Dayton beats UNLV on 3-point play in final seconds

After a 3-pointer by UNLV’s Julian Rishwain with 23 seconds to play, Smith scored on a layup and drew the foul. He made the free throw to give Dayton the lead. UNLV’s Dedan Thomas Jr. missed a jump shot at the buzzer.

Here’s a quick recap of the game:

What it means: Dayton (10-2) avenged a 60-52 loss at UNLV two years ago. This was the second meeting between the schools and UD’s first victory in the series.

• Dayton extended its home winning streak to 25 games. It’s the third longest in school history.

• Dayton is 10-2 for the second straight season and third time in coach Anthony Grant’s eight seasons.

Star of the game: Nate Santos scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting for Dayton.

Santos made a 3-pointer with 1 minute, 15 seconds to play to cut UNLV’s lead to one point. Smith then scored on a layup to give Dayton the lead, but it was short-lived as Rishwain made his fourth 3-pointer in the final eight minutes.

Stat of the game: Dayton won despite making 5 of 23 3-pointers (23.8%). It’s the fourth time this season it has shot under 30%.

Late comeback: Dayton led by as many as eight points in the second half, but UNLV pulled ahead in the final four minutes. It had a 59-56 lead with 2:16 to play and a 62-58 lead with 1:25 to play.

Looking ahead: Dayton plays Cincinnati (8-1) at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati. This will be the sixth game between the two teams when both are ranked.

Dayton beat Cincinnati 82-68 last season in the first game between the programs since the 2010-11 season.

Cincinnati beat Xavier 68-65 on Saturday in its last game for its first victory in the Crosstown Shootout since 2018. The Bearcats do not play again before Friday.

HALFTIME RECAP

Dayton led by as many as eight points in the first half but faced a 28-27 halftime deficit. This was the third time in the last four home games UD has trailed at the half.

Here’s a quick recap of the first half:

Key players: Jaden Henley led UNLV with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting.

Nate Santos, Javon Bennett and Amaël L’Etang all scored five points for Dayton.

Key stat: Dayton made 2 of 9 3-pointers. UNLV made 2 of 7.

Big runs: Dayton had a 6-0 run to take its biggest lead, 22-14, with 8 minutes, 4 seconds left in the half. UNLV answered that run with an 8-0 run, tying the game at 22-22 with 4:05 to play.

Big shot: UNLV led 28-25 in the final seconds. Dayton guard Posh Alexander made a layup at the buzzer to cut the deficit to one point.

Roster news: Dayton forward Jacob Conner returned to action after missing six games with an ankle injury. He played 2 minutes, 29 seconds in the half.