Here’s a quick recap of the game:
What it means: Dayton (3-1) won its second straight game against a team from a power conference in Charleston. The Flyers improved to 3-0 against teams coached by Rick Pitino. This was first game between Dayton and St. John’s since 1974.
Star of the game: Daron Holmes II scored 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He made 8 of 9 free throws.
Stat of the game: Dayton outscored St. John’s 23-14 at the free-throw line.
Turning point: Dayton broke open a close game with a 19-5 run midway through the second half.
Other contributions: Nate Santos had 18. Enoch Cheeks, Kobe Elvis and Koby Brea all scored 10 points.
Looking ahead: Saturday is an off day for the tournament. The Flyers will face No. 6 Houston (5-0) in the championship game at 8 p.m. on Sunday (ESPN). Houston beat Utah 76-66 in the semifinals.
FIRST-HALF RECAP
St. John’s led 40-38 at halftime. Here’s a quick recap of the half:
Key player: Soriano led all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
Key stat: St. John’s made 12 of 13 free throws, while Dayton made 4 of 4.
Bench contributions: Zimi Nwokeji, who did not play in the first two games before making his season debut Thursday in a 70-67 victory against LSU, scored five points in the first half. Petras Padegimas also had five points off the bench.
Close game: Dayton opened the game with a 6-0 run. Neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way. There were five lead changes and nine ties.
Foul trouble: Santos picked up two early fouls and played fewer than six minutes in the half. He had five points.
About the Author
