Strong shooting sends No. 24 Dayton past George Mason

The No. 24 Dayton Flyers shot 62.9 percent for the game to cruise to a 98-64 victory over George Mason Saturday night in EagleBank Arena. Freshman Otis Livingston II scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting to lead the Patriots offensively.

GAME NOTES

-The Flyers shot 63.3 percent in the first half and closed the period on an 11-3 run to hold a 47-31 advantage at the break. Charles Cooke posted 18 points in 14 minutes during the first half.
-Livingston opened the scoring draining a three-pointer, but Dayton quickly knotted the score and took its first lead on a Cooke basket with just over four minutes expired. The Flyers would never relinquish the lead thereafter.
-Dayton pushed its lead out to double-digits for the first time following a Cooke three-pointer at the 13:28mark for a 20-10 ballgame. The Patriots would cut it to five points twice following, but couldn’t get closer as the Flyers continued to build their steady lead.
-A Livingston jumper at 3:52 setup a 38-30 score, marking the last time Mason would come within single digits as the Flyers finished the half with an 11-3 run going into halftime. Dayton extended its run to 15-3 coming out of the break to open a 20-point advantage.
-Dayton shot 62.5 percent (20-32) in the second half led by John Crosby with 10 points. Cooke scored six in the second half to finish with 24.

STAT BREAKDOWN
-Dayton won the rebounding battle 41-24 led by Schoochie Smith’s eight. Five Flyers finished in double-figures led by Cooke’s 24. Dyshawn Pierre followed with 15 points and seven rebounds. Both Smith and Cooke dished out five assists as the Flyers tallied 19 in the contest.
-Livingston led Mason with a career-high 21 points, hitting four three-pointer in the process for a personal-best. Jaire Grayer followed with 11 points as the two Patriots to post double-figures on the evening. Jalen Jenkins and Shevon Thompson each pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
-Mason finished 15-of-24 from the charity stripe, while Dayton was 6-of-10. The Flyers were 14-of-22 from three-point range for a 63.6 percent shooting efficiency from long range.

NEXT ON THE COURT
-Mason faces a quick turnaround, traveling to Rhode Island for a Tuesday matchup. Tip in Kingston is slated for7 p.m.