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DAYTON WRAPS UP ROAD SWING AT ST. BONAVENTURE ON WEDNESDAY AT 7 PM ET



Sophomore Marcus Johnson has led UD in rebounding the last three games and in four of the last five

March 4, 2008

Gametracker | Streaming Audio

  • Game Notes in PDF Format

    FLYERS LOOK TO REACH .500 MARK ON THE ROAD WITH A VICTORY
    Still battling to keep their postseason hopes alive, the University of Dayton Flyers complete a two-game road swing through New York State on Wednesday against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be carried through WHIO Radio and be available over the Internet with Gametracker and a live audio stream from DaytonFlyers.com.

    After struggling through the month of February, Dayton began March on a positive note with a 57-50 victory at Fordham. Dayton, 18-9 overall and 6-8 in the Atlantic 10, have won five on the road in 2007-08, one more away victory than last season. On the offensive end, senior Brian Roberts has led UD in scoring in six straight games, and nine of the last 10. Fellow senior Jimmy Binnie is shooting .500 (24-48) over the last nine games. However, it has been the Flyer defense that has kept the team going with seven consecutive games of holding a team below 50 percent shooting from the field. Half of the Flyers' league losses, which are also their last four, are by a total of 14 points.

    St. Bonaventure is also coming off a road win as well defeating Saint Louis on Saturday. The Bonnies, 8-20 overall and 2-12 in the Atlantic 10, showcase forward Michael Lee, who leads the Bonnies in nearly every statistical category, including scoring (17.4 per game), rebounding (8.0 per game) and steals (42). The senior trio of Lee, Zarryon Fereti and Tyler Relph combine for an astounding 63.9 percent of the Bonnies' offense.

    SERIES STUFF
    UD holds an 11-8 lead in the all-time series with the Bonnies and have won five consecutive meetings. Last year the Flyers knocked off St. Bonaventure at the Reilly Center behind 13 points and eight rebounds from Marcus Johnson.

    POLLING THE ELECTORATE
    Flyer opponents who are ranked in the Top 25 of the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls include Xavier at No. 8/11 and Louisville at No. 12/13. One other Flyer opponent, Pittsburgh, is also receiving votes.

    UD'S ROBERTS A FINALIST FOR COUSY AWARD
    On Feb. 1, Brian Roberts was selected as one of 16 finalists for the award that goes annually to the top point guard in college basketball. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. announced this year's finalists for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford. This honor came at the end of a week where Roberts was named to three of the most exclusive lists in college basketball. In addition to being a Cousy finalist, he was also named to the mid-season Top 30 lists for the two awards that go to the nation's top player - the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy.

    ROBERTS AMONG THE TOP 30 CANDIDATES FOR THE WOODEN AWARD
    Brian Roberts was listed among the top candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, the nation's most coveted college basketball award. Composed of the top 30 players who will compete for this season's player of the year award, the midseason list is based on individual player performance and team records during the first half of the season. Roberts is the only player from the Atlantic 10 on the list. Roberts is also one of just seven players also among the Top 50 among all NCAA Division I players in scoring average, 3-pt. FG's per game and 3-pt. FG's made.

    NAISMITH TROPHY LISTS ROBERTS AS ONE OF THE TOP 30 CANDIDATES
    The Atlanta Tipoff Club also named Brian Roberts to its midseason Top 30 list for the 2008 Naismith Trophy. This honor comes on the heels of the Toledo native also being named on the mid-season Top 30 for the John R. Wooden Award. Roberts is one of 21 student-athletes named to both lists. The Naismith Top 30 men's list was voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. Roberts is vying to join Marcus Camby (1996) and Jameer Nelson (2004) as the only A-10 Wooden Award winners.

    ROBERTS NAMED AMONG THE TOP 10 FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
    The midseason honors continued for Brian Roberts is one of the Top 10 Finalists for the 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. Roberts, a two-time White Allen Most Valuable Player, is the only Flyer men's basketball player to be named all-conference and academic all-conference in the same season (2006-07).

