DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Jalen Crutcher matched his career high with 23 points, Obi Toppin had four dunks, and No. 7 Dayton — playing with its highest ranking in 52 years — showed off its versatility while pulling away to an 86-60 victory over St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night.
Crutcher made the shot that helped the Flyers (17-2, 6-0 Atlantic 10) move into the Top 10 for the first time since December 1967. His 3 with less than a second left in overtime gave Dayton a 78-76 win at Saint Louis over the weekend.
Crutcher had his touch again Wednesday. His 3 started a 22-5 run that closed the first half and put Dayton up 47-29.
Crutcher had a pair of 3s during the decisive spurt and a driving layup with 4.9 seconds left as he was fouled. Crutcher missed the free throw, but the ball was batted out to Toppin for a floater at the buzzer. Crutcher went 5 of 9 from beyond the arc overall in his third straight 20-point game.
Toppin provided the most crowd-pleasing moments, repeatedly getting open for alley-oop dunks. He had 18 points and nine rebounds.
St. Bonaventure (12-7, 4-2) was coming off its most lopsided loss of season, 91-63 at VCU. Coach Mark Schmidt called a timeout after Dayton ran out to a 6-0 lead punctuated by one of Toppin’s dunks, hoping to avoid another quick blowout.
The Bonnies hung in for most of the half, staying within six points until Crutcher led the late run. Schmidt called two more timeouts during the spurt but couldn’t stop it.
The start of the second half was more of the same as Dayton stretched the lead to 30 points. Crutcher hit a 3 and flipped the ball over his shoulder for a basket as he was fouled. Toppin had two more dunks, one off a pass from Crutcher.
Jaren English led the Bonnies with 17 points.
St. Bonaventure: The Bonnies played a Top 25 team for the first time since Dec. 8, 2018, when they lost at home to No. 17 Buffalo 80-62. Their last win over a ranked team was 77-74 over No. 14 Rhode Island on Feb. 16, 2018.
Dayton: The Flyers are the first Atlantic 10 team in six years to make it into the Top 10. Saint Louis and VCU cracked the Top 10 in 2014.
Penn State 72, Michigan 63
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Lamar Stevens scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half, and Penn State was in control for most of the game in a 72-63 victory over Michigan on Wednesday night.
Curtis Jones scored 18 points and Myreon Jones added 16 for the Nittany Lions, who handed Michigan its third straight loss. Penn State led by nine at halftime and extended its advantage into double digits soon after that.
Zavier Simpson led Michigan with 18 points, but the Wolverines (11-7, 2-5 Big Ten) made just three of their first 21 shots from the field in the second half.
Penn State (14-5, 4-4) also beat Michigan last season. This is the first time the Nittany Lions have won consecutive games over the Wolverines since 2008 and 2009. Penn State also snapped a seven-game losing streak at Crisler Center.
Stevens scored Penn State’s first seven points, and the Nittany Lions jumped to an early 9-2 lead. Michigan rallied to lead 21-16 before Penn State went on a 14-0 run. It was 37-28 at halftime.
The Nittany Lions led 60-45 with 7 minutes to play. The Wolverines went on one last run and cut the lead to five on a 3-pointer by Simpson, but got no closer.
Wolverines forward Isaiah Livers missed his sixth straight game with a groin injury. Michigan is 2-4 in that stretch.
Xavier 66, Georgetown 57
CINCINNATI (AP) — Freshman KyKy Tandy scored a season-high 18 points, Naji Marshall also had 18 and Xavier snapped a three-game losing streak with a 66-57 victory over Georgetown on Wednesday night.
Tyrique Jones recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Musketeers (13-6, 2-4 Big East Conference).
Mac McClung led Georgetown (12-8, 2-5) with 19 points. Freshman Qudus Wahab scored nine points for the Hoyas, who have lost five of seven.
A 13-0 run helped Xavier take control in the first half as Paul Scruggs’ 3-pointer put the Musketeers ahead 23-8.
The Hoyas started 3-of-16 shooting and trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half. But four points from McClung during a 7-0 run helped reduce the Musketeers’s lead to 10.
Tandy’s 3-pointer with 14 seconds left in the half put Xavier ahead 35-23. Georgetown’s 23 first-half points tied a season-low, also scoring 23 in a loss at Providence on Dec. 31.
Marshall picked up his third foul with 17:45 left, and McClung’s steal and reverse dunk cut the Musketeers’ lead to eight. But Tandy’s fourth 3-pointer put the Musketeers ahead 62-46 with 4:49 left.
The Musketeers are trying to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1998-99 and 1999-00 campaigns.
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