SALT LAKE CITY — An epic collapse and an epic comeback were entwined Thursday afternoon at the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City.
No. 7 seed Dayton, which struggled mightily throughout most of the first and second halves against No. 10 seed Nevada, finished the game on an amazing 24-4 run over the last seven minutes to advance in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. Dayton flew by Nevada 63-60.
For much of the day, the Wolfpack were in control with their talented 1-2 backcourt punch of Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear controlling much of the flow of the game. But something awoke in the Flyers late.
Trailing 56-39 with just over seven minutes remaining, the Flyers went on a swift 14-0 run to climb within striking distance. One of the best 3-point shooters in the country, junior Koby Brea, tied the game with a huge 3-point shot with 2:45 to go.
DAYTON COMPLETES THE COMEBACK ✈️#MarchMadness @DaytonMBB pic.twitter.com/uKpVNDeHaz
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2024
Then star DaRon Holmes II showed why he was named the Atlantic 10 co-player of the Year. A dunk attempt went awry but he stayed with the attempt mid-air and got the layup to fall and was fouled to give the Flyers their first lead since the first half.
Holmes also forced a steal on Nevada forward Nick Davidson, who attempted to cross him over and start toward the basket with 17 seconds remaining.
The Flyers advanced to Saturday’s Round of 32 matchup with No. 2 seed Arizona, which beat No. 15 Long Beach State, 85-65.
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(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
