“It was fun, especially watching what my teammates do what they do without much contribution from me,” Smith said.
Smith played the entire overtime period. The Flyers never trailed again after his first 3-pointer.
“I was eager to make a play,” Smith said. “I didn’t make too many plays all game. After I made the first one, I knew it was over.”
Here’s a quick rundown of the game:
Big picture: Dayton (23-5, 14-2) won its eight straight game and moved a half game ahead of VCU, which plays Rhode Island at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Flyers play VCU at 8 p.m. Wednesday at UD Arena and then close the regular season at 8 p.m. March 4 at George Washington.
Stat of the game: The Flyers made 31 of 45 free throws (68.9 percent). Davidson made 11 of 19. The fouls caught up to the Wildcats late as KiShawn Pritchett and Nathan Ekwu fouled out.
Key play: Aside from the three 3-pointers by Smith, the big shot went to Xeyrius Williams, who tied the game on a layup with 35 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Davidson took the lead on the previous possession with a jump shot by Peyton Aldridge.
Big run: Down 70-57 with 7;35 to play, Dayton went on a 15-2 run. Dayton wore Davidson down in the end. Davidson's two big starts Aldridge and Gibbs each scored 27 points, but they also played every minute.
FIRST-HALF RECAP
Xeyrius Williams scored 13 points to lead Dayton to a 46-45 halftime lead.
UD's star: Williams made 4 of 6 shots from the field, 3 of 5 3-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws. He also had three rebounds and two blocks.
Davidson's star: Aldridge made 8 of 12 field goals and scored 19 points.
Big run: Dayton trailed 38-31 with 4:05 to play and then went on a 15-2 run. Williams scored 11 points during the run.
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