DAYTON, Ohio (Interstat) — De’Shayne Montgomery scored 23 points and the Dayton Flyers used a dominant first-half performance to cruise past the North Florida Ospreys 84-61 in a nonconference men’s basketball game Saturday at a sold-out University of Dayton Arena. A crowd of 13,407 watched the Flyers improve to 8-2, while North Florida fell to 2-8. The most important part of the game was Dayton’s overwhelming start, which effectively decided the contest before halftime. The Flyers raced out to a 46-23 lead at the break, fueled by a 29-8 run over a 10-minute span in the first half. During that decisive stretch, Dayton’s defense and transition game overwhelmed the Ospreys. The Flyers forced 10 first-half turnovers, converting them into 14 points, and outscored North Florida 19-2 in fastbreak points for the game. The Ospreys never recovered from the early deficit, despite outscoring Dayton 38-38 in the second half. Montgomery, a 6-foot-4 guard from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was the catalyst. He reached his 23 points in just 20 minutes of action, shooting efficiently from the field and adding three steals and a block. His scoring burst included a personal 7-0 run late in the first half that pushed Dayton’s lead to 24 points. He was complemented by a strong interior presence. Malcolm Thomas, a 6-foot-8 forward, contributed 14 points, four blocks and three steals in only 13 minutes. French center Amael L’Etang, standing 7-foot-1, added 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Dayton’s size and athleticism translated to a commanding 52-26 advantage in points in the paint. North Florida was led by BJ Plummer’s 11 points. The Ospreys struggled with Dayton’s defensive pressure, committing 17 turnovers that led to 20 points for the Flyers. Kamrin Oriol and Kent Jackson each hit a pair of 3-pointers for North Florida, but the team shot poorly overall against Dayton’s defense. The Flyers’ victory followed a road loss at Virginia and preceded a quick turnaround at home against Florida State on Tuesday. North Florida, which has faced a difficult early schedule with road games at Tennessee, Florida and Gonzaga, continues its road trip at Charleston Southern on Thursday. According to National Statistical’s ELO system, Dayton had a 98.6% probability to win. The Flyers covered the pregame spread as 29.5-point favorites. The total score of 145 points fell under the over/under line of 159.5.

DAYTON, Ohio (Interstat) — The Dayton Flyers look to rebound from their first loss in nearly a month when they host the struggling North Florida Ospreys in a nonconference men’s basketball game Saturday at University of Dayton Arena. Dayton (7-2) saw a six-game winning streak snapped with an 86-73 road loss at Virginia on Dec. 6. The Flyers’ offense, which averaged 81.1 points during the streak, was held to a season-low in points. Guard Javon Bennett has been a consistent catalyst, scoring 18 points in the loss to the Cavaliers. He is averaging 16.4 points over his last five games, including a 25-point, five-rebound, five-assist performance against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 15. North Florida (2-7) enters on a five-game skid, most recently suffering a 109-58 defeat at Gonzaga on Dec. 7. The Ospreys have faced a rigorous early schedule with road games at Tennessee, Florida and Southern Mississippi. They have struggled defensively, allowing an average of 88.4 points in their seven losses. A key matchup will feature Bennett against North Florida’s top offensive threat, Trey Cady. The Ospreys’ guard is coming off a 14-point effort at Gonzaga and has scored in double figures in five of his last six contests, including a 22-point outing in a win over Trinity Baptist on Nov. 29. Dayton has excelled at home this season, boasting a 5-0 record at UD Arena with an average margin of victory of 17.2 points. The Flyers’ defense has been particularly stout there, holding four of those five opponents under 72 points. This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs. For Dayton, it serves as a final tune-up before a pivotal home game against Florida State on Dec. 16. North Florida continues a difficult road stretch before returning home to face Charleston Southern on Dec. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST Saturday.