ANALYSIS: 3 takeaways from Dayton’s season-opening victory

Starting point guard Malachi Smith, who opened the game with an alley-oop pass to fellow junior DaRon Holmes II for a dunk, left the game after appearing to bang knees with a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville defender midway through the first half. He didn’t return to the game or the bench as his teammates pulled away late in the second half or a 63-47 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 13,407 at UD Arena.

“We don’t know anything,” coach Anthony Grant said after the game. “We’ll find out. Once we know, we’ll let you know.”

“He’s going to be OK,” Holmes said. “It’s sad to see that, but he’ll be OK. We’re very positive that it’s not going to be anything crazy. We’ll see, and we’re going to pray for him and be there for him.”

Any missed time would be a big disappointment for Smith, who was limited to 19 games last season because of ankle injuries and underwent offseason surgeries on both ankles. Without Smith, Dayton turned to Kobe Elvis and Javon Bennett at point guard, and they combined for 11 assists and one turnover.

The Flyers seized control of the game with an 11-0 run to end the first half and put the game away with an 18-4 run midway through the second half. Here are three takeaways from Dayton’s 19th straight season-opening victory:

1. Dayton’s defense pleased Grant: SIUE made 4 of 8 3-pointers in the first half and 1 of 4 in the second half. The Cougars shot 32% from the field overall. They were limited to 10 points in the last 10 minutes.

Holmes blocked three shots. Enoch Cheeks had four of Dayton’s six steals.

“It’s great to be able to get the season started,” Grant said, “and I know our guys are really excited to get a chance to play. In the first half, we struggled to make shots. I thought we got good looks, shots that we’re more than capable of making. You’re going to have nights where you just don’t shoot the ball well. Our guys’ ability to stay the course defensively, to me, it’s the story tonight. Our defense won the game for us. I thought in the first half it kept us in it.”

2. The newcomers made a big impact: Five players who appeared in their first games for Dayton combined for 29 points. Nate Santos, Enoch Cheeks, Isaac Jack and Petras Padegimas each scored six points. Bennett had five points.

Jack’s three baskets came in a four-minute span that saw Dayton increase its lead from 45-39 to 55-41.

“That’s the thing with this team,” Holmes said. “We’ve got guys that are willing to come in and play hard and do what they do. Isaac is huge. He’s a maniac. That’s what we call him. We have guys like that all across the board.”

3. The cold shooting continued: The Flyers missed their last eight 3-pointers in a loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the Atlantic 10 Conference championship game in March and then made their first 3-pointer of the 2023-24 season only to miss their next 12.

Brea made two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the first half to turn the shooting momentum. The Flyers then made 2 of 7 in the second half. They shot 21.7%, which would have been their seventh-worst mark last season.

“We’re going to be OK,” Holmes said. “It was the first game. I still get nervous, and it’s my third year here. I know all the new guys were a little nervous.”

STAR OF THE GAME

DaRon Holmes II led Dayton with 19 points on 4-of-11 shooting. He got most of his points at the free-throw line, where he made 11 of 12. He shot 66.9% at the free-throw line last season.

STAT OF THE GAME

Dayton’s bench outscored SIUE’s bench 23-9. Isaac Jack and Petras Padegimas each scored six points on a combined 6-of-7 shooting.

LOOKING AHEAD

Dayton plays Northwestern at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. It will be the second game of the season for both teams. The Wildcats trailed Binghamton 39-36 at halftime in their season opener Monday but won 72-61. It was a four-point game with 2:40 to play.

FRIDAY’S GAME

Dayton at Northwestern, 8:30 p.m., BTN, 1290, 95.7