Flyers defeat Dukes, move to 4-0 in A-10 play
(Photo via daytonmbb Instagram)
Gabriel Ward | Sports Editor
DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton men’s basketball team defeated the Duquesne Dukes 71-65 in an Atlantic 10 matchup on Tuesday night in front of 2,956 fans at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh.
Dayton was once again shorthanded as Jordan Derkack joined both Amael L’Etang and Malcolm Thomas on the injury report. Despite the injuries, the Flyers controlled the first half thanks to multiple players stepping up. Sophomore Bryce Heard made his first career start as he replaced Derkack, and Jaiun Simon got the start over Jacob Conner.
Dayton found themselves up early as a Damon Friery 3-pointer with 10:57 remaining in the first half, followed by a De’Shayne Montgomery steal and dunk with 9:19 remaining in the frame, put UD up 18-8 just past the halfway point of the first half. For Friery, the 3-pointer was the first time in his collegiate career that he had scored in the first half. Dayton went on to extend its first-half lead to as much as 11 after a Jones layup with 7:41 remaining put UD up 22-11.
The Flyers’ defense was the story of the first half. Dayton held Duquesne to just 24 points in the half, the Dukes’ lowest first-half total since Feb. 1, 2025, when Duquesne was also held to just 24 points in a matchup with Massachusetts.
Dayton had five first-half steals and four first-half blocks, and disrupted Duquesne’s rhythm, causing the Dukes to shoot just 33.3 percent from the field and a staggering 1-14 from behind the 3-point line.
Late in the first half, Duquesne cut the lead to six with a Jakub Necas layup, but on the other side of the court, the Flyers responded. With the clock running down, Conner gathered a rebound off a Heard miss and found Montgomery in the corner, who then knocked down a 3-pointer as time expired to put Dayton up 33-24 at the end of the half.
Duquesne regained its rhythm in the second half and began to wear down the Dayton defense. Back-to-back 3-pointers, one from Tarence Guinyard and the other by Necas, cut the Flyers’ lead to three with 18:47 left. Then, with 16:32 remaining in the game, a Guinyard steal and 3-pointer put the Dukes ahead 37-36.
Despite Duquesne seemingly taking the momentum, Dayton responded quickly. Javon Bennett put the Flyers back on top with a layup. Later, Sean Pouedet scored four straight points, two free throws and a layup, to stretch the UD lead to seven with 11:32 left in the game. The Pouedet layup capped off a 13-5 Dayton run right after Duquesne took the lead.
Duquesne continued to make runs throughout the game, and with 7:01 remaining, Alex Williams made a 3-pointer to cut the Flyers’ lead to one at 51-50. But every time it looked like the Dukes might have a come-from-behind win, Dayton had a response. Right after Williams’ 3-pointer, Bennett responded by making two straight 3-pointers of his own to put Dayton back up seven. Bennett finished the game with 14 points, 12 of which came in the second half.
Late in the game, Simon delivered two clutch 3-pointers, pushing the Flyers’ lead to eight with 3:47 remaining. Despite Duquesne being able to cut the Dayton lead down to as much as two with 2:03 remaining, Dayton always had a response. Bennett, Keonte Jones, and Montgomery all scored in the final 1:33, helping the Flyers hold off the Dukes and come away with a 71-65 victory.
The win improved the Flyers’ record to 13-4 overall as well as 4-0 in conference play. For Duquesne, it was their third straight conference loss, dropping them to 9-8 overall and 1-3 in the A-10.
Next, the Flyers will face Loyola Chicago on Friday, Jan. 16, at UD Arena. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m., and the game can be seen on ESPN2. It will be the debut of the Flyers’ new Stealth Black uniforms, and the first 1,000 students in attendance will receive a free jersey.