IBL 'Cats hand Dayton 1st loss

Mahoning Valley avenged its only loss of the season, 116-114.
STRUTHERS -- The last time the Dayton Jets came to play the Mahoning Valley Wildcats they were undefeated and the 'Cats were on a three-game winning streak.
Friday night, the Jets were still undefeated and Mahoning Valley was on another three-game winning streak.
The difference this time was the outcome, as the Wildcats (7-1) prevailed 116-114, avenging the earlier 18-point loss.
Culver leads way
Lawrence Culver led Mahoning Valley with 24 points and 11 rebounds. He was 11-for-16 from the field and also blocked two shots. AC Crockett added 10 points and a game-high six assists, while Rick McFadden, TeJay Anderson, and Geoff Evans had 16, 13, and 12 points, respectively.
For Dayton, Brooks Hall had 18 points and 19 of the Jets' 61 rebounds, while Chris McGuire added 16 points, and Dubray Black, Zach Williams, and Michael Brownlee had 15, 13 and 12 points.
After two early ties, the Wildcats took a 33-23 lead after the first quarter. Dayton tried to close the gap but Mahoning Valley led 61-53 at halftime. The Wildcats shot 61 percent from the field in the opening half, while the Jets hit on just 35 percent.
Jets pull in front
The Wildcats maintained their lead through most of the third quarter before an 11-0 run gave the Jets a 82-78 lead late in the stanza. The Wildcats rallied for an 86-82 lead entering the final quarter.
Mahoning Valley was able to get into the bonus at the foul line just 3:43 into the final quarter, and they used the line to maintain a slim advantage for most of the way. Dayton took a 111-110 lead on a layup by Carl Edwards with 2:54 to play. The Wildcats got the lead back on a basket and free throw by Culver with 55 seconds to go.
McFadden then hit two foul shots and a 3-point basket by the Jets made the score 115-114 with just over 10 seconds to go. McFadden was fouled at the 9.6 mark, and after missing the first shot he hit the second to give the 'Cats a two-point advantage.
Hall attempted a 3-pointer that was off the rim and rebounded at the buzzer by the 'Cats for the victory.
Won at foul line
Dayton had a 38-37 advantage from the field, and hit 16 3-pointers to the 'Cats' 10. The difference was at the foul line, where Mahoning Valley was 32-of-48 to just 22-of-36 for Dayton.
Mahoning Valley coach Andre Smith said, " It was a good game, they are a great team. Our guys gave us a great effort. The energy level that our bench came in with tonight was big. Chad [Allen] gave us a big lift on the defensive end. Moose [Evans] came in and hit some big ones, and Ricky and AC did well. We got the ball inside to the big guys which is something we have to improve on."
Besides Culver's 24 inside points, Bill Mallernee had nine points off the bench while Allen had six points, 10 rebounds, and blocked three shots.
Dayton coach Mark Baker said, "Give them a lot of credit, they protected their home court. They came out with great energy in the first half. We have to do better at the foul line on the road."
Mahoning Valley had 67 rebounds and suffered 24 turnovers while the Jets had just 13 errors in the contest.