NCAA News Wire

Dayton 60, Ohio State 59

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BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dayton guard Vee Sanford banked in a running right-handed game winner with 3.8 seconds left as the Flyers upset sixth-seeded Ohio State 60-59 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

Coming out of a Dayton timeout, Sanford, who was 3-of-10 shooting before his final field goal, answered Aaron Craft’s layup with 17.1 seconds remaining. Craft received the inbounds pass and dashed 80 feet and into the lane, releasing an 8-footer that rimmed out at the buzzer.

Ohio State took a 57-55 lead with 51.5 seconds remaining, the 12th lead change in the game, only to cough it up on the other end when forward Dyshawn Pierre was fouled on a 3-point attempt and drained all three free throws.

Pierre led the Flyers with 12 points and eight rebounds. Sanford had 10 points, four turnovers and three assists.

Craft had 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals with five turnovers for Ohio State. Forward Sam Thompson paced the Buckeyes with 18 points.

Separated by only 70 miles on Interstate 70, Dayton and Ohio State were separated by just three points after the first half.

Dayton, the No. 11 seed in the South Region, led No. 6 seed Ohio State 33-30 at halftime.

The Buckeyes (25-9) raced out to a 5-0 lead, but Oliver’s dunk and 3-pointer highlighted an 11-2 Dayton run that gave the Flyers (23-10) a 13-9 lead.

Ohio State answered with a 10-2 run led by Craft’s 3-point play and pair of free throws. Pierce’s 3-pointer sparked a 10-2 Dayton run near the end of the half as the Flyers regained the lead.

NOTES: The Buckeyes lead the series, 6-4. Before Thursday’s game, the previous meeting was a 74-63 Buckeyes win over the Flyers in the quarterfinals of the 2008 NIT. … For the first time in five years, Ohio State enters the field with a region ranking worse than a No. 2 seed. … Dayton is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2009. The Flyers were the national runner-up in 1967. … Dayton is 23-11 in the past seven years against teams from power conferences.