Dayton Flyers basketball game story by Kimberly Garlick

Flyers strong on defense in exhibition win

By Kimberly Garlick

The University of Dayton Flyers stepped up their defense and all-around team play to capitalize on a preseason matchup with the University of Findlay for an 87-66 victory at home Saturday night.

Though Findlay is a NCAA Division II men’s basketball team, the Division I Flyers were challenged with the Oilers’ strong pressure at half court, said head coach Archie Miller. This game gave the Flyers an opportunity to address some deficiencies on defense that Miller said had left a “sick feeling” in the stomachs of the players and staff after a 92-78 win against Walsh University the previous Saturday.

“I’m pleased with our guys’ effort on defense in particular in the first half,” Miller said after the game against Findlay. “And I felt like, for the most part, we really cashed in this week in addressing some of those needs.”

Dayton’s defensive presence played a role in Findlay sinking only  3 of23 3-point attempts. The Flyers’ defense was also strong on rebounds, finishing with 47, with 16 on offense. Josh Parker led the team with eight rebounds, while Matt Kavanaugh and Kevin Dillard each had six.

Josh Benson, Dillard, Chris Johnson and Paul Williams each contributed in the offensive zone by scoring 11, 12, 13 and 14, respectively. However, these four were not the only ones to have an impact on the scoring. Of the 12 players who entered the game, 10 put points on the board. The Flyers’ bench combined for 36 of the team’s 87 points.

“The more guys that we have the ability to practice hard every day and get after it, they can get a window in the game that keeps them engaged,” said Miller, “then our season will continue to go the right direction.”

Though Miller said he was pleased with how spread-out the minutes were in this exhibition game, he said it was not indicative of what will happen in the regular season. 

Dayton’s regular season will begin next Saturday at home against the Western Illinois University Leathernecks. Paul Williams said that there are still things to work on before the season opener because “everybody’s a rookie in the system.” Though they may still be adjusting to the Miller’s system with this being his first year, Kevin Dillard said the team is ready to start the regular season.

“We’re going to watch film and build off of this week, because next week is for real,” he said. “Everything else counts from here, so we’re going to try to have a good season, and it all starts with the first game.”