Dayton’s last tournament victory — be it in a November tournament, the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament or in four NCAA tournament appearances — came in this same tournament, when it was called the Old Spice Classic, and same arena 10 years ago.
DaRon Holmes II led Dayton with 11 points. Malachi Smith and Kobe Elvis each scored 10.
Smith was named MVP of the tournament.
» NOTES: First-half performance by Elvis key
Dayton led throughout the second half but had to hold on in the final minutes as Belmont trimmed a nine-point Dayton lead to one point with an 8-0 run.
A 3-point play by Toumani Camara with 4:08 to play pushed Dayton’s lead to 57-53. Camara then made a layup on the next possession to give Dayton a six-point cushion.
In the final minutes, Holmes II scored on a putback with 32 seconds left, and Smith made 2 of 2 free throws with 16 seconds left to help seal the victory.
Dayton (4-3) beat Miami, Kansas and Belmont in four days after entering the tournament with three losses in a row to UMass Lowell, Lipscomb and Austin Peay.
HALFTIME RECAP
Elvis, who did not play Friday against Kansas, led the Dayton Flyers with 10 points in the first half.
Elvis made all four of his field-goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, as Dayton took a 31-27 halftime lead.
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Dayton shot 54.2 percent from the field and made 5 of 10 3-pointers, while Belmont shot 37.9 percent and made 3 of 12 3-pointers.
The Flyers committed seven turnovers, four by Elijah Weaver. The Bruins had four turnovers.
Koby Brea scored six points for Dayton, making 2 of 2 3-pointers. Toumani Camara, DaRon Holmes II and Malachi Smith each scored four.
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