SportsLine.com report
March 16, 2000

Round 1: Flyers fall short in upset bid

Jaraan Cornell broke out of a season-long slump by hitting three 3-pointers in the final nine minutes Thursday to lead sixth-seeded Purdue to a 62-61 victory over 11th-seeded Dayton in the West Regional.

Still, Dayton had its chances to end the Boilermakers' streak.

The Flyers drew within one on Yuanta Holland's easy basket underneath and had two chances to win after Purdue's Greg McQuay hit one of two free throws.

Brooks Hall missed a shot in the lane, got his own rebound and was fouled. Hall made the first free throw but missed the second with 6.7 seconds left. Purdue's Brian Cardinal was fouled in the scramble but missed the front end of the 1-and-1 with 4 seconds left. The Boilers escaped when the best shot the Flyers' could muster was a Tony Stanley 41-footer.

How They Got There

The Flyers spent the entire season unranked, but still managed more than 20 victories for the third time since the 1989-90. Dayton began with eight consecutive victories, including a two-point upset of Kentucky and eventually captured the A-10 West Division title. The Flyers were almost unbeatable at home, posting a 13-2 record at Dayton Arena.

Starting Lineup

• PG David Morris (5-10, 180, So.): One of three potentially dangerous guards. Morris has had an up-and-down season but has played well lately.
• SG Tony Stanley (6-4, 194, Jr.): A dangerous outside threat, Stanley can take over a game. Despite the attention Ashman received this season, Stanley, a second-team all-Atlantic 10 selection, led the Flyers in scoring with an average of 14.3 points a game.
• SG Brooks Hall (6-6, 200, Fr.): Another serious 3-point threat, Hall has good size for a shooting guard and plays with much more savvy than most freshmen.
• C Mark Ashman (6-10, 230, Sr.): Ashman will lull you to sleep inside. Most of the night it seems like he's just hanging around, but before you know it, he's put up big numbers and you're pointing to him as a reason you lost. Don't leave him unguarded.
• SF Edwin Young (6-2, 188, Sr.): Young has played well as a reserve and as a starter. He can handle the point or move to the off-guard position. He leads the team in assists (3.5 per game).

Keys to Success

Dayton is a team that doesn't look like it can have the success it has. There is no one player who is spectacular.

But maybe that's why the Flyers are a good team. They have chemistry. They play together. Hall and Stanley will burn you from the outside, and the unimposing Ashman is always around to grab some garbage inside and convert it into big-time points.

And, isn't beating a team all about finishing with more points?

The Coach

Oliver Purnell has become one of the city's most beloved figures. He had success at low-major Radford, mid-major Old Dominion and now at Dayton, which could be called a high major because of the conference in which it competes. Purnell is closing in on 200 career victories and has now posted four 20-win seasons in his career, including two at Dayton, where he has coached for six seasons. Coaching the USA Basketball World Games team to the 1999 Gold Medal helped put Purnell on the map. Success in this year's NCAA Tournament can't hurt, either.

The Bench

There is not a lot of depth with the Flyers. The fifth starting spot rotates between Young and 6-6 Nate Green, a freshman with more bulk. The loss of 6-7 guard Cain Doliboa to an injury early on hurt.

Offense

Dayton will run, and actually likes to. With athletes like Morris, Stanley and Hall, is it any wonder? These guys take it to the 3-point line, stop and pop with regularity. Hall led the Atlantic 10 in 3-point percentage (40.5), while he and Stanley each averaged more than two 3-pointers made per game.

Defense

Dayton has done a good job holding opponents to few enough points to win the majority of its games. Only once did the Flyers allow 90 points in a game and they only lost by five (95-90) to George Washington the road.