Home-court edge: Dayton uses late surge to beat Boise State

Associated Press

DAYTON

Kendall Pollard scored 17 points, and Dayton used every bit of its home-court advantage on Wednesday night, rallying for a 56-55 win over Boise State in the First Four.

The Flyers (26-8) will play sixth-seeded Providence on Friday in Columbus.

It was the first time since 1987 that a school has played an NCAA Tournament game on its home court, an anomaly resulting from Dayton hosting the opening games. The Flyers went 16-0 at home during the regular season and have won 22 straight at UD Arena, seventh-longest active streak in Division I.

The Flyers trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and by seven with 3:43 to go. With the crowd of 12,592 behind them — the biggest attendance for a First Four game — Dayton closed with a 10-2 run.

Derrick Marks’ leaning 3-pointer at the buzzer was far off the mark, finishing it off. Marks had 23 points on 10-of-21 shooting.

The Broncos had already snapped San Diego State’s 29-game home-court streak this season, and came up just short of another big road win. The Broncos missed seven of their last eight shots.

Jordan Sibert’s two free throws tied it at 53-53 with 1:02 left, and his long 3-pointer gave the Flyers a 56-55 lead with 34 seconds to go.

After Montigo Alford missed a driving bank shot, and Pollard got the rebound, was fouled and missed both free throws with 14 seconds left, giving the Broncos a final shot. Marks leaned into Kyle Davis on the final attempt, which missed everything.

Marks, the Mountain West Player of the Year, was coming off one of his worst shooting games during a 71-66 overtime loss to Wyoming in the conference tournament. He kept the Broncos ahead most of the way.

Marks had a 3-pointer and a pair of driving layups during a 14-0 run that put Boise State ahead 29-17 late in the first half.