Field Level Media
Dec 3, 2019
Obi Toppin had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Trey Landers added 16 points and eight rebounds as No. 19 Dayton continued its hot shooting to pull away from visiting Houston Baptist in a 99-68 victory on Tuesday.
Sophomore Chase Johnson had a career-high 18 points, and Jalen Crutcher and Ibi Watson had 12 points apiece for the Flyers (6-1). Dayton entered the rankings this week for the first time since 2016, when it topped out at No. 15.
Junior guard Ian DuBose had 18 points, and senior guard Jalon Gates had 16 points and four 3-pointers for the Huskies (0-6).
Dayton, which trailed by nine twice in the first half, produced a season-high point total and made 59.4 percent from the field to increase its season shooting percentage to 54.7 percent. The Flyers led NCAA Division I at 53.8 percent entering the game and were fifth in scoring at 87 points a game.
Johnson was 9-for-10 from the field and Watson made 4 of 7 3-point attempts. Rodney Chatman had seven of the Flyers' season-high 30 assists.
Toppin, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, had his third double-double of the season and added three assists, two blocked shots and two steals in 24 minutes. Ten Flyers played at least 12 minutes.
Gates scored all 16 of his points in a span of 3:40 early in the first quarter when the Huskies used a 18-7 burst for a 24-16 lead. DuBose made a 3-pointer to make the lead 35-30 lead before Dayton took control.
Reserve guard Jhery Matos made a pair of 3-pointers and Toppin had four points during a 19-5 run when the Flyers gained a lead they never lost. It was 49-42 at halftime, and the Flyers led by as many as 35 while outscoring the Huskies 50-26 in the second half.
Houston Baptist, which shot 38.6 percent, had given up an average of 100.2 points a game in its first five contests. The Huskies will play their first home game of the season Saturday against Samford.
The Flyers will oppose Saint Mary's on Sunday in Phoenix.
--Field Level Media