Men’s Basketball Recap: Davis Scores 22 In UD Arena Farewell Win

Michael Crouchley
Staff Writer

Senior guard Darrell Davis gave the Flyer faithful something to remember in his last game at UD Arena, leading Dayton to an 88-78 win over George Washington Saturday afternoon.

“We came out with a win, that’s what you want to do on senior night,” said Davis, who finished with 22 points on the night, leaving him only six points short of 1,000 for his career.

Early Explosion

The Flyers came into the game tied with George Washington in the standings, but you wouldn’t have been able to guess it with the way Dayton started the game. Lead by Davis’ nine points in the first five minutes, Dayton pulled out to a 16-5 lead.

“It feels great when you’re able to go out and get a win while shooting well from the field,” Davis said. “It gives you some momentum going into the next game.”

The Flyers continued their attack through the first 10 minutes of the game with the help of freshman forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, who provided a spark off the bench. He fueled the Flyers with two quick dunks after coming into the game, and led the team at halftime with 10 points.

“It was great to see Kostas come out and impact the game the way he did,” coach Anthony Grant said.

It wasn’t just Grant who gave Antetokounmpo praise. His play caught the eye of his teammates as well.

“He’s so long, he’s so big and athletic,” said junior forward Josh Cunningham. “If you give him the ball down low he can finish over anybody.”

Antetokounmpo finished the game with a career-best 14 points.
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Second Wind

The Flyers’ hot start came to an end and both teams struggled to score at the end of the first half. Dayton gave up their lead early in the second half, but didn’t let George Washington’s hopes last for long.

Cunningham, who finished with a double-double, threw down a slam dunk to send the Flyers on a 12-0 run that gave UD a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

The Flyers played demonstrated an overall team game, dishing out 23 assists and having five players finish with double-digit scoring totals.

“We had a lot of really great efforts, I thought everybody that came in tonight did a great job for us and provided offense, defense, whatever it took for us to come out with a win,” Grant said.

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Senior Send-Off

The crowd’s intensity had started to wane in the second half, but no cheer rang through the arena louder than in the final moments on the court for UD’s seniors.

With 19 seconds to play in the game Davis was replaced by senior guard Joey Gruden, giving the fans one final chance to show their appreciation to the seniors.

Davis was the games leading scorer and Gruden, a walk-on, was given his first career start.

“I didn’t let (Gruden) know until about 15 minutes before the game started that he was going to get the start tonight,” Grant said. “It was a great reaction from all of his teammates showing him love and support.”
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What’s Next?

The Flyer’s will be looking to bring their momentum into the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Despite what some would call a disappointing season, the Flyers remain confident.

“I think we can turn it around for the tournament and make a deep run,” Cunningham said. “I think we have a great shot if we come out and play hard.”

The Flyers will face VCU on Thursday, Mar. 8 in Washington, D.C.

Dayton split the season series with the Rams, 1-1.

Photo Taken From daytonathletics.com, and taken by Roberto De La Rosa-Finch/Online Editor