    ROBERTS SELECTED AS THE A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS SEASON
    University of Dayton senior guard Brian Roberts was named the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 18 for his efforts against Duquesne and Temple. Roberts averaged 22.5 points and four assists while knocking down 8-of-13 attempts from three-point range. The A-10 honored Roberts on Jan. 13 for the second time after averaging 26.5 points and five assists while shooting 15-of-28 from the field and 17-of-19 from the line in wins over No. 22/20 Rhode Island and at Saint Louis. He scored 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting and dished out seven assists in the Flyers' 92-83 win over URI and added 30 points and three assists in the 68-57 overtime win at Saint Louis. Roberts also earned the award on Dec. 30, 2007 after he scored a season-high-tying 31 points to lead the Flyers to an 80-55 victory over the then No. 6 Pittsburgh Panthers.

    ROBERTS NAMED TWO-TIME ESPN.COM "WEEKLY WATCH" PLAYER OF THE WEEK
    Speaking of a two-time award winner, Brian Roberts earned national notice on Dec. 31 when ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz named him the national player of the week in his "Weekly Watch" column on ESPN.com. Roberts is the only player in the nation to earn the award twice this season. Roberts first earned the honor on Dec. 10, 2007 after he scored 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting in UD's 70-65 win at Louisville.

    ESPN THE MAGAZINE RECOGNIZES ROBERTS
    In the 2007-08 college basketball preview, ESPN the Magazine's Dick Vitale selected Dayton's Brian Roberts as the best player that few have heard about. Roberts has scored in double figures 23 times this season, 50 of his last 56 games and at least 20 points 15 times. Roberts also has a streak of 51 consecutive games with a made three-point field goal.

    ROBERTS AMONG THE A-10'S BEST
    Brian Roberts is fourth in the A-10 in points per game (19.1), 1st in FT% (.875, 98-112), 5th in 3-pt. FG's per game (2.9), 7th in FG% (.477, 168-352), 8th in assists per game (3.6) and 3rd in 3-pt. FG% (.449, 79-176). He is the only A-10 player among the conference leaders in scoring, field goal percentage,3-point field goal percentage, 3-pointers made, assists, assists-to-turnover ratio (11th, 1.32) and minutes per game (7th, 34.48). Roberts' eight 20-plus point games in A-10 play are the most in the league. Earlier this year Roberts was named to the Preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 squad.

    THE TOLEDO RIFLE
    Already having scored 1,848 career points, Brian Roberts is projected to finish in the Top Five in Flyer scoring. He is a virtual lock to be the first UD player to lead the team in scoring three times since Jim Paxson did it in 1978-79. Paxson was also the last Flyer to be named an All-American. Roberts needs 19 points to surpass Don Meineke on the all-time scoring list and reach the Flyer Top Five.

    MR. ROBERTS = MR. EFFICIENCY
    Over his career, Brian Roberts has demonstrated a knack for two things: scoring his points in short amounts of time, and playing well on the road. He scored at least 10 points in a half 25 times in 2006-07, and has done it 74 times in his career. This season Roberts has tallied double-figures in a half 24 times. His career scoring average away from UD Arena of 16.6 is better than his home average of 14.6. Against SMU, Roberts was 10-of-12 from the floor and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc en route to 24 points. In the final 64 seconds at Miami, Roberts netted 12 of his team-high 20 points, and a game-winning 3-pointer in UD's 63-62 victory. At Louisville, Roberts shot 10-of-17 from the field and had no turnovers in 37 minutes of play. Against Loyola Roberts converted all 12 free throws en route to a game-high 20 points. In the Pittsburgh contest, Roberts knocked down 10-of-17 shots, including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Roberts scored 23 points and went 7-of-11 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the line in a win over Rhode Island. In the first Saint Louis game he scored seven of his game-high 30 points in overtime. Roberts recorded 19 of his 21 points in the second half against UMass thank in part to hitting 7-of-8 free throws. Roberts poured in 17 of his team-high 20 points in the second half at Richmond. He scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-for-4 from three-point range over Saint Louis. At Rhode Island, Roberts scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second half. At George Washington, scored a team-high 20 points. Roberts led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting versus Duquesne. He shot 7-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc to finish with 23 points over Temple. Roberts scored a game-high 30 points to go with six assists at La Salle. He led UD with 15 points in the Xavier rematch. Added a team-high 12 points over Fordham.

