Flyers Pull Away Late to Defeat Davidson 70-59
(Photo via daytonmbb Instagram)
Gabriel Ward | Sports Editor
DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton men’s basketball team defeated the Davidson College Wildcats 70-59 in an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup on Sunday afternoon at UD Arena.
It was a low-scoring first half for both teams. With 10:03 remaining in the half, the Flyers were ahead 17-12. De’Shayne Montgomery and Jaiun Simon provided the little offense that Dayton had, both scoring five points in the first ten minutes. For Davidson, it was Scovens who kept the Wildcats within reach, having seven of their 12 points.
Both Dayton’s and Davidson’s offenses continued to be stagnant throughout the remainder of the half, but for Dayton, Amael L’Etang was trying to change that. The sophomore scored all seven of Dayton’s points from the 6:03 mark until 4:25 left. L’Etang would end the first half with nine points.
The Flyers dominated the rebounding game in the first half, holding Davidson to six total rebounds. With 3:53 remaining in the half, Davidson was sitting at four rebounds, all on the defensive end. The Flyers’ ability to prevent second-chance points was a pivotal part of their first-half success.
Jordan Derkack would provide the final offense of the half as, with 2:14 remaining, he would score on a layup, and later, with 31 seconds remaining, he would make a shot through a Scovens foul. Derkack would convert on the free throw, and a Dayton defensive stand would send the teams to the half with the Flyers ahead, 34-26.
Both teams continued to play similarly in the second half. Dayton would extend their lead to 11 with 15:50 remaining, thanks to a Montgomery 3-point shot. But each time Dayton tried to pull away, Davidson had a response.
With 6:33 remaining in the game, Parker Friedrichsen would make a layup to bring the Wildcats within one. Despite Davidson seemingly staying within striking distance, Dayton never gave up the lead. With 3:26 remaining, and Dayton ahead 57-54, the momentum shifted. Javon Bennett would hit a 3-point shot, Derkack would draw a charge on the defensive end, Simon would tip in a Montgomery miss, and then Montgomery would finish off the run with a windmill dunk, putting Dayton up 64-54.
Dayton would make free throws down the stretch and hold on to win, 70-59. But despite the Flyers’ victory, there were still many unanswered questions. Neither Malcolm Thomas nor Jacob Conner saw any game action. Flyers head coach Anthony Grant cleared the air in the postgame interview and explained that an illness went through the team this past week and that they liked how the group they had was playing.
The win brings the Flyers’ record to 16-9 overall and 7-5 in conference play. For Davidson, the loss drops them to 15-10 and 6-6 in conference play.
Dayton will return to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 18, when they take on George Mason in Fairfax, Va. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.