Senior guard Zach Filzen is the most feared three-point shooter in the Mid-American Conference. Opposing teams are usually in big trouble when he starts to heat up.
After a slow start to the season, the long-range assassin seems to have found a rhythm.
Filzen torched Dayton (5-2) on Wednesday night to help the Bulls (4-1) earn their first road win of the season, beating the Flyers 84-55. It's the first time the Bulls have started a season 4-1 since 2005-06. The victory is also the largest modern-day Division-1 road-winning margin by the Bulls.
The basket must have seemed as big as a hula-hoop for Filzen, who hit 6-of-11 from behind the three-point arc. He finished with a game-high 24 points and connected from all areas of the court. The six 3-pointers tied a career single-game high for Filzen and moved him into sole possession of third place on the Bulls' all-time three-point list.
The Bulls ran their offense to perfection, and lulled the Flyers to sleep with crisp passing and good movement. On the defensive end, the Bulls' 2-3 zone frustrated Dayton for the entire 40 minutes. Dayton shot a dismal 28 percent for the game – 18 percent lower than its season average – and head coach Reggie Witherspoon was happy with the defensive effort.
"I thought the zone was our best opportunity tonight to limit their dribble penetration and to contest their three-point shooting," Witherspoon said. "I thought we had enough length to contest their shots and we limited the penetration."
In the early minutes of the game, the two teams traded baskets before the Bulls went on an 18-0 run that created the separation they needed to pull away. Dayton missed 16 straight shots and the Bulls minimized mistakes the rest of the way.
Sophomore forward Javon McCrea and senior forward Mitchell Watt both recorded double-doubles in the game.
McCrea was dominant in the first half, scoring 13 of his 17 points and grabbing eight of his 11 rebounds. Watt finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and gave Dayton fits in the post in the second half. Watt also led the Bulls with a career-high seven assists.
The Bulls dominated the battle on the boards and almost doubled up the Flyers, 51-30. Witherspoon was concerned going into the game that the Bulls would struggle rebounding while playing a zone defense. The team didn't let that impact its work on the glass.
"Fifteen offensive rebounds wasobviously big because it kept [Dayton] out of transition," Witherspoon said. "I thought being able to rebound out of the zone was big for us because it'salways a challenge to rebound in a zone defense."
The Bulls lost the turnover battle (15-10), which made the lopsided victory even more impressive. The Flyers were coming off of three games in four days in Orlando, Fla. Witherspoon felt that contributed to the large margin of victory, but he was also very pleased with the offensive performance of the Bulls.
"I think our offense was in rhythm and it had good balance tonight with inside and outside production and that always helps the shooters," Witherspoon said. "Our movement was better, our screens were better."
Dayton leading scorer Kevin Dillard was held in check by the Bulls' zone defense. He finished with only 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Forward Chris Johnson led the Flyers with 12 points, as he hit four of the Flyers' six triples.
Junior guard Tony Watson continued his solid play for the Bulls off the bench. He finished with 10 points and four assists in 23 minutes, but Witherspoon explained that the impact Watson has on the game can't just be seen on the stat sheet.
"He was exactly what the doctor ordered in terms of going into the game off the bench and knowing exactly what was needed," Witherspoon said. "He knew what it took to be a leader out there and I thought he had a great floor game tonight – he got us into our offense and ran it very well when we needed it."
The Bulls will next face St. Bonaventure (2-2) on Saturday at Alumni Arena. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
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