newjerseynewsroom.com

BY KYLE FRANKO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT

ATLANTIC CITY — Talk about a gut-punch. They don't get any worse than the one Dayton received Friday night in its Atlantic 10 quarterfinal with Xavier.

The Flyers lost a 15-point second half lead, then their poise, then the game and then a bid to the NCAA Tournament. To rub a little salt in the wound, it was their hated in-state rival that delivered the knockout.

"Disappointed at this point," said a dejected Dayton head coach Brian Gregory after his team dropped a 78-73 result to Xavier Friday night at Boardwalk Hall. "For 30 minutes I thought we played really well, but unfortunately, some of the things that we've done all year came back to haunt us. We were loose with the ball and made some bad decisions at some crucial times.

"Our guys had a chance to do something really good today but we let it just slip away. So, that's hard to take."

No decision was worse than the one Rob Lowery made. The Dayton forward was called for a technical foul after taking a swing at Xavier's Terrell Holloway following a timeout call. The Flyers were down four with 33.6 seconds remaining at the time.

Holloway sunk both free throws as the Musketeers got the ball back and cemented the game from the line. They converted 8-of-8 free throws in the final minute.

"He was trying to call a timeout and I didn't here a whistle, so I did what one of my old coaches told me to do and that is if you see a guy just standing there with the ball, swipe at it," Holloway said. "I actually swiped the ball and he probably felt I was trying to foul him and he turned around and threw a punch at me or whatever."

Gregory said he didn't see the play happen.

"That's a crucial call," he said. "If anything happened after the timeout called and there was a reaction to it, I have no problem with a call being made if [Lowery's] action was inappropriate. But if it's a response to something that occurred after the whistle something has to be called on that as well.

"I'll be honest with you; if [the officials] were right then they're right. I didn't see it, I haven't seen a clip of it - I just hope they're right."

Dayton fans were furious with the officials, but they really have nobody to blame but themselves. Well, maybe Holloway and Jordan Crawford too.

The sophomore duo combined for 27 second half points as the Musketeers (24-7, 14-2) erased that 15-point deficit. Holloway's 3-point play with 1:22 left gave Xavier its first lead of the game since it was 4-2.

"It was time to step up down 15," said Crawford who scored 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting. "There was no other choice but to step up."

Holloway finished with 22 points. Jason Love chipped in 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Knowing how essential guard play will be next week, Xavier head coach Chris Mack lauded over his dynamic backcourt.

"Those two have very big hearts and the guts to make plays down the stretch," said Mack who is looking to become only the third rookie coach to win an Atlantic 10 tournament title. "Tonight was no different. They have the ability to get to the rim and take over the game."

Marcus Johnson led Dayton (20-12, 8-8) with 18 points while Chris Wright added 17. Still, Johnson, a senior, couldn't help but be disappointed.

"It's tough with me being a senior," Johnson said. "We had the game, but we made some plays in the second half that really hurt us and they capitalized on it. They come out with the win. It's tough now, but hopefully we still have some games to play in the postseason."

That postseason is the NIT for Dayton, but as for Xavier, it's on to semifinals Saturday afternoon before yet another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

"The special thing about how we closed the game is that we're not going to be questioned about our toughness," Mack said. "That's the one thing I'm most proud about. We came here looking for a little bit redemption."

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