Nov. 15, 2006

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DAYTON, Ohio - A strong second-half from homestanding Dayton and 30-point effort from junior Brian Roberts led the Flyers to a 79-66 victory over North Carolina A&T in front of 11,666 fans at UD Arena on Wednesday.

UD scored 15 of its first 16 second-half field goals in the paint to pull away and improve to 2-0 overall while NCA&T fell to 0-4 overall despite leading by as many as 13 in the first half.

Roberts led all scorers with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor. Roberts, who added seven rebounds and four assists, has scored at least 10 points in each half this season.

UD senior Monty Scott added 16 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Charles Little recorded 11 points and six boards as the Flyers remained unbeaten at home.

The Flyer post players led Dayton to victory as they out rebounded the Aggies 46-30 and held a 33-8 advantage on second chance points. Freshman Kurt Huelsman nearly had a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds for the Flyers.

Junior guard Austin Ewing scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half for the Aggies, while guard Steven Rush added a team high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. North Carolina A&T forward Jason Wills added 16 points for the Aggies which connected on 14-of-33 shots from beyond the arc.

In the first meeting between the two programs, North Carolina A&T led 35-29 after the first half of play capitalizing on sharp shooting from the outside and UD turnovers. The Flyers turned the ball 14 times, while the Aggies hit nine shots from beyond the arc and connected on 40 percent of its field goal attempts. NCA&T capitalized on Dayton's first half mistakes with a 16-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

Dayton adjusted in the second by scoring its first 13 baskets after the intermission in the paint to rally back from a 35-29 halftime deficit. It wasn't until Roberts hit a three-pointer with 3:38 remaining in the game that UD picked up its first converted field goal from the perimeter. In fact, it was the first basket for the Flyers from the outside since the 5:28 mark of the first half - a span of 21:50.

The Flyers opened the second half with a 19-6 run thanks to three buckets apiece from Roberts and Little. After trading baskets, UD took its first lead with 14:29 remaining in the second half when Roberts connected on a three-point play. UD would extend the lead to 48-41 before the Aggies would slice the deficit to 48-46 with 12:06 to play.

That would be as close as North Carolina A&T would get as Roberts and freshman Marcus Johnson helped UD on a 10-2 run to extend the lead out of reach for the Aggies. The Flyers collected nine offensive rebounds in the second half and turned those opportunities into 18 second chance points.

Overall, UD shot 47 percent from the floor and 85 percent from the charity stripe hitting 11-of-13 free throws. The Flyers defense improved in the second half holding the Aggies to 40 percent shooting from the floor and forcing 19 North Carolina A&T turnovers.

Dayton will play its first road game of the season against the SMU Mustangs in Dallas, Texas on Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. ET.