Cooke hits career high as Dayton rips Austin Peay 96-68

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) Charles Cooke shot 11 for 17 from the floor and scored a career-high 31 points as Dayton pounded Austin Peay 96-68 in the home opener for both teams Friday night.

Cooke had 24 before halftime as the Flyers raced to a 44-27 lead. Junior Darrell Davis added 17 points-the most since his freshman year-for Dayton.

Cooke's 3 with 17:02 to go before halftime gave Dayton a 12-2 lead. But the Governors proceeded to go on a 13-7 run, and Josh Robinson's 3 cut the deficit to 19-15 with 10:40 remaining before the break.

Later, a Davis jumper and a layup from Cooke padded the lead to 33-19 with 4:13 left before the half.

Dayton shot 37 for 68 from the floor (54.4 percent) to 22 for 56 (39.3) for the Governors.

Robinson led the Governors with 26 points. Austin Peay committed 19 turnovers.