Dayton loses to Archie Miller, Rhode Island as downward spiral continues

Archie Miller, the first-year Rhode Island coach who led the Flyers for six seasons, became the first former Dayton coach to beat UD. Brian Gregory lost two games against Dayton, which was then coached by Miller, when he was at Georgia Tech.

Here’s a quick recap of the game:

What it means: Dayton (13-8, 5-3) has lost three of its last four games since winning seven straight games. This was its worst loss of the season in terms of the quality of the opponent. Rhode Island (7-13, 2-6) had lost three games in a row and ranks 241st in the NCAA Evaluation Tool.

Dayton had won three straight games in the series. It fell to Rhode Island for the first time since Feb. 16, 2021, when it lost 91-89 in double overtime at the Ryan Center

Star of the game: Ishmael Leggett led Rhode Island with 25 points. He made 7 of 17 field goals and 11 of 11 free throws.

Stat of the game: Rhode Island outscored Dayton 23-11 at the free-throw line.

Turning point: Dayton trailed the entire second half but cut a 13-point deficit to 44-40 at the 12:13 mark. Rhode Island then pushed the lead to 52-42 with an 8-2 run in less than two minutes.

FIRST-HALF RECAP

Rhode Island outscored the Dayton Flyers 21-5 in the last eight minutes of the second half to build a 32-27 halftime lead.

This is the second straight game Dayton has trailed at the half. It faced a 36-22 deficit at George Washington on Saturday and lost 76-69.

Here’s a quick recap of the first half:

Key player: Leggett led all scorers with 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Key stat: Rhode Island made 12 of 12 free throws, while Dayton made 2 of 3.

Big run: Dayton led 22-11 after a layup by Malachi Smith at the 9:56 mark. The Rams began a 17-1 run on two free throws by Brayon Freeman at the 8:56 mark. Dayton didn’t make another field goal until a dunk by DaRon Holmes II with 1:23 to play.

Good start: Mike Sharavjamts scored seven points in the first six minutes as Dayton built a 14-4 lead.

Lineup news: Dayton guard R.J. Blakney is sidelined for the game with an injury. Koby Brea took his spot in the starting lineup.