Dayton Flyers at Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska edges Dayton 80-78 in Wooden Legacy

Instead, Watson put his head down, drew a foul and hit two free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining as Nebraska beat the Flyers 80-78 in the first round of the Wooden Legacy on Thursday night.

"That's his job, to win games at the right time, and that's one, Glynn," Nebraska head coach Tim Miles said while giving Watson a pat on the back.

Watson finished with 20 points, and Ed Morrow Jr. added 19 points and 10 rebounds, as Nebraska improved to 4-0 for the second time in five seasons under Miles.

Dayton (2-2) took its only lead on Scoochie Smith's layup to cap a 13-4 Dayton run, but they could not claim a second and final lead when a desperation pass the length of the court was batted away to end it.

Nebraska celebrated a win over a team that has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons after what seemed at times like a Dayton home game, with the Flyers bringing their pep band and mascot to Orange County.

After a 16-5 run by Dayton tied it at 26, Anton Gill and Tai Webster combined to score 11 points to put Nebraska back in front by eight. Nebraska took a 40-31 lead into the locker room, and was able to maintain a comfortable lead for most of the second half.

However, Charles Cooke and Xeryrius Williams combined for 23 second-half points as Dayton nearly escaped.

"You just knew they were going to end up in runs, and when those role guys, quite frankly, started making a whole bunch of shots, that's when you knew you had a problem on your hands," Miles said.

Cooke finished with 17 points and Williams had 15 points and nine rebounds for Dayton, which shot worse from the field (38.1 percent) than it did from the 3-point line (41.7).

"We're a team right now that is trying to find an identity," Dayton coach Archie Miller said. "Right now there are certain things out there that just don't look right to me, and it's not one guy. It's every guy."

TURNING POINT

Miller did not put the blame for the defeat on Dayton's late-game play and instead pointed to the lackadaisical defense at the start, spotting Nebraska a 17-5 lead. It was the third straight game Dayton was poor from the opening tip and Miller understands that has to change to contend for the Atlantic 10 title and make a postseason run.

"We can't give a team 7-for-7 to start the game," Miller said. "We can't give a team like St. Mary's at home a 15-4 lead. We can't get down at Alabama 20-2. At the end of the day, it's being ready to go from the start and ready to go on the defensive side of the ball."

STAT OF THE NIGHT

Nebraska shot 56.9 percent from the field, becoming the first opponent to make more than 39.3 percent of their shots against Dayton this season.

"The fact we got the lead was amazing," Miller said.

HE SAID IT

"We're just not rock-solid enough in any area right now to hang our hat on and say this is how we win," Miller said.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Huskers could be dancing in March. Nebraska has made the NCAA Tournament just one under Miles, but that could change if they can maintain the level of play they showed for most of the game against Big Ten opposition. Road trips to Kansas, Indiana and Maryland through Jan. 1 offer chances for signature wins.

Dayton: The Flyers won't play this poorly very often. Cooke came into the game averaging 23 points per game and would not have come close to that figure if not for the late comeback attempt. Dayton rarely capitalized on 16 offensive rebounds and the defense was spotty for long stretches.

UP NEXT

Both teams play a second-round game Friday night.

How can I watch Dayton vs. Nebraska?

• TV Channel: Dayton at Nebraska 2021 College Basketball, week 3, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
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