DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -Chris Johnson started Dayton's opening 17-3 run on Saturday, and the Flyers led by double-digits the rest of the way in a 90-65 victory that knocked Xavier out of first place in the Atlantic 10.
Dayton (16-6, 5-3) was picked to win the Atlantic 10, but came into the game needing to split its season series with Xavier - the three-time defending champion - to stay in contention. The Flyers had lost eight of their last nine against the Musketeers (16-7, 8-2).
Johnson led a balanced offense with 18 points. Chris Wright added 17 and nine rebounds.
Xavier got into foul trouble fast and never recovered, finishing with its most lopsided loss of the season. Senior center Jason Love picked up two fouls in the opening 64 seconds, and backup Kenny Frease joined him on the bench at the 16:37 mark.
Jordan Crawford led Xavier with 24 points.
