Dayton closes exhibition season with closer-than-expected victory against Ashland

Dayton led by double digits for most of the second half but never pushed the lead past 17 points. Ashland got no closer than eight points.

Here’s a quick recap of the game:

What it means: Dayton won its previous four exhibition games against D-II or D-III teams by 30 points or more. Prior to this game, the closest exhibition game it played in coach Anthony Grant’s tenure came in the 2018-19 season when it beat Capital University 89-71.

This was Dayton’s first single-digit victory against a lower-division team in an exhibition game since it beat Findlay 76-69 before the 2016-17 season.

Star of the game: Nate Santos made 6 of 8 3-pointers and led Dayton with 20 points.

Other contributors: Malachi Smith was the only other Flyer in double digits. He had 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

Stat of the game: Dayton made 10 of 31 3-pointers (32%). Capital made 9 of 26 (35%).

Looking ahead: Dayton opens the 2024-25 season at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 against St. Francis University (Pa.).

FIRST-HALF RECAP

Santos scored 12 points to lead Dayton to a 40-27 halftime lead.

Here’s a quick recap of the first half:

Key player: Santos made 4 of 6 3-pointers in 12 minutes in the half. The Flyers made 7 of 17 3s (41%).

Key stat: Ashland committed 10 turnovers to Dayton’s four. The Flyers scored 19 points off those turnovers.

Turning point: Dayton led 9-7 at the 15:46 mark and then began a 10-3 run. Freshmen Amaël L’Etang and Hamad Mousa made 3-pointers during that stretch.

Starting lineup: Dayton started the same five players as it did Sunday in a 98-74 loss to Xavier: Zed Key; Malachi Smith; Enoch Cheeks; Santos; and Javon Bennett.

Rotation news: Dayton’s 11 available players all played between four and 15 minutes in the half. Two players remain sidelined by injuries: Marvel Allen; and Brady Uhl.