By Hal McCoy
Wilmington, N.C. — As it turns out, the University of Dayton basketball team is Ohio’s last team standing.
Yes, it is only the NIT, college basketball’s consolation prize, but the Flyers will take what they can get.
And they took it big-time Saturday night on Tobacco Road.
The Flyers advanced to the NIT’s quarterfinals with an 80-61 crush job over UNC-Wilmington at Trask Arena.
In tournament play, Ohio State is gone. Miami is gone. Wright State is gone. Akron is gone. Kent State is gone.
The Flyers, though, move on, their first foray into the NIT’s quarterfinals since 2010, when they won it all.
And if things break right, the Flyers could play their next game in UD Arena Tuesday or Wednesday. It depends on the outcome of Sunday’s Wake Forest-Illinois State game.
If Wake Forest wins, the Flyers travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. because the Demon Deacons are a higher seed than UD. If Illinois State wins, the Redbirds come to UD Arena because UD is the higher seed.
The Flyers played UNC-Wilmington as if it was the NCAA championship game, as did UNC-Wilmington . . . for a half.
Both teams left it all on the floor, everything but bloodstains, as they played as if they didn’t want the season to end.
The Flyers entered the game knowing three things: They had to protect the three-point line, they had to rebound and they had to be aggressive, especially on defense.
They passed all three challenges with A+.
UNC-Wilmington was an efficient three-point shooting team, the best in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
The Flyers shooed the Seahawks off the three-point line like a coyote chasing chickens. UNC-W was 3 for 21 from trey territory.
The Seakhawks, regular season CAA champions, were the league’s best rebounders and rebounding is not one of UD’s strong suits.
The Flyers outrebounded the musular Seahawks, 38-28, with Jordan Derkack snagging 13. UD had 11 offensive boards that it converted in to 10 points.
Defense is a UD strong suit and after a slow start, the Flyers’ high-pressure, in-your-face and in-your-chest defense totally disrupted the Seahawks.
UD’s full-court pressure totally disrupted UNC-W, prevented the Seahawks from running a cohesive offense.
De’Shayne Montgomery was all over the floor, end-to-end and side-to-side while scoring 20 points on 8 for 13 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and three steals.
It didn’t look promising for the Flyers in the early going when they fell behind 7-0 and were down 10, 24-14, with 9:55 left in the half.
A sellout crowd of more than 5,000 in Trask Arena was raising the roof.
That’s when the Flyers put on their hard hats and work boots, especially Montgomery.
While in the midst of sinking seven straight shots, the Flyers went on an 11-2 run, then Amael L’Etang converted the traditional and-one three-point play to tie it, 28-28.
Javon Bennett drove for the go-ahead basket, 30-28, and the Flyers built a 37-33 halftime lead.
Asked how the Flyers did a 180° about face when trailing by 10, Montgomery said, “Coach (Anthony Grant) kept us composed, told us about the environment here (in Trask Arena), so we just had to stay with it, play our game, and let the numbers talk.”
The second half? A professional demolition crew couldn’t have done better as the Flyers put together an early 16-2 run for a 53-37 lead and the Seahawks were permanently grounded.
Once the Flyers grabbed the halftime lead, it was their total intent to keep two thumbs around the Seahawks throats.
The 27-7 Seahawks had come from big deficits in the first half six times this season to win games, includingk 17 down to Yale in the first round of the NIT, and 24 down during the season to beat Stony Brook University.
The Flyers made certain there was none of that.
“They’ve been really good here at home, so we knew they’d come out and battle with a great crowd,” said Grant. “It was a great environment for our guys to play in and compete in.”
Of UNC-W’s early burst that put the Flyers down by 10, Grant said, “They played with great energy coming out of the gate and we knew they would. But it’s always a 40-minute game and for our guys it was just about staying the course.”
They not only stayed the course, they claimed every inch of it in the second half.
“Our style of play (aggressive, aggressive, aggressive) took its toll on them in the first half,” said Grant. “We were able to erase that deficit. Our guys stayed aggressive and De’Shayne had a great game overall.”
During a post-game interview on ESPN+, Montgomery was asked what facet of his game has he improved most.
“My shooting ability,” he said. “I was really a slasher and a playmaker, but I improved my shooting and that opened up more gaps for me and my teammates as well.”
UNC-W catered its defense to stopping Javon Bennett’s scoring and succeeded. He scored only nine points and was 3 for 11. But the Seakhawks couldn’t stop his point guard playmaking, his ball handling and his passisng.
Bryson Heard came off the bench and in a mere nine minutes made four of six shots for 10 important points.
Amael L’Etang encountered four difficulties and played only 19 minutes, but scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
“What we talked about needing to do in terms of being able to guard them, take away the three-point line, take away the easy baskets in transition, being able to rebound the ball. . .our guys did a tremendous job of locking into the scouting report,” said Grant.
At the end of his interview, believing the interviewer was misprouncing his name, Montgomery thanked them and said, “It’s Dee-Shane.”
They know his name in Wilmington, N.C.