March 3, 2007

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DAYTON, Ohio - The Dayton Flyers pulled off a thrilling 65-64 double-overtime win on senior night at UD Arena on Saturday behind 16 points from junior Brian Roberts.

Junior Andres Sandoval and sophomore Charles Little each chipped in 14 points. Dayton's record now stands at 18-11 overall and 8-8 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The win guaranteed the Flyers the No. 8 seed and a matchup with the Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday, March 7 beginning at noon EST in the Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship from Atlantic City, N.J.

Before the Flyers could punch their ticket to New Jersey, however, junior Norman Plummer had to convert two nerve-wracking free throws with 1.6 seconds to go in regulation. With the sold-out UD Arena crowd hushed and on its feet, Plummer sank both foul shots to tie the game at 47-47. It was the first overtime game this season for each squad.

Saint Louis senior Ian Vouyoukas led all scorers with 28, but Dayton held a 26-4 advantage in bench scoring. The Flyers also held a 14-6 edge in points off turnovers.

Saint Louis went inside early to Vouyoukas. The 6-10 center converted on his first two attempts, and two buckets by sophomore Kevin Lisch put the Billikens up 9-2 with 15:41 remaining in the half.

The tandem of Vouyoukas and Lisch went on to score Saint Louis's first 16 points. Despite opening the game 2-of-10 from the field, the Flyers clawed back with a 10-2 run. A pair of three-point baskets from Sandoval and two buckets from Plummer cut the Billiken lead to one, 16-15, with 6:40 left to play.

Saint Louis answered with an 11-3 run of its own to end the half, as UD trailed 27-20 at the intermission. Lisch led all scorers at the half with 10, while Sandoval led the Flyers with six off the bench.

Little rallied the Flyers early in the second half scoring six of Dayton's first eight points as UD drew within one point, 31-30, with 15:47 remaining.

The Flyers then took their first lead of the game with Sandoval's third triple of the contest, putting UD up 37-35 with 12:32 to play. The teams traded baskets over the remainder of regulation, as neither team was able to build a lead of greater than two points.

Roberts tied the game at 45-45 at the 1:45 mark with a turn-around jumper, but Lisch answered for the Billikens with a successful runner in the lane with 16.9 seconds left to play, giving Saint Louis a 47-45 lead.

Freshman Marcus Johnson fired an unsuccessful jump shot with five seconds remaining, but Plummer grabbed the offensive rebound and went back up. He was fouled from behind with 1.6 seconds remaining in regulation. With the game on the line, Plummer sank the two attempts to send the game into overtime knotted 47-47.

Saint Louis struck first in overtime with a basket from junior Luke Meyer, but Roberts beat the shot clock with a one-handed runner to tie the contest. A pair of foul shots from Roberts gave the Flyers their first lead in overtime, 51-49.

However, the Billikens used a 5-0 run to jump back on top, 54-51, with 1:14 left to play. Sandoval responded with his fourth three-pointer of the game to bring the crowd to its feet and even the score, 54-54. The Billikens would have the ball with 30.3 seconds remaining and a chance for the final shot.

UD's Little stepped into the passing lane and picked off sophomore Tommie Liddell's pass with eight seconds to play and took it the length of the court for a fast-break flush with four seconds left.

However, Danny Brown sank an off-balance jumper with less than one second on the clock to send the game into a second overtime tied at 56-56.

Vouyoukas and Sandoval traded buckets to begin the second overtime period. Plummer beat the shot clock with 1:31 to play to give Dayton a 60-58 advantage, but Vouyoukas put the Billikens ahead by one with a lay-in and foul shot with just over one minute remaining.

Roberts became open on a screen from Plummer, and drained a three-pointer, as UD retook the lead 63-61. Vouyoukas was fouled on Saint Louis's next possession and converted on one foul shot.

Roberts was fouled after the inbounds pass and fouled with 22 seconds to go. His two free throws gave the Flyers a 65-62 edge.

Lisch's game-tying three-point try was unsuccessful, but Meyer grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled with 7.1 seconds to go. Meyer made both free throws, and Dayton still led 65-64.

The inbounds pass went to Sandoval, who was sent to the line with 6.4 seconds. Sandoval missed both free throws, but Brown's last second shot fell short as UD held on for the victory.

It was a memorable last home game for graduating seniors Nick Stafford and Monty Scott. Scott, who will miss the remainder of the season following knee surgery, finished his career 36th all-time in points as a Flyer with 1,054. He is also tied for sixth in career three-pointer field goals with 158.