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Creighton guard compliments Flyers
P’Allen Stinnett, an All-Missouri Valley Conference guard, gave Dayton its due after Creighton dropped a 90-80 decision here.
“They’re a good ball club,” he said. “They have a lot of athletic guys. You can tell they’ve been together quite a bit.”
The Flyers may have been able to vanquish the Bluejays, who were playing without leading rebounder Justin Carter (knee) and two ailing frontcourt subs, but it wasn’t easy. A sell-out crowd of 13,435 was treated to an entertaining game between two solid teams.
“There’s no question Creighton will challenge for the Missouri Valley Conference and play in the NCAA tournament this year — because of the way they always progress, and they’ll get those guys back,” UD coach Brian Gregory said.
The Flyers, though, showed they’ve made strides since last season. Chris Johnson (18 points and 15 rebounds) looks like he’s poised to become a force in the Atlantic 10, and Chris Wright (25 points, two off his career high) has kicked his game up a notch with a more accurate outside stroke. He was 9-of-12 from the field and made both of his 3-point attempts.
UD’s bench is just as deep as last year, too. In addition to Johnson’s output, Paul Williams had nine points and no turnovers in 20 minutes, Luke Fabrizius knocked down three treys, and Josh Benson scored his first career bucket.
“Our bench is big, and it helps us win games,” Wright said.
The Flyers looked worthy of their Top-25 ranking, but they’ll play three quality opponents in the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic, and they won’t be able to feed off a boisterous throng like they did against the Bluejays.
“The crowd was unbelievable,” Gregory said. “I’d like to see crowds like that every single game because you could feel the buzz.”
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Comments
By Jeff
November 14, 2009 4:37 PM | Link to this
Good things happen when Chris Wright touches the ball. Even if he just throws it at the rim, he can count on Chris Johnson being in the area to grab a rebound. Too bad CJ wasn’t a “big time” recruit. He just goes out and prove the “experts” wrong.
By To Jeff:
November 14, 2009 5:14 PM | Link to this
Isn’t it a good thing that CJ was not a big time recruit?
By Cartog
November 14, 2009 5:14 PM | Link to this
I was hoping to find the stats and/or boxscore for this UD game and others at this site. I have had no luck. Anyone know if they will be available? If not this website is worthless. Thanx.
By Cartog
November 14, 2009 5:18 PM | Link to this
Sorry for for my previous post. I found the UD game boxscore. This DDN website is fantastic!!
By Dayton Diner
November 14, 2009 7:17 PM | Link to this
Why are there no photos from the game, and a pretty lame report of the game and it’s been 4 hours since the game ended. You should do better than this, ESPN is all over it… So is Yahoo… what gives?
By Harry the Horse
November 14, 2009 9:36 PM | Link to this
CJ and CW showed great poise and confidence and refused to let the Flyers lose. This was a stiff opponent for any team’s opener and Dayton played well enough to win but left areas they will improve on which really makes me excited. The togetherness of this team and the Flyer fans is special. Good Luck in Puerto Rico guys !!
By BJ
November 16, 2009 7:46 AM | Link to this
Chris Johnson is the best (sorry Velvet)all-around Flyer athlete since Donnie May. “Sweet Chris” can be an All-American if he chooses to stay focused and works hard. Good luck and I wish you the best. Go Flyers!
By Velvet
November 17, 2009 6:48 PM | Link to this
UH, BJ, CJ’s awesome but Chapman was arguably the best Flyer ever. CJ’s not the best player on this team. He’s close though. Rosey was unstoppable around the basket and an unbelieveable scorer. Just ask Wayman Tisdale and Detlef Shrempf. Lets not be too hasty here, and keep our head about ourselves, thanks