Sat Jan 12 23:48:35 2008

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Dayton bolts past Saint Louis in OT

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St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Brian Roberts scored 30 points and hit 11-of-12 from the free throw line, to lead 17th-ranked Dayton past Saint Louis, 68-57, in overtime at Scottrade Center.

Charles Little added 16 points for the Flyers (14-1, 2-0 Atlantic 10), who have rattled off 13 wins in a row after dropping the second game of the season to George Mason, 67-56, on November 17. Marcus Johnson grabbed eight boards for Dayton, which matched the best start in school history, equaling the 1955-56 team.

Luke Meyer scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds for Saint Louis (9-7, 0-2), which has dropped two straight after winning their previous three contests. Tommie Liddell III had 18 points, while Kevin Lisch chipped in with 13 points for the Billikens.

The Flyers scored the first eight points of overtime, sparked by two straight Little buckets, and were never tested again. Dayton held Saint Louis to two points in the extra frame, while scoring 13.

Saint Louis surprised Dayton by hanging around throughout the first half. Lisch's three-pointer, with just over seven minutes remaining, tied it up at 19 for the Billikens.

Another Lisch trey, this time with only a few seconds remaining, capped a 9-4 run that knotted the game at 30 going into the half.

The teams played evenly throughout the first part of the second half. The Billikens even took a one-point lead on a Meyer jumper just past the midway point.

The lead see-sawed until Lisch made a pair of free throws with 1:46 left to tie the game at 55. Neither team would score again in regulation and the game was sent into overtime.

Game Notes

Dayton holds a 20-18 lead in the all-time series, and has won five of the last six meetings...Dayton outrebounded Saint Louis 39-24.