No. 25 Dayton beats Saint Louis 100-83, snaps a three-game road losing streak
AP
Mar 06, 2024
ST. LOUIS (AP) Daron Holmes II had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Koby Brea and Kobe Elvis each hit five 3-pointers as No. 25 Dayton Flyers snapped a three-game road losing streak with a 100-83 victory over Saint Louis Billikens on Tuesday night.
The Flyers made a Chaifetz Arena record 18 3-pointers and matched the school record for 3s, set earlier this season in a win over Oakland.
“Great to see the ball go in,” Flyers coach Anthony Grant said. “I think we’ve got guys that are really good shooters, and it’s basketball. Some nights, your shots are going to fall and the shots fell tonight. We hit some tough ones.”
Brea and Elvis each scored 21 points for Dayton (23-6, 13-4 Atlantic 10), which won without starting point guard Javon Bennett, who was sidelined with a left thumb injury.
“Just knowing the amount of weapons that we have on this team and utilizing them, I guess it paid off today,” said Brea, who leads the NCAA by making 48.8% of his 3-pointers this season.
Gibson Jimerson scored 24 for the Billikens (11-19, 4-13), who are assured of their worst record in A-10 play in coach Travis Ford’s eight seasons. Terrence Hargrove Jr. added 17 points in his final home game for Saint Louis.
Dayton controlled the boards and finished with a 38-20 rebounding advantage.
“That’s something that we’ve been working on this whole season. This game, we’re heading in the right direction with it,” Brea said. “We’ve just got to keep being hard on the glass and keep doing what we’re doing.”
The Flyers surged ahead with a 21-3 run that was fueled by second-chance points. Brea hit a 3-pointer after an offensive rebound to give Dayton its first lead, and Elvis had a five-point possession by hitting two free throws after an intentional foul by Bruce Zhang and then connecting on a desperation, fall-away 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer.
Brea converted two free throws with 2:46 left in the first half to complete the run and push the lead to 42-28.
“They had to make them, and they made us pay for every open shot. Every mistake that we made, they made us pay and they didn’t miss,” Ford said. “We ran into a bunch of shot-makers. They made shots tonight, but I think that’s a product of them having the early offensive rebounding that gave them confidence.”
Kellen Thames had a pair of three-point plays - one on a stumbling fast-break layup and the other on an emphatic two-handed dunk - as Saint Louis whittled away at the lead with a 19-8 comeback, closing within 80-66 with 6:37 remaining. Brea answered with a 3-pointer and the Flyers later hit 3-pointers on three straight possessions.
The Billikens had won two of their previous three games, eclipsing 90 points in both wins.
“We’ve been able to outscore a few teams, but that’s what it boils down to. Our defense just hasn’t been very good,” Ford said.
THE TAKEAWAY
Dayton showed it can be dominant despite playing without its top point guards. Malachi Smith, the original starter, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Flyers’ opener. That forced Brea into the starting role, with Brady Uhl helping out off the bench.
“I thought other guys stepped into those different roles and did a really good job tonight,” Grant said.
UP NEXT:
Dayton: Attempts to close out a perfect home record against VCU on Friday.
Saint Louis: At St. Bonaventure on Saturday in its regular-season finale.
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1st Half
DAYT
Flyers
49
STL
Billikens
35
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
DaRon Holmes II vs. Bradley Ezewiro (Flyers gains possession)
19:35
Kobe Elvis offensive foul
19:35
Kobe Elvis turnover (offensive foul)
19:17
+2
Bradley Ezewiro makes two point dunk (Gibson Jimerson assists)
0-2
19:06
Enoch Cheeks turnover (bad pass) (Terrence Hargrove Jr. steals)
19:05
DaRon Holmes II personal foul
18:51
Larry Hughes II misses two point jump shot
18:49
Nate Santos defensive rebound
18:36
Nate Santos misses three point jump shot
18:34
Billikens defensive rebound
18:13
+3
Gibson Jimerson makes three point jump shot (Bradley Ezewiro assists)
0-5
17:57
Enoch Cheeks misses three point jump shot
17:55
Cian Medley defensive rebound
17:39
Bradley Ezewiro misses two point jump shot
17:37
DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
17:24
+2
DaRon Holmes II makes two point layup (Kobe Elvis assists)
2-5
17:08
Bradley Ezewiro misses three point jump shot
17:06
DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
17:01
Bradley Ezewiro personal foul
16:47
Stef van Bussel personal foul
16:38
Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
16:36
DaRon Holmes II offensive rebound
16:34
DaRon Holmes II misses two point jump shot
16:32
Billikens defensive rebound
16:15
Larry Hughes II misses three point jump shot
16:13
Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
16:10
Cian Medley shooting foul (Enoch Cheeks draws the foul)
16:10
Enoch Cheeks misses regular free throw 1 of 2
16:10
Enoch Cheeks misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:08
Terrence Hargrove Jr. defensive rebound
15:54
Gibson Jimerson misses three point jump shot
15:53
Billikens offensive rebound
15:51
TV timeout
15:42
+2
Terrence Hargrove Jr. makes two point dunk
2-7
15:20
Isaac Jack misses two point layup
15:18
Kellen Thames defensive rebound
15:09
Terrence Hargrove Jr. misses three point jump shot
15:07
Koby Brea defensive rebound
14:55
+2
Enoch Cheeks makes two point jump shot
4-7
14:34
+2
Gibson Jimerson makes two point layup
4-9
14:24
+2
Isaac Jack makes two point layup
6-9
14:08
+2
Gibson Jimerson makes two point layup
6-11
13:48
Nate Santos turnover (traveling)
13:29
+2
Terrence Hargrove Jr. makes two point jump shot
6-13
13:03
+2
Nate Santos makes two point layup (Brady Uhl assists)
8-13
12:44
Bradley Ezewiro misses two point layup
12:42
Nate Santos defensive rebound
12:34
+2
Koby Brea makes two point jump shot
10-13
12:13
+2
Bradley Ezewiro makes two point layup (Gibson Jimerson assists)
10-15
12:01
+3
Enoch Cheeks makes three point jump shot
13-15
11:42
+3
Larry Hughes II makes three point jump shot
13-18
11:30
Enoch Cheeks misses two point layup
11:28
Enoch Cheeks offensive rebound
11:23
+3
Nate Santos makes three point jump shot (Enoch Cheeks assists)
16-18
10:55
+2
Terrence Hargrove Jr. makes two point layup
16-20
10:30
+3
Brady Uhl makes three point jump shot (Enoch Cheeks assists)
19-20
10:15
+2
Bradley Ezewiro makes two point layup (Larry Hughes II assists)
19-22
10:15
Petras Padegimas shooting foul (Bradley Ezewiro draws the foul)
10:14
TV timeout
10:15
+1
Bradley Ezewiro makes regular free throw 1 of 1
19-23
9:52
DaRon Holmes II misses two point jump shot
9:50
DaRon Holmes II offensive rebound
9:37
+2
Kobe Elvis makes two point layup
21-23
9:09
+2
Cian Medley makes two point jump shot
21-25
8:49
Kellen Thames shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)