Here’s a quick recap of the game:
What it means: Dayton (14-7, 4-4) saw a three-game winning streak end. This was its second loss by 20 or more points in Atlantic 10 Conference play. It lost 82-62 at George Washington on Jan. 4.
This was Dayton’s second loss in a row at the Reilly Center but only the fourth loss in the last 20 years in the series. UD’s previous worst loss in the series was a 66-51 defeat at the Reilly Center in 2001.
The loss puts another major dent in Dayton’s near-extinct NCAA tournament at-large hopes. It either has to win its last 10 A-10 games or go 9-1 to have a chance.
St. Bonaventure (16-6, 4-5) ended a three-game losing streak.
Star of the game: St. Bonaventure’s Lajae Jones, who averages 10.4 points per game, scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He made 6 of 10 3-pointers.
Stat of the game: St. Bonaventure made 12 of 25 3-pointers (48%). Dayton made 8 of 24 (33.3%).
Turning point: Dayton cut a seven-point halftime deficit to 39-35 on a 3-pointer by Javon Bennett on the first possession of the second half. St. Bonaventure answered with a 16-1 run in the next seven minutes and led by double digits the rest of the way.
Looking ahead: Dayton plays Saint Louis at 7 p.m. Friday at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis.
HALFTIME RECAP
St. Bonaventure made 8 of 15 3-pointers in the first half to build a 39-32 halftime lead.
Here’s a quick recap of the first half:
Key players: Jones made 5 of 6 3-pointers, scoring 16 points for St. Bonaventure.
Amaël L’Etang scored eight points for Dayton on 3-of-7 shooting.
Key stat: St. Bonaventure shot 53.3% from 3-point range, while Dayton shot 33.3% (4 of 12).
Big run: The game was tied at 13-13 when St. Bonaventure began an 11-0 run in less than three minutes. Jones made three 3s during the spurt. The Bonnies led 24-13 after the third with 10 minutes, 42 seconds to play.
Biggest lead: St. Bonaventure led 31-18 after a basket by Melvin Council Jr. with 6:07 to play.
Strong finish: Dayton outscored St. Bonaventure 4-0 in the last minute of the half with baskets by Isaac Jack and Malachi Smith.
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