NCAAB Game Recap - Dayton at Duquesne
Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:00 PM EST

Baylor
67
IaSt
53
F
SDSU
85
NM
57
F
Lou
86
BC
69
F
Dayt
73
Duques
69
F
DeP
57
Seton
64
F
WVU
81
TxTch
89
F
Vand
62
KY
71
F
NW
50
MSU
79
F
Hou
69
ECU
59
F
Bama
76
LSU
90
F
Ind
49
PSU
64
F
Buck
59
Army
68
F
Mercer
71
ETSU
55
F
Temp
63
UConn
78
F
Mem
59
UCF
57
F
Wake
80
ND
90
F
David
104
GrgWas
107
F(4OT)
MOSt
66
NrthIA
95
F
Valpa
69
Brad
80
F
Stony
84
UMassL
76
F
UNCG
72
WCU
58
F
Monm
63
StPet
66
F
Vermt
56
UNH
43
F
HolyC
66
Navy
81
F
Albany
67
UMBC
63
F
StJos
76
UMass
91
F
Drake
56
IndSt
58
F
Bingha
57
Hartfo
73
F
VMI
72
Furm
74
F(OT)
StBon
62
Ford
55
F(OT)
Woff
79
Citad
56
F
Lafy
80
Colg
78
F
LoyMD
77
Boston
92
F
Chat
92
Samf
84
F
TXAMC
61
SHSU
80
F
Nich
74
McNee
80
F(OT)
SoFL
66
Tul
52
F
Tex
62
TCU
61
F
Okla
53
KSU
61
F
SeLA
68
CenAR
88
F
LoyIL
63
SIU
68
F
SDSt
76
ORU
61
F
NWSt
82
NOrl
74
F
Evans
66
IlSt
77
F
InWor
84
HCU
82
F
StLou
77
LaSal
76
F(OT)
AbCh
61
SFA
71
F
SouthCar
79
Ark
77
F
Marq
84
Xav
82
F(2OT)
CBU
65
UtVal
61
F
Nev
91
ColSt
92
F
SJSU
71
Bois
99
F
AzSt
65
WaSt
67
F

Jan 29, 2020, 7:00 PM EST

Final

1

2

T

(7) Dayton

38

35

73

Duquesne

30

39

69

Obi Toppin's 22 points help No. 7 Dayton hold off Duquesne
Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:37 PM

PITTSBURGH (AP) Dayton has played plenty of close games despite its lofty ranking. Against Duquesne, the Flyers turned a possible rout into another nail-biter.

No. 7 Dayton (19-2, 8-0 Atlantic 10) led by 19 points in the second half on Wednesday night, but the Dukes (15-5, 5-3) pushed back with a 15-2 run and closed the gap to two points in the final minute.

Protecting the lead came down to Obi Toppin, the Flyers' leading scorer and reigning Atlantic 10 player of the year.

Toppin converted two free throws with 16 seconds left, giving him 22 points along with 10 rebounds. After a Duquesne turnover, the Flyers held on for a 73-69 victory.

Coach Anthony Grant was confident Toppin would come through for his suddenly shaky team.

"He's a really good player," Grant said. "He's proven himself with what he's been able to accomplish at this point."

It wasn't the first time Toppin carried the team. He went to the rim frequently, using a number of athletic dunks to finish over and around the Duquesne defense. Toppin shot 9 of 13 from the floor and now has six double-doubles this season.

"We've just got to be composed as a team," Toppin said. "Today, we didn't do that to the best of our abilities and it showed at the end of the game. But we got a `W' and we can learn from that."

Dayton's Jalen Crutcher had 18 points and was 4 for 6 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Dayton offense was clicking all night as the Flyers shot 59.2% from the floor and 44.4% from 3-point range.

But it was troubling turnovers and inconsistent effort on defense that allowed the Dukes to make it close in the second half.

"It was defense for sure that let them back in the game," Crutcher said. "We just weren't locked in. We were just trying to make our offense win, but defense wins games."

Michael Hughes II led Duquesne with 19 points. Marcus Weathers had 17 points and eight rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

Dayton: Both of the Flyers' losses this season came in overtime, against Kansas and Colorado. They also needed overtime to defeat Saint Louis on Jan. 13. But the experienced Flyers feel they can handle themselves in those situations.

"We've got some veterans that have had to deal with adversity," Grant said. "Last year, we lost a lot of one-, two-, three-possession games all the way through from the beginning of the season."

Duquesne: The Dukes turned in a solid showing against the No. 7 team in the country, but Duquesne has now lost three straight after falling at Rhode Island and Massachusetts last week.

"In order for us to take the next step, we can't lose at home to Dayton," coach Keith Dambrot said. "I don't care if they're No. 7 in the country or not."

MILESTONE MOMENT

Crutcher walked out of the visitors' locker room at PPG Paints Arena carrying a game ball under his right arm. He's not likely to put it down any time soon.

That was the ball Crutcher used to record his 1,000th point on the game's first basket. He made sure that the ball was coming back to Dayton with him.

"I just got the rebound and I just kept it," Crutcher said. "It means a lot. I'm thankful for it."

UP NEXT

Dayton: Returns home for a three-game homestead that opens with Fordham on Saturday. The Flyers have won 15 straight against the Rams.

Duquesne: Will host La Salle on Sunday. The Dukes are 8-1 at home this season.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

Leaders

Dayton PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
O. Toppin 22 0 2 10 1 1
J. Crutcher 18 0 6 5 1 0
Duquesne PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
M. Hughes 19 0 1 7 4 0
M. Weathers 17 0 3 8 1 0

Team Comparison

Dayt Duques
Points For 73 69
Field Goals 29/49-59% 27/59-46%
Three Pointers 8/18-44% 8/24-33%
Free Throws 7/7-100% 7/13-54%
Offensive Rebounds 5 15
Defensive Rebounds 20 15
Rebounds 25 34
Blocks 2 3
Steals 7 10
Turnovers 17 12
Personal Fouls 14 9
Technical Fouls 0 0
Ejections 0 0

2019-20 Reg Season - Dayt Leads Series 1-0

Date Result Away Pts Ldr Home Pts Ldr
Wed Jan 29 Dayt 73 @ Duques 69 O. Toppin 22 M. Hughes 19

Game Information

Stadium: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 7,001
Game Time: