That’s what Grant did Saturday afternoon after a 79-56 victory against UNC Asheville at UD Arena. This wasn’t an important victory in the sense that it will get the Flyers on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble — they’re a long way from there with a 6-5 record and no victories over top-150 opponents — but it was a strong performance three days after a dismal one at Virginia Tech.
That’s the most the Flyers and the Flyer Faithful can hope for at this point in a frustrating and disappointing season that started with dreams of something approaching another 29-2 season.
“As a competitor, you always want to get back on the court,” Grant said. “Obviously, our guys are no different. They understood that we didn’t play our best at Virginia Tech. The score to me doesn’t indicate what this team that we played against today has shown to be. I think we had a lot to do with that today. So it was great to see.”
Here are five takeaways from Dayton’s 11th game:
1. Brady Uhl helped Dayton’s 3-point shooting get back on track: The walk-on guard from Alter made Dayton’s only 3-pointer in the first half. It was the first made 3 of his career after two misses. Dayton made 1 of 5 before halftime but 5 of 9 in the second half to record its best percentage (42.9) of the season.
“He does it all the time in practice,” Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II said. “I knew that one was going to fall as soon as it went up.”
Uhl had three points and one rebound in eight minutes.
2. Koby Brea also found the shooting touch: Brea made 42.3% of his 3-point attempts last season but was shooting 21.4% (3 of 14) this season in four games. He then scored 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from long range in the second half.
“Sometimes you just need to see the ball go in,” Grant said, “and it was great to see him smile. Rhythm and timing and all that stuff is really, really important and then confidence as well.”
3. Mustapha Amzil had the dunk of the day: Although Holmes scored 27 points and dunked six times, it was a slam by Amzil in the final minutes that resulted in the biggest reaction of the bench. He threw the ball down with one hand, and it hit his chest after going through the net.
Amzil scored 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. He has scored in double figures six times this season after reaching that number six times all of last season.
4. Dayton remained unbeaten at home: The Flyers are 6-0 at UD Arena and 0-5 away from Dayton. They have won 14 straight games at home since losing to Virginia Commonwealth in the first Atlantic 10 Conference game of the 2021-22 season.
5. Dayton now gets its first break of the season: The players have final exams this week and don’t play again until Saturday. Starting guards Malachi Smith and Kobe Elvis remain sidelined by injuries, but neither were using crutches to get around Saturday as they were Wednesday during a 77-49 loss at Virginia Tech, so they’re progressing in their recoveries.
“I think (the break) gives our staff a chance to maybe look at some things,” Grant said. “We’re not whole as a team. We have no timetable for when that’s going to happen. So (we need to look at) what we need to do offensively and defensively to try to put us in the best position for the remainder of the non-conference and then make preparations for conference. Hopefully, we’ll find out a little bit more as the weeks go on as to when we’ll have a chance to be whole again.”
STAR OF THE GAME
DaRon Holmes II fell one point short of his career high of 28 points, which he had last season in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament against Massachusetts. He made 11 of 18 shots and 5 of 8 free throws. He grabbed 12 rebounds, tying his career high. He blocked four shots.
STAT OF THE GAME
Dayton had a 46-24 rebounding advantage. Everyone who played at least two minutes grabbed at least one rebound.
LOOKING AHEAD
Dayton (6-5) plays Wyoming (4-5) at 8 p.m. Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. The game starts at 7 p.m. in Chicago.
Wyoming, which was 25-9 last season, entered the season with great expectations like Dayton and was receiving top-25 votes in the preseason. In their third game, the Cowboys lost 76-72 to Southeastern Louisiana, the same team Dayton beat 80-74 on Dec. 3. The Cowboys beat Howard in their next game but then lost four straight games to Drake, Boston College, Santa Clara and Grand Canyon.
The game will be part of the Legends of Basketball Showcase. Towson plays Northern Iowa at noon. Tulane plays George Mason at 2 p.m. North Carolina State plays Vanderbilt at 9:30 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Dayton vs. Wyoming, 8 pm., CBS Sports Network; 1290, 95.7
Credit: David Jablonski
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