‘Dawgs grounded by Flyers, take first loss of the season

After watching the Red and Black jump out to a 4-0 start against some weak competition, Bulldog fans were curious to see how Coach Crean’s squad would do against a legit top fifty team.

They may wish they hadn’t asked.

The Bulldogs were dealt their first loss of the season in the first round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, falling to the Dayton Flyers, 80-61 in the opening game of the tournament on Monday.

Sophomore Tye Fagan led the Athenians in scoring with a career-high 11 points. But Fagan was the sole Bulldog to score in double figures against a disciplined Dayton defense.

While the ‘Dawgs struggled to get going offensively, Dayton’s Obi Toppin hit the court running, scoring 14 of the Flyers’ first 16 points. He finished with 25 points on the night to lead all scorers.

Toppins’ fast start sent Georgia into the halftime locker room staring up at an 18 point deficit, 43-25.

The Hoop Hounds quickly fell behind by 20 at the start of the second half, but cut the Flyers’ lead to 13 (50-37) with under 16:00 to play. It was the closest they would get before ultimately falling 80-61.

The Crean Machine in Red and Black will play the loser of #3 Michigan State and Virginia Tech at 2:30 p.m. eastern on ESPN2.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!