    LIFE OF BRIAN
    In UD's five games this season against ranked competition, Brian Roberts averages 20.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting 33-of-64 from the floor (.516), 14-of-29 (.483) from beyond the arc and 22-of-24 at the free throw line (.917). For his career, he averages 17.0 points (nine games) and 18.5 as a starter (eight starts).

    B-ROB B-GOOD
    A two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and UD Most Valuable Player, Roberts is just the eighth Flyer to earn MVP honors as a sophomore and junior. Roberts is also the only UD player in the school's top five in career 3-pt. FG% and FT%. His .438 (272-621) from behind the arc is first at UD and his .852 FT% (352-413) is third.

    MIDSEASON MARVEL
    Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis wrote a midseason award column, and named Brian Roberts a Second Team All-American. Davis also categorized Dayton as one of this college basketball season's surprise teams. In six career overtime games Roberts is averaging 24.5 points a game, including 35 points during the 45 minutes of overtime played.

    AMONG THE TEAM LEADERS
    Serving as one of the team captains this season, Brian Roberts' leadership on-and-off the court has served well for Dayton. On the court he leads UD in points, minutes played, three-point shooting, three-point field goals made, free throw percentage and assists. Roberts and seniors Jimmy Binnie and Andres Sandoval matched the program's best start at 14-1 when the Flyers had the same record in 1955-56.

    HALF AND HALF
    There's no question that over his career Brian Roberts has been a much better player in the second half than the first. Here's a quick comparison of the two halves this season.

    Second Half
    Scoring Average - 10.5
    Field Goal Percentage - .489
    3-Point Field Goal Percentage - .461
    Free Throw Percentage - .904

    First Half
    Scoring Average - 7.9
    Field Goal Percentage - .463
    3-Point Field Goal Percentage - .427
    Free Throw Percentage - .864

    THE WRIGHT STUFF
    An MRI examination on Jan. 10 revealed that forward Chris Wright had a fractured bone in his right ankle. He underwent a surgical procedure to assist the healing of the fracture and will be out approximately one more week. Wright's presence has been missed. UD was 13-1 before his injury and 5-8 since then.

    After 13 games Wright had four Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors. He is still the only player A-10 player to have won the award outright four times. He first earned the award on Nov. 11 after netting the first double-double in a Flyer freshman debut with 22 points and 13 rebounds against East Tennessee State. Wright earned the honor again on Nov. 25 behind 26 points and 12 rebounds over Toledo. Wright had a double-double in the first half against High Point and finished the contest with 16 points and 13 boards. On Dec. 16, Wright earned the Rookie of the Week honor for the fourth time this season. The last player to get four A-10 Rookie awards in his first six weeks was Jameer Nelson. Wright leads the team in rebounding (6.0), and FG% (.605, 52-86). Wright is second on the team in scoring (10.4), blocked shots (11) and FT% (.811, 30-37). At the time of his injury, he was the top freshman in the A-10 in scoring, free throw and field goal percentage, blocks and rebounding and had three double-doubles.

    WRIGHT PLACE, WRIGHT TIME
    Chris Wright's 26 points in the Toledo win tied the second-most points by a Flyer freshman. Only Shawn Haughn scored more in his freshman year when he scored 30 against Saint Louis in 1993-94. Jim Rhoden (1977-78) and Tony Stanley (1997-98) previously also scored 26 as freshmen for UD. Wright's 26-point, 12-rebound effort was his second double-double in three career games. His first, 22 and 13 in the season opening win over East Tennessee State, marked the first time a Flyer freshman had a double-double in his college debut.

    THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
    Forward Chris Wright, a preseason Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection, was one of the top 20 high school basketball players in the country selected to play in the 2007 Jordan Brand All-American Classic at Madison Square Garden. Wright performed well with a 10-point, 10-rebound performance. Recent participants include NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Wright also earned a spot on the Preseason A-10 All Rookie Team. Three respected ranking services - HoopScoop, Rivals.com and Scout.com - rate UD's group of three incoming freshmen the best in the Atlantic 10.

    LITTLE BIG MAN
    At 6-foot-6, 237 pounds, junior Charles Little might be the most inaccurately named player in the country. This season, despite fracturing his big toe in the UMass game, Little is second in offensive rebounds (49), third in rebounding (4.8) and fourth on the team in scoring (8.1). Little has also scored in double-figures in five of his last 10 games. Over his last 14 games Little is shooting 46-of-88 from the floor (.523). In his first game of the year, Little tallied 13 rebounds to go with seven points in the Flyers win over ETSU. His 20 points in the Toledo win almost doubled what he had in the season's first two games. Against High Point, Little dished out a career-high five assists. In the Loyola win he shot 5-of-7 from the floor to finish with 12 points. Little added nine points off the bench in a win over Rhode Island. At Saint Louis Little scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting against Charlotte. Little recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds at George Washington. Little then chipped in with nine points, four rebounds and four assists versus Duquesne. He added nine points off the bench at home against Xavier. Came back to add 11 points and seven boards at Fordham. The junior finished last season second on the team in scoring (10.5), led the team in rebounding (5.2) and was named the 2007 A-10 Sixth Man of the Year.

    CHARLES IN CHARGE
    In his last 27 games against Atlantic 10 competition, Little averages 10.9 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 131-of-252, (.520) from the floor. Little posted a career-high 28 points last season against Xavier, hauled in 16 rebounds at Temple and picked up three steals this season over Rhode Island. This season against the A-10, Little averages 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting .500 from the field. In UD basketball history, Little is 70th on the all-time scoring list with 673 career points. He needs 18 points to eclipse Dan Christie for 69th all-time.

    MARVELOUS MARCUS
    Marcus Johnson has quietly put together a solid sophomore campaign averaging 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The sophomore guard has scored in double figures 12 times this season and in 10 of his last 17 games. He leads the team with 141 total rebounds, second in rebounding average (5.2), ranks third on the team free throw percentage at .729, second on the team in minutes played (29.4) and third in steals (17). Against Duquesne, Johnson tallied his team-leading, third double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds to go with a career-best three blocks. Johnson recorded his third career double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds against UMass. He added double-double game (15 points, 11 rebounds) in a victory over then No. 6 Pittsburgh.

    MORE ON MJ
    Marcus Johnson has been at his best from the line in the clutch, making 13-of-17 in the final minute of regulation. He nailed two in the final minute against Louisville and 4-of-4 to seal the win over American. Johnson scored 16 points versus Loyola. Against Akron Johnson filled every stat column by recording 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. In the Rhode Island game, Johnson finished with 14 points and five rebounds. His three-pointer with the shot clock winding down and 58 seconds gave UD a seven-point lead and was the last field goal of the game. At Saint Louis, Johnson recorded five of his game-high eight rebounds in the final minute of regulation and overtime. At Xavier, Johnson led all UD scorers with 12 points. At Richmond, he netted 10 points and four rebounds. Johnson added 10 points and five boards at Rhode Island. He added six points and five rebounds in a win over Charlotte. Johnson dished out a career-best four assists to go with eight points and five rebounds at George Washington. In the Temple win, Johnson had 14 points and three rebounds. Johnson added six points and a team-high seven boards in the Xavier rematch. Johnson was just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine boards at Fordham. In A-10 play this season, Johnson averages 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds. Johnson has been also productive in 16 home games this season averaging 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

    SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM
    Jimmy Binnie, along with classmate Brian Roberts, are the first Brian Gregory players to live the college basketball experience from start to finish - recruiting, verballing, signing, playing and, come spring, graduating. This season Binnie ranks second on the team in 3-pt FG % at .381 (32-84). The senior is averaging 6.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 44 percent from the field. Binnie scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor over Akron. Before that he tallied 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor in a win at Holy Cross. At Saint Louis he knocked down 2-of-3 three-point attempts en route to seven points. When Saint Louis came to UD Arena, he added seven rebounds. At Rhode Island, Binnie recorded 10 points and five rebounds. Binnie added a career-high 15 points and seven rebounds over Charlotte. He chipped in with five points, four rebounds and two steals at GW. He added five points and two assists versus Duquesne. Binnie had seven points and five rebounds over Temple. At La Salle Binnie tallied nine points and six rebounds. Binnie tallied nine points at Fordham. Binnie has knocked down a 3-point shot in all but six games this season and ranks second on the team with 32 made 3-pointers.

    ENTER SANDMAN
    Senior Andres Sandoval quickly raised his level of play since being inserted as a starter averaging 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. At Richmond, Sandoval netted career-bests nine rebounds and two blocks to go with a season-high 17 points. He followed that up with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting against Saint Louis. Sandoval scored 12 points to go with three assists in the win over Rhode Island. Against Charlotte, Sandoval added four steals to go with 10 points. He added 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high four steals over Temple. At La Salle, Sandoval shot 8-of-12 from the floor to match his season-high of 17 points. He had six points and four rebounds at home against No. 10/12 Xavier. In the Fordham win, he took two charges and had five rebounds. One of the most underrated aspects of senior Andres Sandoval has been his defensive effort of late. Sandoval has 14 steals in his last seven games. Sandoval's 22 steals on the season is second on the team with 15 of those in conference play.

    THE JACKSONVILLE JET
    London Warren (a.k.a. the "Jacksonville Jet," as dubbed by the WHIO Radio team of Larry Hansgen and Bucky Bockhorn), has been one of the best defensive players for UD this season. Warren leads UD with 37 steals, with 36 of them in his last 24 games. In the A-10, Warren ranks 16th with 1.37 steals per game. Warren tallied career-bests 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with five assists at Rhode Island. At Richmond he added 11 points and matched that point total the following game against Saint Louis. Warren scored all six of his points in double overtime in UD's win over Akron. At Louisville, Warren snagged a career-high four steals in UD's win and matched that number with four steals to go with six points and eight rebounds versus Loyola. His layup and two free throws with less than a minute remaining gave UD the lead over Charlotte. Warren had five points, three assists and two steals over Temple. At La Salle, Warren delivered 10 points and seven assists.

    BEING "KURT" TO THE OPPOSITION
    Sophomore Kurt Huelsman continues to improve as the season rolls along. Huelsman battled against DeJuan Blair, the Big East's three-time Rookie of the Week, by recording 12 points and eight rebounds in UD's win over then No. 6 Pittsburgh. Not to be outdone, he responded with a career-best 18 points against Akron and 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting over Rhode Island. Huelsman scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in the Miami win, came up big again with a team-high seven rebounds and five points in the victory at Louisville and added another career-high with 11 boards over American. At Rhode Island, Huelsman tallied 12 points and six rebounds. In foul trouble most of the game, he added six points and five rebounds over Charlotte. Huelsman tallied seven points and five rebounds at GW. Against No. 10/12 Xavier, he finished with six points. Hueslman had 11 points and limited Bryant Dunston to just one offensive rebound, three under his average in the Fordham win.

    HUELSMAN GETS IT DONE
    After being held scoreless in his first three games, Huelsman has 166 points thanks to 55 percent (64-of-117) shooting during that span and scoring in double figures in seven games. Last year Huelsman did not score in double figures in any contest. Through 27 games, he already has career highs in points, rebounds (115), steals (8), minutes (588) and assists (20). Huelsman was the only player to start every game last year for UD and has started all 27 games this season. The 6-10 big man averages 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Huelsman has five or more rebounds in 11 games this year and earned UD's Best Defender Award for 2006-07. Against ranked teams, Huelsman averages 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. UD is 6-1 when Huelsman scores in double figures.

    DIAL IN WITH DEVIN
    Freshman Devin Searcy averages 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds this season. He got going on both ends of the floor in UD's win over SMU by hauling in five rebounds (three on the offensive glass) and picked up his first two points as a Flyer. He followed that up with a career-high six points against High Point in 11 minutes of action. In eight minutes of action against then No. 6 Pittsburgh, Searcy tallied three rebounds. At Xavier, Searcy hauled in four defensive rebounds. Against La Salle, Searcy chipped in with three points and three rebounds in nine minutes of action. In the second Xavier contest, Searcy tallied four points and three rebounds.

