Flyers fans still have reason to cheer

The game is over, but cheers were still loud as University of Dayton basketball fans celebrated an Elite Eight berth -- the first since 1984.

The atmosphere is much calmer tonight around the UD campus following the Flyers disappointing 62-52 loss to No. 1 Florida in the South Regional final in Memphis.

Fans are mostly staying on porches following house parties, and police are trying to prevent students from congregating on the streets, though there are students walking through the "ghetto" area near campus.

Jennifer Fronck, a 1999 UD grad, drove from Cleveland with her boyfriend Tony Scheffer to watch the game near campus.

"It's been 14 years since I've been here," she said. "I came down from Cleveland just for this game. We're upset that they lost but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Being around all the people, it feels like home to me."

It was Scheffer's first trip to the campus. "We said after the Sweet 16, if they win, we're coming down."

The crowd that gathered at Cassano's Party Room on Brown Street also applauded their Flyers despite the loss.

Mike Schmitt, a Chicago resident who graduated from UD last year, said he is incredibly proud of the team. "They gave it everything they had," he said. "It's a shame that we lost, but we made it further than a lot of people expected so I couldn't be happier."

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Flyers fans still have reason to cheer