Dayton routs Toledo to earn second-round NIT game against Vanderbilt

Dayton (24-10) advanced to the second round and will play Vanderbilt at 3 p.m. Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.

Dayton controlled the game from start to finish and held the Mid-American Conference regular-season champion Toledo to 17.4% shooting from 3-point range (4 of 23).

DaRon Holmes II led Dayton with 20 points. Koby Brea had 13. Kobe Elvis scored 11.

Dayton has now won 13 straight games against MAC school. UD had lost four straight NIT games in the first round: 71-60 to Memphis last season; 78-73 at Colorado in 2019; 84-75 at Iowa in 2012; and 94-84 at the College of Charleston (S.C.) in 2011.

HALFTIME RECAP

Anthony Grant had a few surprises in the first half Wednesday as the Dayton Flyers played Toledo in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament at Savage Arena.

Dayton built a 34-23 halftime lead by playing walk-on Christian Wilson and freshman Kaleb Washington, two players who rarely see the floor except in blowouts, a total of 10 minutes. Washington scored on his first possession and also recorded an assist on a long pass to Moulaye Sissoko.

Dayton led by as many as 14 points in the first half. Toledo missed its first seven 3-point attempts before connecting on one at the buzzer to cut Dayton’s lead to 11 points.

DaRon Holmes II led Dayton with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Koby Brea, who started in the place of injured point guard Malachi Smith, scored seven points and made Dayton’s only 3-pointer. Sissoko scored six points in less than five minutes.

The Flyers shot 1 of 9 from 3-point range and 14 of 26 from 2-point range.

Dayton had a 25-16 rebounding advantage and committed only two turnovers to Toledo’s four. Kobe Elvis, manning the point guard spot in place of Smith, had five assists and no turnovers.