Field Level Media
Feb 8, 2020
Junior guard Jalen Crutcher scored 17 points, Obi Toppin added 17 points and three blocks, and Ryan Mikesell finished with 11 points and eight rebounds to help No. 6 Dayton escape with a 71-65 victory over visiting Saint Louis in Atlantic-10 Conference play on Saturday afternoon.
The Flyers (21-2, 10-0) extended their winning streak to 12 by committing just six turnovers and holding off a late rally by the Billikens.
Saint Louis (17-7, 6-5) was led by a dominating performance from Jordan Goodwin. The junior guard scored a game-high 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Hasahn French finished 7-for-11 shooting for 15 points and eight boards.
The Billikens showed some fight early in the second half, when French scored seven straight points and added an assist to give the visitors a 47-46 lead with 13:02 remaining.
Crutcher helped the Flyers regain the lead by scoring seven straight points for a 53-49 edge. Toppin scored on a layup and Ibi Watson buried a short jumper to give the Flyers some breathing room with a 57-52 lead.
Goodwin drained a short jumper to slice the gap to 59-56, but Toppin's dunk pushed the lead back to 61-56. Toppin drained another jumper to increase the lead to 63-56 with 2:42 remaining. Goodwin nearly willed the Billikens to a victory, scoring seven points in an 80-second span to lower the gap to 67-63 with 54 seconds left. After Dayton's Trey Landers and Rodney Chatman made one free throw apiece, Goodwin kept his scoring surge going with a layup to bring the Billikens to within three at 68-65 with 23 seconds remaining.
Chatman hit two free throws to seal the win for the Flyers with nine seconds left.
The Flyers built an 8-3 lead in the early minutes of the game, but the Billikens never allowed them to pull away in the first half. Watson drilled a jumper to pad the Flyers' lead to 25-18, while Crutcher's layup extended the margin to 33-24.
Yuri Collins' basket cut the deficit to 35-31 with 58 seconds remaining in the first half, but the Flyers scored four straight points to seize a 39-31 lead at halftime.
--Field Level Media