    ON THE GO WITH THIAGO
    After leading all junior college players in blocked shots per game last season, Thiago Cordeiro has started to get comfortable at UD. In his last 19 games, he is averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds, shooting .577 (15-26) FG and blocked 15 of his season's 16 shots. He had a season-high 11 points against American. The 6-9 big man came off the bench to add seven points and three rebounds at Xavier. Cordeiro added a career-best four blocks to go with four points and six rebounds over Duquesne. Cordeiro is second on the team in FG% (.535, 23-43) and leads in blocked shots (16).

    HEY MICKEY
    Redshirt sophomore Mickey Perry broke out in a big way with eight points in nine minutes against Rhode Island to open A-10 play. He enjoyed a memorable UD debut when he knocked down a 3-pointer, grabbed two rebounds and recorded a block in the Flyers win against Coppin State. He added seven points and six boards against UMass. Against Temple he knocked down both three-point shots and finished with six points, one rebound and one assist. Perry had four points, two rebounds and two assists over Xavier. Perry has hit five of his last nine field goals in the last four games. In 16 contests this season Perry is shooting 15-of-41 (.366) from the floor and averages 2.6 points. The Flyers are 5-1 this season when Perry knocks down a three-point basket.

    THOMAS THE TRAIN
    Freshman Stephen Thomas has appeared in all but seven games this season. Thomas averages 0.9 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Against Akron, Thomas gave quality minutes off the bench and hit his only field goal attempt. Thomas connected on a three-pointer, added an assist and steal at Xavier. He dished out a career-best two assists versus Charlotte.

    FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
    Dayton has had five different players lead the team in scoring this season - Brian Roberts (21 times), Chris Wright (twice), and Jimmy Binnie, Kurt Huelsman, Marcus Johnson and Charles Little (once each). In rebounding, nine players have taken honors in at least one game - Johnson (seven), Little and Binnie (six), Wright (five), Huelsman (four), Andres Sandoval (twice), and Thiago Cordeiro, Devin Searcy and London Warren (once). (Note: rebounding numbers add up to more than 27 due to five games where more than one player tied for the team-high).

    THE FLIGHT CLUB
    The Flyers have 53 dunks so far in 2007-08. Charles Little leads the team with 24, followed by Chris Wright (16), Marcus Johnson (9), Andres Sandoval (2), London Warren (1)and Kurt Huelsman (1). Dayton had 55 in 31 games last season. The five dunks by Wright in the SMU game is he second-most by an individual at UD (by one) and the most by a freshman.

    TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
    Fourteen of the first 27 teams on Dayton's schedule this season were their respective conference pre-season favorites, played in last year's NCAA or NIT tournament, or both.

    THAT'S A CATCH-22
    UD has held opponents to 22 points or less in a half six times this season. In 2006-07, UD achieved that mark seven times.

    HEAD OF THE A-10 CLASS
    UD placed 93 student-athletes on the 2007 Fall Semester A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll that was announced on Feb. 13. That was the fifth-most in the league, even though the Flyers play fewer A-10 sports than all but one Atlantic 10 school.

    UD SIGNS TOP RECRUITING CLASS OF BENSON, FABRIZIUS, JOHNSON AND WILLIAMS
    Coach Brian Gregory and his staff landed their fifth strong recruiting class at UD, as the Flyers received National Letters of Intent Nov. 14 from their 2008 incoming freshman class. The newest members of the Flyer family are 6-10 forward Josh Benson of Dayton Dunbar High School, 6-9 forward Luke Fabrizius of John Hersey High School (Arlington Heights, IL), 6-5 guard/forward Chris Johnson of Columbus (OH) Brookhaven High School and 6-3 guard Paul Williams of Detroit Renaissance High School. The 2007-08 signing class is ranked as high as 37th in the country (HoopScoopOnline.com) and features three Street & Smith's High School All-Americans.

