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SMC California Athletics

Saint Mary's College Athletics Gaels
Malik dunking crop
Nathan Clark / Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
78
Winner Dayton UD 7-1,0-0 Atlantic 10
68
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC 9-2,0-0 WCC
Winner
Dayton UD
7-1,0-0 Atlantic 10
78
Final
68
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC
9-2,0-0 WCC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Dayton UD 46 32 78
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC 25 43 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

MBB | Second Half Comeback Not Enough in Loss to No. 19 Dayton

PHOENIX — Saint Mary's pulled together an impressive rally in the second half versus No. 19 Dayton but couldn't overcome a big first half hole as the Flyers came out on top at the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Talking Stick Resort Arena. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Malik Fitts led the charge on offense with 21 points while also grabbing a team-high eight rebounds before fouling out late in the game. Kristers Zoriks had a career-high 14 points while Jordan Ford added 11. 

The Gaels were the better team in the second half of play, outscoring the Flyers 43-32 while knocking down their 56 percent of their field goals. Unfortunately, it was too little too late for SMC as Dayton's scalding offense provided enough separation early to secure the win. 

The Flyers were unconscious from the field in the first half, making 67 percent of their 3-pointers (10-of-15) and 70 percent overall from the field. Jalen Crutcher began the game 6-for-6, including five made threes, and had 19 points through the first 17 minutes. 

Dayton broke off to an 18-6 lead early in the first half with a 15-2 run on the back of four made treys. The Flyers made nine straight field goals early on but Saint Mary's managed to stay within striking distance as they forced UD to make seven turnovers through the first 12 minutes of play. A 14-0 run by Dayton, 11 courtesy of Crutcher, would give put them up 22 with three minutes to go before the break. 

The Flyers held a 46-25 advantage at halftime as SMC shot 33 percent in the opening period. 

An 11-0 run early in the half brought Saint Mary's back within 13 with 13 minutes to go. The Gaels stretched that run to 16-2 minutes later to shrink the Flyers' lead to just 10. 

With two minutes and change left, the Gaels got the deficit down to single digits for the first time in 24 minutes. Dayton would hold on however for the remainder of the game to secure their seventh win of the year. 

All told, the Gaels finished the game shooting 45 percent and 43 percent from beyond the arc. SMC bounced back offensively in the final half by cashing in on over half of their field goals and also converted nine of 11 three throw attempts. 

Crutcher only tallied two points in the final half but still led the Flyers with 21. Obi Toppin, who averaged over 22 points coming into Sunday's game, scored 16. 

QUOTABLE
"We should have weathered the storm better but we did play better in the second half. We had good contributions from our bench, Kristers Zoriks played well for us." - Head coach Randy Bennett

"I got to see some of the guys I wanted to see. We're still sorting out who our nine are." - Bennett

NUMBERS TO KNOW
27: Saint Mary's had 27 points off their bench. 
6: Six assists was a season-low for the Gaels. 
78: SMC limited Dayton to their lowest point total so far this season. 
19: Dayton scored 19 fast break points. 
79: The Gaels were 79 percent at the charity stripe (15-for-19). 

UP NEXT: CALDECOTT CLASSIC
The Gaels have five days off and then will take on the California Golden Bears in Berkeley on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The matchup will be broadcasted on the PAC-12 Network. 
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