The Hawks trailed by 19 twice in the first half and were behind by as many as 16 points early in the second half. They chipped at the lead the rest of the way but could get no closer than three points.
Dayton guard Malachi Smith sealed the victory by making two free throws with 5 seconds remaining.
Here’s a quick recap of the game:
What it means: Dayton (14-6, 4-3) won its fifth straight game in the series with Saint Joseph’s (12-8, 3-4). The Hawks have lost six straight games at UD Arena since a last-second victory in 2014.
Dayton moved into a tie for fifth place with Massachusetts (9-11, 4-3) in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Star of the game: Dayton forward Nate Santos matched his season high with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He made 4 of 4 3-pointers. He fell two points shy of his career high. He also led Dayton with eight rebounds.
Stat of the game: Dayton made 8 of 19 3-pointers (42.1%). Saint Joseph’s made 9 of 33 (27.3%).
Key plays: Both teams traded points down the stretch. The Hawks made five of their last six shots but couldn’t get any closer than three points.
Dayton maintained its lead by making 7 of 8 free throws in the final three minutes and getting baskets from Malachi Smith and Amaël L’Etang in that stretch.
Big shots: L’Etang gave Dayton a 73-67 lead on a dunk with 24 seconds left. He was fouled but missed the free throw.
Xzayvier Brown, of Saint Joseph’s answered with a 3-pointer at 17 seconds left. Javon Bennett hit two free throws for Dayton. Derek Simpson, of Saint Joseph’s, answered with a layup. Then Smith hit the game-clinching free throws.
Lineup news: Dayton guard Posh Alexander returned to action after missing three games with a foot injury. He had seven points and three assists in 10 minutes
Dayton forward Zed Key, who did not play Tuesday against Duquesne after hurting his back in the first half against Loyola Chicago, had two rebounds in 7½ minutes in the first half but did not play in the second half.
Looking ahead: Dayton plays at St. Bonaventure (15-5, 3-4) at 8 p.m. Tuesday. St. Bonaventure (15-5, 3-4) had lost four of its last five games entering a late Friday night game at Virginia Commonwealth (15-4, 5-1).
Credit: David Jablonski
HALFTIME RECAP
Dayton twice led by as many as 19 points in the first half and took a 39-26 lead into halftime Friday against Saint Joseph’s at UD Arena.
Here’s a quick recap of the first half:
Key player: Santos led Dayton with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He made 3 of 3 3-pointers.
Key stat: Dayton shot 45.5% (5 of 11) from 3-point range. Saint Joseph’s shot 17.6% (3 of 17). The Hawks missed their first nine 3-point attempts.
Big run: Dayton stretched a 14-6 lead to 25-6 with an 11-0 run in less than three minutes. Dayton led by 19 after two free throws by Jaiun Simon with 10 minutes, 39 seconds to play.
Saint Joseph’s answered with a 5-0 run. Then Dayton pushed its lead back to 19 points on five straight points by Javon Bennett.
Comeback: The Hawks scored eight straight points to cut Dayton’s lead to 32-21 at the 4:38 mark.
Big shots: Santos made a 3 on Dayton’s final possession of the half to push the lead to 16 points. Derek Simpson got a fortunate bounce on a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Saint Joseph’s.
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