    EYE 75 ON THE SCOREBOARD
    The Flyers are 27-4 under head coach Brian Gregory when they score at least 75 points.

    DOING IT WITH DEFENSE
    This season the Flyers rank third in the A-10 in scoring defense, allowing 64.0 points per game. UD is 9-2 when holding opponents to 59 points or less this year.

    DOUBLE THE FUN
    Through 27 games this season Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson, Charles Little and London Warren are the only Flyers to have recorded double-doubles this season. Here are UD's double-double performances during the 2007-08 campaign.

    11/10/07 - Chris Wright vs. ETSU (22 points, 13 rebounds)
    11/21/07 - Chris Wright vs. Toledo (26 points, 12 rebounds)
    12/5/07 - Chris Wright vs. High Point (16 points, 13 rebounds)
    12/29/07 - Marcus Johnson vs. Pittsburgh (15 points, 11 rebounds)
    1/16/08 - Marcus Johnson vs. UMass (15 points, 13 rebounds)
    2/2/08 - London Warren vs. Rhode Island (13 points, 10 rebounds)
    2/9/08 - Charles Little vs. GW (12 points, 11 rebounds)
    2/13/08 - Marcus Johnson vs. Duquesne (11 points, 12 rebounds)

    GREGORY NAMED PHELAN MID-SEASON AWARD WINNER BY COLLEGEINSIDER.COM
    On Jan. 9, a 20-person panel of college basketball experts selected UD head coach Brian Gregory as the winner of the mid-season Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Award. CollegeInsider.com renamed its mid-season and end-of-the-year coach of the year awards after Phelan, the long-time coach of Mount St. Mary's University, in 2003.

    SECRET SMILES AUCTION A SUCCESS
    UD's seventh annual "Flyer Feedback Auction" to benefit the charity "Secret Smiles" was a great success raising $18,000. Coach Brian Gregory's dedicated cause is a charity called "Secret Smiles," a program that delivers beds and bedding to children of families who cannot provide for them. In the last two years, "Secret Smiles" has raised $37,000.

    BALANCING ACT
    The Flyers have eight players who are averaging four points or more this season. Against Louisville, all nine players who saw the court scored at least a field goal in UD's win. All 11 scholarship players who played in the win at Holy Cross scored at least two points, and all 10 that saw action against High Point grabbed at least two rebounds. In fact, every scholarship player who played has scored in six games this season.

    STARTING OFF STRONG
    UD's 12-1 non-conference record marked just the fourth time in school history the Flyers reached 10 wins before January 1.

    GLASS CLEANERS
    The Flyers have out-rebounded their opponent in eight of its last nine games and in 16 of the last 19 contests. Dayton allows the fewest rebounds in the A-10 and have the second best rebounding margin in the conference at plus 5.3. This is with no Dayton player listed in the Top 20 rebounders in the conference.

    SAILING THE ATLANTIC
    The Flyers hold an all-time 254-188 edge over Atlantic 10 conference opponents and have finished .500 or better in seven of the previous eight seasons. After a 19-12 season in 2006-07, the Flyers were picked to finish sixth in the league according to a poll of the Atlantic 10's head coaches and media.

    REWARDING RESERVES
    The Flyers' reserves have stepped up this season out-scoring the opponent's bench in 15 of 27 games. UD's bench holds a 496-447 edge in scoring this season.

    BLOCK PARTY
    Although UD is 13th in the A-10 in blocks, UD tied the school record for blocks in a single game with nine against Duquesne. The Flyers have at least one block in the last seven games.

    ROAD LESS TRAVELED
    Dayton defeated three 2007 NCAA teams on their home courts this season (Louisville, Miami, Holy Cross). The Flyers have already surpassed the number of road games won all of last year.

    Four Flyer scholarship players average more points on the road than at home during the 2007-08 season.

    Brian Roberts - (19.5 road/18.7 home)
    Jimmy Binnie - (6.5 road/5.6 home)
    London Warren - (5.3 road/3.9 home)
    Stephen Thomas - (1.0 road/0.8 home)

    FLYER FANS CAN VOTE FOR ROBERTS IN POSTSEASON AWARDS
    Flyer fans can show their support for senior Brian Roberts by voting online for the senior guard in the Cousy Award and Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Fans can also vote for Roberts via text messaging for the Naismith Trophy.

