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.
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