Dayton pulls away in second half for 19th straight season-opening victory

Here’s a quick recap:

What it means: Dayton won its 19th straight season opener. The Flyers have not dropped their first game since a 73-66 loss to Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 21, 2004.

Star of the game: DaRon Holmes II led Dayton with 19 points. He made 11 of 12 free throws. He also had eight rebounds.

Rebounding leader: Nate Santos grabbed 14 rebounds in his first game for the Flyers.

Big run: Dayton led 39-37 when a layup by Holmes at the 11:21 mark started a 14-2 run over the next five minutes.

Key stat: Dayton’s bench outscored SIUE’s 23-9. Isaac Jack, Koby Brea and Petras Padegimas each had six points. Javon Bennett scored five.

Shooting woes: Dayton made 5 of 23 3-pointers (21.7%). Kobe Elvis and Brea each made 2 of 7.

Injury news: Malachi Smith left the game after playing seven minutes in the first half and did not return to the game or to the bench.

Looking ahead: Dayton plays Northwestern at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. It will be the second game of the season for both teams. The Wildcats opened the season Monday night at home against Binghamton.

HALFTIME RECAP

The Flyers opened the first half with a 5-0 run and ended it with an 11-0 run to build a 27-24 halftime lead.

Here’s a quick recap of the half:

UD’s star: Holmes scored the first basket of the season on an alley-oop dunk off a pass from Malachi Smith. Holmes scored seven points in the half and grabbed seven rebounds.

Key stat: Dayton’s Elvis made the team’s first 3-point attempt of the game. The Flyers then missed 12 in a row before Brea made 2 of 3 in the final two minutes. Dayton shot 19% (3 of 16) from 3-point range, while SIUE made 4 of 8.

Turning point: Dayton trailed 24-16 with under three minutes to play. Two free throws by Holmes started an 11-0 run in the last 2:37.

Rotation news: Dayton started the same five players it started in the two exhibition games: Holmes; Smith; Elvis; Enoch Cheeks; and Santos. Bennett, Brea and Jack were the first players off the bench. Petras Padegimas also saw action in the first half.

Injury news: Marvel Allen was the only scholarship player not in uniform for Dayton.