    Fans can vote for Roberts in the Cousy Award by logging on to:
    Cousy Award Voting

    Fans can vote for Roberts in the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, logging on to:
    Lowe's Senior CLASS Voting

    The Naismith Trophy is unique because it allows fan voting to count for an unprecedented 25 percent of the final tally. No other major award involves this much fan influence. Voting runs through 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 5, 2008. Fans can participate in the voting by texting "VOTE" to 87654.

    GAME #27 - FLYERS DOWNS FORDHAM 57-50
    Senior Brian Roberts scored 12 and junior Charles Little and sophomore Kurt Huelsman added 11 apiece to help the Dayton Flyers pick up a 57-50 road win over the Fordham Rams. Sophomore Marcus Johnson was just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

    UD A NATIONAL LEADER IN LATEST GSR REPORT
    The University of Dayton Division of Athletics maintained its position as one of the top academic achievers in the NCAA in the latest breakdown of the Graduation Success Rate data released in November. UD has an institutional GSR of 95 percent which ranks first among the Atlantic 10 Conference and 16th overall in the nation. The men's basketball team had the second highest GSR in the Atlantic 10 Conference at 82 percent. Success in the classroom is nothing new for UD student-athletes. UD has had 27 Academic All-Americans in the last six years. Also, at least one Dayton student-athlete has been named an Academic All-American for 22 straight years.

    TOURNEY TOWN
    The NCAA Division I Tournament will make its start at UD Arena this season for the seventh year in a row. The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee has announced that the University of Dayton Arena will host the NCAA Opening Round Game in 2008. UD has hosted the game since its inception in its current form in 2002. When the 2008 NCAA Tournament is over, UD Arena will have been an NCAA site in 22 of the last 39 years and will have hosted 77 NCAA Tournament games. That will make UD Arena the third-most prolific NCAA Tournament venue behind Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City (83) and the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City (81). The Arena will be a First and Second Round site for the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, and a Regional site for the 2010 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

    HOME SWEET HOME
    The Flyers' started off the season 10-0 at home for the second consecutive year. Last year UD's 15-2 record at home matched the 4th-best efforts in UD Arena history in home court wins in a season and home court winning percentage in a season (.882). Dayton won its first 14 home games during the 2006-07 season, the second-best streak in UD Arena history (behind only the 15 from December 17, 1984 to March 3, 1985).

    FLYER FAITHFUL
    For years, UD has claimed it has had the best fans in the nation. In 2001, The Sporting News conducted an unscientific poll of college basketball coaches, media and SIDs. In the Jan. 8, 2001 issue of the magazine, UD's fans were tabbed as college basketball's best. And they prove it to everyone the Flyers play.

    With the Saint Joseph's game already announced as a sellout, UD is projected to have the second-best average home attendance in school history (12,801). UD Arena has 84 sellouts in its 38-year history and six so far this year. The record for sellouts is eight held in the Arena's first season 1969-70. UD's last 134 regular season home games have had attendance of at least 11,000 fans. In the last 14 years, 99% of UD's home games have drawn at least 10,000 (372 of 374), including the last 171 regular season games. Also UD finished in the Top 30 in men's basketball attendance for the tenth straight season in 2006-07, according to a report by the NCAA. The Flyers finished 28th in the NCAA in attendance with an average of 12,266 fans a game. Since UD Arena opened in 1969, Dayton has been in the NCAA`s top 35 in attendance every season. The Flyers led the Atlantic 10 in attendance for the 11th straight season. UD averaged more than 2,300 fans a game better than any other team in the conference.

    DID YOU KNOW?
    UD won more games than any other school in both the 1950s and `60s. UD won 435 games between 1950 and 1969 and ranks among the top teams of the 1950s and 1960s in Division I history. The Flyers' .763 (228-71) winning percentage in the 1950s ranks fifth in the decade. Their .729 (207-77) winning percentage ranks eighth in the 1960s.


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