Dayton improves to 4-2 with victory against Youngstown State

Here’s a quick recap of the game:

What it means: Dayton (4-2) overcame a slow start to win its first game since a runner-up finish last weekend at the Charleston Classic. The Flyers have won 12 straight non-conference home games since losing three in a row early in the 2021-22 season.

Star of the game: Kobe Elvis scored 11 of his 15 points in the opening minutes of the second half. He made 3 of 7 3-pointers.

Stat of the game: Youngstown State, which was shooting 22.9% from 3-point range this season, shot 44.8% (13 of 29). Brandon Rush made 4 of 7, scoring 18 points.

Poor percentage: Dayton made 15 of 26 free throws (57.7%). It shot 78.6% from the line in its first five games. DaRon Holmes II, who led Dayton with 18 points, made 6 of 14 free throws.

Turning point: Youngstown State led for all but two minutes in the half and stretched its advantage to as many as 10 points. Dayton ended the half with a 9-0 run in the last three minutes.

Key run: Dayton led 53-50 with five minutes to play when Javon Bennett scored on a layup. Koby Brea followed with a jumper. Then Isaac Jack made 2 of 2 free throws to push the lead to nine points.

Looking ahead: Dayton plays Southern Methodist (4-2) at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Dallas, Texas.

FIRST-HALF RECAP

Elvis threw an alley-oop pass to Holmes for a dunk in the final seconds of the first half to give the Dayton Flyers a 37-35 halftime lead against Youngstown State on Friday at UD Arena.

Here’s a quick recap of the half:

Dayton’s star: Koby Brea made 3 of 6 3-pointers and scored nine points.

Youngstown State’s star: Rush made 3 of 5 3-pointers and scored 11 points.

Key stat: Youngstown State made its first four 3-pointers. It made 7 of 14 in the half. Dayton made 8 of 15.