the game, Grant emphasized that the Flyers must shoo Chattanooga’s dynamic guards away from the three-point line. The Mocs are on of the nation’s best three-point proponents, especially Huff.
Bonham, a 6-foot senior, was 8 for 13 that included 3 of 5 from three while Huff, a 5-foot-10 junior, was 7 for 12 that included 5 for 10 from three, some of them from Steph Curry range.
The Flyers pack their gear for the season with a 23-11 and it was the last collegiate games for Santos, Cheeks, Zed Key and Brady Uhl.
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