Dayton, OH – The Dayton Flyers defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 85-81 in overtime in an exciting back and forth match-up. Dayton opened the game with lots of energy and playing suffocating defense. Arkansas didn’t score their first points until nearly five minutes into the game. Dayton forced three turnovers on Arkansas first five possessions, including a 30 second shot clock violation on the game’s opening possession.
Dayton led by as much as 23 points (30-7) midway through the first-half, however Arkansas clawed their way back into the game as they only trailed by four points at the half 38-34. Arkansas fought their way all the way back and forced overtime when Anthlon Bell drained a three point field goal with 1.6 seconds left, but Dayton would recover in overtime and hold on for the win.
Kendall Pollard and Charles Cooke got the Flyers off to a great start. Pollard is a very aggressive big. He runs the floor with force, and finishes on the break very well. Pollard also has nice touch on his shots when he is posting up. He attacks the rim with authority, and does a nice job getting to the free-throw line, Against Arkansas he shot well, hitting on 7-of-8 free throw attempts. Pollard is an undersized big-man but he does a great job crashing the boards, tonight he had a couple of key offensive rebounds in the overtime session that helped Dayton secure the win. Pollard finished the game with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Junior guard Cooke is a long, rangy, and versatile wing. Cooke does many things on the floor well. At the offensive end he can put the ball on the floor and attack, he’s a decent athlete and a good slasher to the basket, and at 6’5 he takes long stride to gain an advantage. Cooke’s best attribute on offense is his shooting, as he can make shots from all over the floor. He did a great job of moving without the ball and getting open for clean looks. He made 4-of- 8 from three point land. Cooke is a good defender as well, he has long arms and he moves his feet well. He’s also a good rebounder from the guard position, he does a great job of attacking the glass when shots go up. Cooke had a huge impact on the game finishing up with the team high of 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
Junior forward Mosses Kingsley was a bright spot for the Razorbacks. The Nigerian native was very active around the basket. Kingsley is a 6’10 big that is very scrappy and aggressive on both offense and defense. He plays around 10 feet and in, but he causes problems for the defense when he touches the ball. He goes to the basket strong. Kingsley does a good job getting position on the block and also does a great job moving around to finding holes in the defense to get scoring opportunities.
Kingsley did a great job of keeping Arkansas in the game in the first half when the game was in danger of getting out of hand as he had 16 points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the first half. Kingsley was very aggressive on the offensive glass, and getting second chance opportunities for his team. He also did a great job getting to the free-throw line where he shot very well making 8- of- 9. He was outstanding on the defensive end as well as he rebounded, blocked and altered shots at the rim all night. Kingsley was a dominant force for the Razorbacks as he finished with a game high 26 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Arkansas got a good lift from their backup guards, sophomore Anton Beard and Junior Dusty Hannahs. Both players hit timely baskets in the second half and were a key reason why Arkansas was able to push the game to overtime. Beard scored 15 points, which included three baskets from beyond the three point line. The sophomore also added five assists and four rebounds. Hannahs chipped in with 13 points.
With the win Dayton improves their record to 10-2 as they get ready to open up A10 conference play on Saturday against Duquesne, while Arkansas falls to 6-6 and will prepare to play Texas A&M.
This article was written by Frank Preston, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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