The Dayton Flyers celebrate the win against Nevada Wolf Pack after the second half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena-Delta Center. Gabriel Mayberry-USA TODAY Sports

Dayton completes wild comeback over Nevada in NCAA Tournament

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated 3/21/24

In a a game where Dayton trailed by as many as 19 points with seven minutes to go, the Flyers went on a 24-2 run to close out Nevada and advance to the Round of 32.

WE AREN'T DONE YET!! #LetsFly // @FifthThird pic.twitter.com/VoGxIq0XAp
— Dayton Basketball (@DaytonMBB) March 21, 2024

Nevada had as high as a 99.6% chance to win Thursday's contest, but will now have to go home and wonder what could have been.

After Da'Ron Holmes gave the Flyers the lead with an and-one, the two teams traded the lead, giving Dayton a 61-60 lead with less than 40 seconds to go.

After a steal by Enoch Cheeks, the Flyers sank a couple of free throws and closed out the game with a defensive stop, as Kenan Blackshear missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send Dayton to a Saturday date with No. 2 seed Arizona.

The game was an incredibly even contest, with Dayton only out-rebounding Nevada by one, while the two teams' field goal percentage were within one tenth of a percentage point of each other.

Holmes led the Flyers in scoring with 18 points, while Koby Brea added 15 points. Jarod Lucas led Nevada in scoring, with Nick Davidson and Blackshear adding 15 of their own.

Arizona will undoubtedly be a tough matchup for Dayton, but the Flyers will have this incredible comeback to look back on whenever they want to reminisce about the 2023-24 season.

More must-reads: