DaRon Holmes II and the seventh-seeded Dayton team made an impressive comeback in March Madness, finishing with a 24-4 run to overturn a 17-point deficit and defeat 10th-seeded Nevada 63-60 in the West Region on Thursday.
Holmes, who was named the Atlantic 10 player of the year, scored 18 points, including a crucial three-point play with 2:01 left that gave Dayton their first lead since the first half.
The Flyers (25-7) were behind 56-39 with 7:36 remaining, but they responded with 17 unanswered points. This included three 3-pointers from Koby Brea, who ended with 15 points.
“In such situations, it’s tempting for someone to try to make a big play alone,” Brea said. “But in our situation, we did a good job of sticking together and working as a team, taking it one possession at a time.”
Enoch Cheeks’ layup with 34 seconds to go put Dayton ahead for the win, and he made two free throws for the final score. Cheeks contributed 12 points as the Flyers secured their first NCAA Tournament victory in nine years.
“That’s been our team’s spirit all season,” Cheeks said. “When faced with situations like this, we show resilience. We have a great group of guys who always fight. Having been in this situation before, we know that as long as there’s time on the clock, we have a good chance to come back.” Dayton, who scored their final seven baskets, will face No. 2 seed Arizona in the second round on Saturday.
Jarrod Lucas scored 17 points, and Kenan Blackshear and Nick Davidson each scored 15 for the Wolf Pack (26-8), who took control with a 16-0 run to close the first half. Nevada seemed to be in control, especially when they held Holmes without a basket for almost 14 minutes in the second half.
However, Nevada only managed to score two baskets in the final 7 1/2 minutes. They had a chance to force overtime, but Davidson and Blackshear both missed 3-pointers just before the buzzer.
“They played better towards the end,” Lucas said. “We didn’t execute as we were supposed to.” Nevada, who finished second in the strong Mountain West conference, has not won in the first round of the NCAA Tournament since reaching the Sweet 16 in 2018.
Dayton coach Anthony Grant secured his first March Madness win with the Flyers in his seventh season. He had previously won one NCAA Tournament game with VCU in 2007.
Lucas and Davidson made consecutive shots during a run of seven straight field goals for Nevada, turning a 25-18 deficit into a 34-25 halftime lead while effectively limiting Holmes’ opportunities. The Flyers struggled before halftime, missing four shots and committing three turnovers.
“Sometimes shots go in, sometimes they don’t,” Grant said. “I think in the first half, we let that affect our energy on the defensive end. They managed to go on a run to end the half.”
Nevada maintained their momentum into the second half, extending their lead with back-to-back baskets from Lucas. But Dayton’s defense tightened, and their shots started to find the mark, leading to their comeback victory.
“We lacked offensive rhythm,” Nevada coach Steve Alford said. “I wasn’t happy with our offensive performance at all. Defensively, we couldn’t get any stops.”
