DAYTON, Ohio (Interstat) — De’Shayne Montgomery scored 27 points and the Dayton Flyers used a dominant first-half surge and relentless defensive pressure to pull away from the East Tennessee State Buccaneers for an 88-71 victory in non-conference men’s basketball action Tuesday night at a packed University of Dayton Arena.

A crowd of 13,407 saw the Flyers (7-1) overcome a slow shooting start from beyond the arc by attacking the basket and capitalizing on a slew of Buccaneer mistakes. Dayton converted 28 of 35 free throws and forced 21 East Tennessee State turnovers, turning them into 27 points.

The Buccaneers (6-2), who entered having won six of their first seven, kept pace early and held a 9-6 lead after a Blake Barkley three-pointer with just over 16 minutes left in the first half. From there, the Flyers unleashed a 19-4 run over the next six minutes to seize control. Montgomery, a 6-foot-4 guard from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was the catalyst, scoring seven points during the burst, which was fueled by ETSU turnovers and Dayton’s ability to draw fouls.

Dayton led 46-38 at halftime, having made 16 of 18 free throws in the opening period while holding East Tennessee State to just 2 of 5 from the line. The Flyers’ lead ballooned to 20 points midway through the second half, as their defense continued to disrupt the Buccaneers’ rhythm. A key sequence saw Dayton’s Keonte Jones steal the ball and find Javon Bennett for a transition layup, putting the Flyers up 57-39 with 15:29 to play.

East Tennessee State made a final push, cutting the deficit to 12 points on a Cam Morris three-pointer with 5:35 remaining. Dayton answered immediately, as Montgomery drained a three on the next possession off an assist from Jones to push the lead back to 15 and effectively end the threat.

Montgomery finished an efficient 7 of 13 from the field and made 11 of 12 free throws in his 33 minutes. He added three assists. Jones, a 6-foot-6 guard from Madison, Wisconsin, provided a strong all-around performance with 15 points, five assists and two blocks. Jordan Derkack contributed 14 points and five assists, while 7-foot-1 center Amael L’Etang added 10 points.

For the Buccaneers, Barkley led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds. Cam Morris, a 6-foot-8 forward, scored 19 points and blocked two shots. Guard Brian Taylor finished with 16 points and five assists but was hampered by seven turnovers.

The disparity at the free-throw line was a defining statistic, with Dayton attempting 20 more free throws than East Tennessee State. The Flyers also won the battle in the paint, outscoring ETSU 42-34, and held a 14-11 advantage in steals.

Dayton’s offense, which posted an efficiency rating of 114.8 points per 100 possessions, overcame a 6-for-22 night from three-point range by shooting 54% on two-point attempts. East Tennessee State shot 46.4% from the field but managed only 7 of 21 from deep and could not offset its turnover issues.

The victory extends Dayton’s home winning streak and sets up a marquee neutral-site matchup with Virginia this Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Flyers’ only loss this season came on the road against Cincinnati.

East Tennessee State, which saw its five-game winning streak snapped, will look to rebound at home against South Alabama on Friday. The Buccaneers were led by the frontcourt duo of Barkley and Morris but received little scoring punch elsewhere, with no other player reaching double figures.

The game was played at a fast pace, with Dayton utilizing 77 possessions and ETSU 75, but the Flyers’ superior execution in the half-court and their ability to generate easy points in transition and from the charity stripe proved to be the difference.