Roberts was at Belk Arena in 2015, the last time the Flyers lost at Davidson. He was there on New Year’s Eve a season ago when the Flyers won 69-55. He was there Wednesday when Dayton led Davidson from start to finish in a 72-59 victory.
“I like what I saw, for sure,” Roberts said after the game. “I watch every game pretty much — ESPN and all that stuff. I’m familiar with everything. They play well together. They play the right way. They move the ball. ... .They’ve just got different different guys who can take over the game on different nights, so it’s been fun to watch them, for sure.”
Dayton (11-2) opened Atlantic 10 Conference play and the new year with its eight straight victory this season and its eighth straight victory in the series against Davidson (10-3), which saw a seven-game winning streak end.
Here are three takeaways from Dayton’s 13th game:
1. Anthony Grant saw improvement on defense: Dayton entered the game with the 13th-most efficient offense in the country, according to KenPom.com, but a defense that ranked 101st. After a 78-69 victory Saturday against Longwood, Grant said he thought Dayton needed to improve on defense, and he thought it did in this game.
Dayton held Davidson to its second-lowest points total of the season. The Flyers had a season-high 12 steals. They turned a number of those steals into fast-break baskets, scoring 18 points off 15 Davidson turnovers.
Enoch Cheeks had four steals. Javon Bennett had three.
“Defensively, the guys did a really good job,” Grant said. “Davidson is a tough prep with the pace they play at and the versatility they have.”
2. Davidson played without its top scorer: Center David Skogman, who averages 13.0 points per game, missed his second straight game. He sat on the bench with a protective boot on his right foot.
Dayton also played short-handed. Petras Padegimas missed the game with an illness. That gave Zimi Nwokeji a chance to play meaningful minutes or the first time since the Grambling State game on Dec. 2. He had two points and two rebounds in seven minutes.
3. Dayton delivered one of the best performances on the first night of A-10 play: While the Flyers lived up the hype they built in non-conference play, the A-10′s other top team entering conference play failed its first league test. Saint Joseph’s (10-4) lost 78-74 at Rhode Island.
Luis Kortright hit a game-winning jump shot in the lane with under a second to play for Rhode Island, which has struggled in coach Archie Miller’s second season but started A-10 play with a strong victory.
Fordham (7-7) also recorded an upset on opening night, beating George Washington 119-113 in triple overtime in Washington, D.C. George Washington (11-3) was off to its best start in eight years.
Dayton jumped from No. 39 to a season-best No. 33 in the Ken Pomeroy ratings. It should get a boost in the NCAA Evaluation Tool with this Quad 2 victory. Dayton entered the game ranked 25th, and Davidson was No. 107.
STAR OF THE GAME
Dayton guard Kobe Elvis had 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He made 3 of 6 3-pointers. Elvis did not get to the free-throw line. He has made 34 in a row, leaving him two short of the school record set by Damon Goodwin (1983-84) and Darrell Davis (2017-18).
Elvis has scored in double figures in six straight games after hitting that number twice in the first seven games. He ranks fourth on the team in scoring (11.7) and is shooting 36.1% (22 of 61) from 3-point range.
STAT OF THE GAME
Dayton shot 50% from the field (26 of 52). It has shot 50% or better six times in its eight-game winning streak.
LOOKING AHEAD
Dayton plays Massachusetts at 1 p.m. Sunday at UD Arena. Dayton won 72-54 at UMass last season. UMass won 80-61 at home against Duquesne on Wednesday.
Dayton has won seven straight games in the series against UMass — by a combined margin of 109 points — since an 86-82 double-overtime loss at UMass in 2018.
SUNDAY’S GAME
UMass at Dayton, 1 p.m., ESPN2, 1290, 95.7
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