University of Dayton’s Marcus Johnson makes a screaming dunk that fired up the crowd Wednesday, Feb. 10, against Charlotte at UD Arena. Johnson had 13 points and five assists in the Flyers’ victory.

DAYTON, Ohio — Chris Wright scored a career-high 30 points Wednesday to lead Dayton to a 75-47 victory over [...]]]> Associated Press

University of Dayton’s Marcus Johnson makes a screaming dunk that fired up the crowd Wednesday, Feb. 10, against Charlotte at UD Arena. Johnson had 13 points and five assists in the Flyers’ victory.

DAYTON, Ohio — Chris Wright scored a career-high 30 points Wednesday to lead Dayton to a 75-47 victory over Charlotte, tightening the Atlantic 10 race.

Dayton (17-6, 6-3), who was the preseason favorite to win the A10, has rebounded from consecutive one-point conference losses with three straight victories to help create a logjam of seven teams with either two or three losses.

Charlotte (18-6, 8-2) entered the game alone in first place but fell into a tie with Xavier and Richmond.

Dayton took control with a 13-3 run to start the second half, sparked by Wright’s 10 points, including consecutive 3-pointers, to push the lead to 43-30. Dayton’s lead grew to 73-44 with 2:20 to play.

Charlotte maintained a small lead for most of the first half until Wright and Chris Johnson ignited a 17-10 run over the final seven minutes to take a 30-27 lead at halftime.

Charlotte at Dayton, 7:00 PM ET, February 10, 2010 University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH

DAYTON, OH — In a match up between two Top 50 RPI programs, the University of Dayton Flyers will host the first place Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m.

Riding a two-game winning streak, UD [...]]]> Staff and Wire Reports

Charlotte at Dayton, 7:00 PM ET, February 10, 2010 University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH

DAYTON, OH — In a match up between two Top 50 RPI programs, the University of Dayton Flyers will host the first place Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m.

Riding a two-game winning streak, UD enters the game 16-6 overall and 5-3 in the Atlantic 10. In conference play the Flyers are out-rebounding opponents by 10.8 per game and are limiting opposing offenses to 63.4 points per game and .387 shooting from the field. The Flyers’ Chris and Chris combo (Wright and Johnson) are leading the way. Chris Wright is averaging 14.1 points and 7.4 points per game, while Chris Johnson averages 12.4 points and 7.5 boards per contest. Through 12 home games this season, Dayton is shooting 47 percent from the floor and averaging 73.2 points.

No team in the conference has been on more of a roll of late than Charlotte. The 49ers lead the Atlantic 10 standings with an 8-1 record and have won seven straight. Charlotte, which is receiving votes in the current AP poll, has won four straight A-10 road games. Charlotte’s Shamari Spears is the current Atlantic 10 Player of the Week after averaging 23 points and 9.5 rebounds last week. Spears leads the 49ers in scoring with 16.6 points per game, while Derrio Harris averages 14.1 points per game.

The series is tied at 4-4. In their last meeting, Charlotte came away with a 79-66 win at Halton Arena. The Flyers have won the previous two contests at UD Arena.