Dayton adds ‘special touch’ to pregame introductions

“My son Elijah Weaver,” his mom Taucia Brown said.

Maybe the fun moment provided a morale boost for the Flyers because they opened the game with an 8-2 run and never trailed en route to a 74-65 victory. Coach Anthony Grant credited UD’s marketing team with coming up with the idea and producing the videos of the families.

“They do an unbelievable job putting things together,” Grant said. “You could see the guys’ faces. They were surprised and excited to see their families and loved ones. A guy like Mustapha (Amzil), he hasn’t seen his family since he came to the states. Some of these guys haven’t been around their families. They have Zoom and Facetime, but to see them introduced, that added a special touch.”

Center Jordy Tshimanga was introduced by his brother and sister.

“It was really soothing when I saw them on the screen,” he said. “It really warmed my heart.”

Scoring update: With 21 points Friday, Jalen Crutcher has 1,480 in his career. He passed Chris Johnson (1,467, 2008-12) in the record book to move into 21st place. He’s two behind Jack Zimmerman (1,482, 1976-80).

Standings update: Dayton (11-5, 7-4) ranked sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference in winning percentage after beating George Mason but tied for first in victories with Saint Bonaventure (9-1, 7-1).

Looking ahead: Dayton will play Massachusetts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Amherst, Mass. The Minutemen (6-4, 5-2) have two victories against Fordham and victories against La Salle and Rhode Island. They played without leading scorer Tre Mitchell in a 60-54 victory against Fordham on Wednesday, and according to reports, Mitchell was going to miss a second straight game Saturday night against Rhode Island because of a shoulder injury.