Dayton got rid of the sour taste in their mouth from the bad defeat they took on Tuesday night against Duquesne. The Flyers came out and beat the Patriots of George Mason by the same score as earlier this season, 74-65.
It was the Jalen Crutcher and Ibi Watson show on Friday night as the two seniors combined for 41 points and 10 assists. Elijah Weaver came off his worst game in a Flyer uniform to score 13 points, including 3-3 from the arc. Jordy Tshimanga had 13 rebounds for Dayton.
George Mason had 4 players score in double figures. Leading the way was Jordan Miller with 16 points, followed by Javon Greene with 14 of his own. AJ Wilson chipped in 9 rebounds for Mason.
It was a high scoring affair early on, with Dayton shooting 4-5 from three to begin the game. Mason would keep it close throughout the first half and only trailed by 5 at the break. Dayton would come into the second half and stretch the lead to double digits. That large of a lead would hold up throughout the majority of the half. George Mason was able to make a late comeback, but never got within more than 5 points back from the Flyers. Dayton would hit free throws, along with an Ibi Watson breakaway slam, to put the game out of reach.
For the Flyers, they improve to 7-4 in the A10, including 5-0 after a loss this season. George Mason drops to 4-6 in the A10.
This was another episode of “good shooting leads to a good win” for Dayton. The Flyers have been prone to losing some head-scratchers all season. Most of the time, it was due to very poor shooting performances. Dayton put together a complete performance on Friday night in UD Arena. Currently, there seems to be no in between for Dayton. They either shoot above average or way below average. Dayton got the above average team against Mason, which is a nice win knowing they were playing the Patriots on such short notice. Mason was a fill-in for Richmond, who is on a pause due to covid.
Dayton’s next game is on Tuesday night as the Flyers travel to Amherst, Massachusetts, to face the UMass Minutemen.
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