NCAAB Game Preview - Drake at Dayton

Sat Dec 14, 2019 7:00 PM EST

Fresh off arguably its toughest victory thus far this season, No. 14 Dayton will plays host to unranked Drake on Saturday.

The Flyers (7-1) defeated Saint Mary's (Calif.) 78-68 on Sunday in Phoenix. Dayton led by as many as 19 points in the second half.

The Bulldogs (8-2) are coming off a hard-fought 78-73 victory at home over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday.

Drake trailed by 11 in the first half before Noah Thomas came off the bench to rescue the Bulldogs. In a 50-second span, Thomas made two steals, connected on a pair of layups and a 3-pointer to keep the Bulldogs in the game.

"I think (Thomas) has really given us a spark in several games where we needed a little bit of energy," Drake head coach Darian DeVries told reporters after the game. "You know, his motor when he comes off the bench is evident and the impact he has on both ends of the floor."

DeVries knows if the Bulldogs fall behind the Flyers, the climb back will be much more treacherous. Dayton has four players averaging between 10.0 and 10.9 points per game, and as a team it makes 46 percent of their field-goal attempts.

The Bulldogs could be without senior forward Tremell Murphy, who injured a foot in the win against SEMO. Murphy missed the first five games of the season after being charged in an accidental shooting of a student at a party in August.

Drake's defense will offer the Flyers' offense its second straight challenge. Saint Mary's was allowing only 60 points per game before the Flyers scored 78. The Bulldogs are giving up just 60.7 points per game.

Dayton ranks second in the nation, scoring 87.4 points per game. Besides the four Flyers averaging double-figure scoring, two other Dayton players are scoring more than 9.0 points per game. Overall, the Flyers are making nearly 55 percent of their field-goal attempts and more than 40 percent of their attempts from 3-point range.

Six of Dayton's seven wins have been by at least double figures. Head coach Anthony Grant has the Flyers' offense humming on all cylinders.

In the win over Saint Mary's, Dayton's offense sank 69.5 percent of its first-half field-goal tries.

Jalen Crutcher made his first five attempts from 3-point range and finished making 7 of 13 field goals, 5 of 8 3-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws.

"It just felt like the rim was a lot bigger after I made my first shot," Crutcher told the Dayton Daily News. "I just thank my coaches and my teammates who have so much confidence in me and keep telling me to shoot the ball and keep doing me."

With Crutcher averaging 13.0 points and Obi Toppin pouring in 21.4 points and shooting 65.7 percent, Dayton's offense is hard to stop.

"We've got so many weapons," Crutcher said. "We've got so many people who can play make for each other. We've got a lot of people who can shoot."

The only blemish has been turnovers -- Dayton is committing 13.6 per game. Drake is turning over opponents at a clip of 15.9 a game.

The turnover stat might be a bit surprising considering the Flyers are third in the nation averaging 20.3 assists.

--Field Level Media