Dayton's Kendall Pollard sank a pair of free throws with 10:23 to play, giving the No. 11 Flyers a 56-49 lead over the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners. It was Dayton's largest lead of the game, and playing an easy drive away from campus in Columbus, the crowd was buzzing at the prospect of a second straight Sweet 16 trip for the Flyers.
2015 NCAA Tournament bracket: Oklahoma rallies for Sweet 16 berth over Dayton, 72-66
Oklahoma’s in the Sweet 16 for the first time since Blake Griffin was a Sooner.
Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Then Dayton fell apart. Oklahoma rallied to score 13 straight, and the Sooners’ defense held Dayton scoreless over the next nine minutes. Dayton recovered in the final minute but couldn’t do so quickly enough, and the Sooners advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 72-66 win.
The Sooners -- the lowest remaining seed in the East Region after No. 1 Villanova and No. 2 Virginia were both eliminated in the round of 32 -- relented and allowed Dayton back in the game after taking a 63-56 lead. The Flyers finally got back on the board with a Scoochie Smith layup with 1:21 to play, closing the Dayton deficit to 62-58.
Oklahoma coughed up the ball on the following possession, and Dayton appeared to have a run-out layup to bring the game within one possession. Instead, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield sprinted from behind Dayton’s Darrell Davis to block the gimme at the basket.
Oklahoma retained the ball, and the game never got back within a single possession.
The Sooners advance to their first regional since 2009 when Blake Griffin was on campus in Norman. Oklahoma will play No. 7 Michigan State in the Sweet 16, paired in the East Region with No. 8 N.C. State and the winner of Sunday night's game between No. 4 Louisville and No. 5 Northern Iowa.
Jordan Woodard led Oklahoma with 16 points. Dayton shot 11-of-19 from three-point range, but it wasn't enough to buoy the Flyers throughout their fatal second-half drought.
See More:
