Dayton was not about to let its A-10 home opener get away.

Despite facing all kinds of adversity and getting knocked on the chin (multiple times) during Saturday's win over Duquesne, the Flyers were able to right the ship, and get a little lucky, to keep their winning streak at UD Arena alive and their season on track.

They did it the same way they have been doing it all year: with toughness and heart. More than anything else, that has been what has kept Dayton in games, and it is what has won Dayton games. Just listen to Brian Gregory.

"In a lot of ways, that's why we win right now," Gregory said. "Cause our guys' hearts are bigger than how well we're playing. We sometimes just will victories out."

In Saturday's game, just as in several other games this season (Creighton, Georgia Tech, Towson) it was not necessarily the prettiest basketball being played. In all cases, the Flyers fell behind, sometimes by a lot. In every game, however, Dayton has exhibited a never-say-die attitude that has carried them to their 12-3 record.

Even in the losses, Dayton has scrapped from behind and survived poor shooting to be in the game with a chance to win in the closing minutes. Will power like that is such a rare thing in guys ages 18-22, but it is in endless supply on this team.

"You can't get down on yourself; you just got to keep playing," Marcus Johnson said. "You play with your heart. We just had to keep fighting."

As if the mental toughness of these guys isn't enough, they have plenty of physical toughness to go along with it. Take Rob Lowery and Chris Wright as examples from the Duquesne game. Both hit the deck hard (Lowery on a screen and Wright due to an accidental elbow) and had to come out of the game for a bit. Both came back in and were major contributors.

Wright's injury left him bleeding and he had to have a bandage put over his right eye. After the game he said he couldn't even see out of that eye while he had the bandage on.

"I only could see out of one eye," he said. "In this eye [the right one] I see like three people, and blood was dripping."

As he was talking to the media, the cut began to pour out more fresh blood. Somehow the junior not only played, but scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds with that to distract him.

It was excellent for Dayton to start their Atlantic 10 play with a thrilling win at home, a statement to other teams that they will have to do something extraordinary to come away from UD Arena with a win.

As the Flyers continue their play in the Atlantic 10 and hit the road, they will attempt to bring stellar play along with their energy and become a force that even the elite teams in the nation will have to worry about.

"We are definitely 12-3 and 1-0 in the league right now because of the toughness that we play with, not because we've played great," Gregory said. "If those two could come together, we'd be pretty good."

Perhaps Dayton's spot in the NCAA Tournament or atop the A-10 come the end of the season is uncertain. One thing is for sure though: these guys are never going to quit.