Dayton down one starter for game at Rhode Island

Blakney has started all but two games over last two seasons
Dayton's R.J. Blakney shoots against George Washington on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Dayton's R.J. Blakney shoots against George Washington on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C. David Jablonski/Staff

KINGSTON, R.I. — The Dayton Flyers played Rhode Island without starting guard R.J. Blakney on Wednesday at the Ryan Center.

Blakney missed the game with a lower-body injury. He started 18 of the first 20 games this season and was one of two players, along with DaRon Holmes II, to start all 35 games last season.

The absence of Blakney, the team’s fifth-leading scorer with 9.8 points per game, means Dayton still has played only one game this season with a fully healthy lineup. It lost that game Saturday, 76-69 at George Washington.

This will be the third straight game Malachi Smith has been available after he missed 11 games, and Kobe Elvis will play in his second straight game after missing 12 games in a row.

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