Dayton Flyers vs Richmond Spiders Box Score on Jan 25, 2020

Obi Toppin collected 24 points and 12 rebounds as No. 7 Dayton built a 20-point lead and held off a late run by host Richmond in an 87-79 win on Saturday in Atlantic 10 Conference action.

Jalen Crutcher added 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Flyers (18-2, 7-0), while reserve guard Ibi Watson and Ryan Mikesell chipped in 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Jacob Gilyard scored a game-high 27 points and Nick Sherod added 23 for the Spiders (15-5, 5-2), who could have tied Dayton for first place with a win. Nathan Cayo added 15, but Richmond hit just 39.1 percent from the field and was outrebounded 41-31.

Toppin's layup at the 16:56 mark of the first half finished off a game-opening 11-2 run for the Flyers, but the Spiders were able to work their way into a rhythm. They grabbed a 22-20 lead with 8:30 left when Sherod converted a turnover into a 3-pointer.

Richmond still led 28-26 when Crutcher canned a 3-pointer with five minutes remaining to initiate a 14-2 spurt that gave Dayton control for good. His transition layup with 1:05 on the clock made it 40-30, and the Flyers settled for a 40-32 advantage at halftime.

Dayton's high-powered offense, which entered the night averaging 82.5 points per game, gradually built the lead to 20 points with 8:25 left in the game. Watson's 3-point play made it 64-44.

The Spiders made one final charge, slicing the deficit to 71-63 when Grant Golden made a foul shot with 3:48 remaining. But Crutcher silenced the crowd with a 3-pointer, followed by a Trey Landers layup that upped the margin to 13 points with 2:47 on the clock.

Dayton shot nearly 54 percent from the field in another efficient performance, and also converted 22 of 29 free throws. Its only negative was that it committed 15 turnovers that Richmond cashed in for 19 points.

--Field Level Media