Dayton hits rock bottom in loss at George Mason

Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer

Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer

The Dayton Flyers delivered what has to be considered their worst performance of the season, losing 85-67 at George Mason on Wednesday at EagleBank Arena.

Dayton’s starters watched the final five minutes from the bench as the Patriots dominated the second half and picked up their first victory over Dayton since 2007. The Flyers had won seven games in a row in the series.

Walk-on Jack Westerfield played the last five minutes. He also saw extended action in Dayton’s last lopsided loss on the road, an 81-65 defeat at St. Joseph’s.

Otis Livingston II lit up the Flyers in the second half, scoring 19 of his 29 points. He made 10 of 15 shots from the field in the game.

Darrell Davis scored 19 points for Dayton. Josh Cunningham had 15 points.

Dayton (11-14, 5-8) fell three games under .500 for the first time this season. It fell from a tie for eighth with George Mason and St. Joseph’s into 10th place. The Patriots (12-14, 6-7) and St. Joseph’s (11-14, 6-7) are now tied for eighth.

HALFTIME RECAP

The Dayton Flyers played their worst first half in weeks and faced a 36-27 halftime deficit Wednesday against George Mason at EagleBank Arena.

It was the largest halftime deficit Dayton has faced since it trailed St. Joseph’s 42-30 on the road on Jan. 17.

Dayton's star: Josh Cunningham made 2 of 5 field goals and 6 of 6 free throws, scoring 10 points.

George Mason's star: Otis Livingston II made 4 of 8 shots from the field and scored 10 points.

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Key stat: Dayton shot 36.4 percent from the floor (8 of 22). George Mason shot 48.3 (14 of 29).

Big run: After Jalen Crutcher tied the game at 25-25 with a 3-pointer at the 3:33 mark, George Mason went on an 11-0 run. Cunningham ended the run, making two free throws with 13 seconds left.

Bad sign: Dayton played its reserves much more than in previous games, and they didn't produce. Matej Svoboda, Kostas Antetokounmpo combined to miss all six of their field-goal attempts. Xeyrius Williams also saw action after not playing in the last two games.

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