DAYTON, Ohio (Interstat) — Illinois State built a large first-half lead and withstood a second-half charge to defeat Dayton 61-55 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Wednesday night at University of Dayton Arena.

The Redbirds led 33-23 at halftime before the Flyers rallied after intermission. Dayton cut into the deficit but could not complete the comeback in front of a crowd of 10,444. Illinois State improved to 23-12 overall. Dayton fell to 25-11. The Flyers had been a 6.5-point pregame favorite.