ANALYSIS: 3 takeaways from Dayton’s win over Troy

Left to right, DaRon Holmes II, Javon Bennett, Kobe Elvis and Enoch Cheeks huddle at the foul line during the first half Saturday in Dayton's 82-70 victory over Troy at UD Arena. Jeff Gilbert/CONTRIBUTED

Left to right, DaRon Holmes II, Javon Bennett, Kobe Elvis and Enoch Cheeks huddle at the foul line during the first half Saturday in Dayton's 82-70 victory over Troy at UD Arena. Jeff Gilbert/CONTRIBUTED

Troy made its first four 3-point shots Saturday at UD Arena. Javon Bennett made sure the Trojans’ final attempt of the first half wouldn’t swish through the net on the kind of winning play Dayton head coach Anthony Grant loves.

After Bennett made a 3-pointer with nine seconds left in the half, he hustled down court to block Marcus Rigsby Jr.’s 3-point attempt from the right corner. The ball sailed out of bounds as the clock expired on a 14-point halftime lead that became an 82-70 Dayton victory. The Flyers have won four straight.

Bennett, who scored 11 points, stands 5 feet, 10 inches.

“That was huge,” Grant said. “The way they were shooting I think that one probably would’ve went win. That was a big-time effort play.”

The Trojans (4-5) entered the game shooting 34.5% from 3-point range and cooled off considerably from their start to shoot 39.3% (11 of 28).

Here are three takeaways from Dayton’s ninth game:

1. 3-point shooting remains hot

The Flyers (7-2) made exactly half of their 3-point attempts for the third straight game to raise their season percentage to 40.3. Led by Kobe Elvis’ four 3-pointers, the Flyers made 10 of 20. In their two previous games, both victories, the Flyers made 14 of 28 against Grambling State and 10 of 20 at SMU. The game before SMU, the Flyers made 10 of 23 against Youngstown State.

2. Rebounding continues to improve

After some early-season struggles on the boards, particularly in a loss to Houston, the Flyers dominated a team on the boards that is used to winning that battle.

Troy came in with a 9.4 rebounding margin advantage. The Trojans had won the rebounding battle in seven of their first eight games, but the Flyers owned the day with a 37-29 advantage. The Trojans were averaging 16.4 offensive rebounds but got only 11 against Dayton.

3. Holmes’ statistical profile continues to grow

In Dayton’s last game, DaRon Holmes II set the school blocked shots record, surpassing Chris Wright’s previous record of 162. With three more blocks Saturday, Holmes’ record is at 166. On Saturday, Holmes had five dunks as part of his 23 points to tie Obi Toppin for the UD record at 190.

Holmes’ other stats for the day: career-high 17 rebounds, team-high four assists, 9 of 12 shooting and he was fouled 10 times.

Rudy Flyer fires up the crowd before Dayton's 82-70 victory over Troy at UD Arena. Jeff Gilbert/CONTRIBUTED

icon to expand image

STAR OF THE GAME

Elvis’ breakout game was further proof that the Flyers have multiple players capable of supporting Holmes in the scoring column. Elvis scored a career-high 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting, including four of six from the 3-point line.

Elvis, who scored 20 points three times previous to this season, entered averaging 7.3 points and shooting 28.6% and 29% from 3-point range. In his first five games, Elvis made 7 of 37 shots. In the most recent three games, he made 11 of 26.

Elvis’ breakout point eight-point run — two 3-pointers and a scooping layup in traffic — pushed Dayton’s lead from 20-17 to 28-22. The Flyers were well on their way to a 45-31 halftime lead and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Flyers did not exceed their average of the ball being stolen from them seven times a game. Troy stole it seven times, which was a big deal against the Trojans’ full-court pressure and extended on-ball pressure in the half court.

Troy entered the game averaging 10.1 steals a game, which is the best in the Sun Belt Conference and 16th nationally. Dayton committed only three turnovers in the first half and 11 for the game.

LOOKING AHEAD

Dayton renews its rivalry with Cincinnati at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Flyers and Bearcats (7-0) meet for the first time since 2010. UC leads the all-time series 60-31 and won 68-34 in November of 2010. UD won 81-66 in the NIT in March of 2010. The Bearcats played Xavier on Saturday night and host Bryant on Tuesday.

About the Author