WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)—Andres Sandoval and Marcus Johnson hit clutch free throws in the final 24 seconds as Dayton handed Holy Cross its first loss of the season 55-53 on Saturday night.
Brian Roberts’ jumper gave Dayton (5-1) a 52-47 lead with 33 seconds left, but the Crusaders’ 6-foot-11 center Tim Clifford hit a 3-pointer to make it 52-50 with 21 seconds left.
Sandoval then hit a pair of free throws before Clifford again hit a deep 3 to make it 54-53 with 15 seconds remaining.
Johnson hit one of two foul shots, giving Holy Cross (6-1) a chance to tie or win, but the Crusaders turned the ball over as time expired.
Jimmy Binnie scored 13 points to lead Dayton, while Clifford had a game-high 20 for the Crusaders.
Dayton led 26-25 at halftime but Clifford and Alex Vander Baan combined to trigger a 13-2 run that gave Holy Cross a 40-33 lead with 10:40 to play.
But Dayton forced eight turnovers in a 15-3 run to take a 48-41 lead with 6:12 remaining.
