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Oklahoma advances to Sweet 16 with win over Dayton

Mar 23, 2015 - 1:39 AM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Dayton's magic in the state of Ohio has run out, and Oklahoma is in the driver's seat in the East Region.

Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield scored 15 points as the third-seeded Sooners clamped down defensively over the final 10 minutes and knocked out the Flyers 72-66 on Sunday in front of a pro-Dayton crowd at Nationwide Arena.

Jordan Woodard scored 16 points to lead Oklahoma (24-10), which will take on seventh-seeded Michigan State on Friday in Syracuse after the Spartans upset No. 2 seeded Virginia. Villanova, the top seed in the East, was eliminated by North Carolina State on Saturday.

"They had a great crowd coming out," said Woodard. "We just had to shut them down."

Scoochie Smith netted 16 points and Darrell Davis made five 3-pointers off the bench for 15 in the loss. Dayton (27-9) led by nine in the second half but went more than nine minutes without scoring down the stretch.

"We lost this game, but one thing that I can say is I'm so proud of my teammates," said senior Jordan Sibert, who has played through a number of injuries over the past few weeks. "I'm so proud of this program and what we've been able to do."

The Flyers had been 19-0 in Ohio this season.

Oklahoma landed the first blow, with Woodard, Hield and Isaiah Cousins all hitting 3s for an early 9-0 lead. The spread reached 12 after consecutive baskets from reserves D.J. Bennett and Dinjiyl Walker, but a Cousins turnover near the 8:00 mark led to a Dayton run.

Kyle Davis stole it from Cousins, leading to a Darrell Davis transition 3. Oklahoma went more than six minutes without scoring after that, as the Flyers ran off 15 straight points to jump in front. Darrell Davis' second triple of the surge made it 32-29.

"Darrell is a terrific shooter," praised Dayton coach Archie Miller. "The A-10 Tournament he didn't shoot the ball particularly well, but he worked very hard and he stayed with it."

The Sooners briefly went back in front late in the first half, but another Dayton run brought the crowd to life and had the Flyers thinking upset.

Darrell Davis hit two more 3s and Dyshawn Pierre hit from deep during a 12-0 swing that made it 49-40. Dayton led three minutes later when Kendall Pollard made two free throws for a 56-49 lead.

Those free throws were Dayton's last points until a Smith layup at 1:19. Meanwhile, the Sooners scored 13 consecutive points and took control of the game.

Woodard shot 7-for-8 from the foul line in the final minute, and Ryan Spangler had a breakaway dunk late to put the game away.

Game Notes

Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger will guide his fourth school to the Sweet 16. He previously led Kansas State there in 1988, Florida in '94 and UNLV in '07 ... Oklahoma owned a 35-23 rebounding advantage ... Pollard and Pierre scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Dayton, while Frank Booker added 12 on 4-of-6 shooting for the Sooners.