DAYTON – The University of Dayton men's basketball team held on to take a 69-60 victory over Southern on Tuesday night at UD Arena. With the win, the Flyers improve to 8-5 on the season while the Jaguars fall to 6-7.
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Redshirt freshman Kobe Elvis paced the Flyers with 15 points, with sophomore Toumani Camara adding his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
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The Flyers led by as many as 22 points before seven of Dayton's 21 turnovers allowed Southern to cut the lead to four with just 1:44 remaining before UD closed out the Jaguars for good with a combination of free throws and defensive stops in the final minute.
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GAME BREAKDOWN
 1st Half: Dayton 32, Southern 21
- Camara scored the first points for the Flyers as part of an 8-0 run by Dayton to open the game. It marked the third time this season Camara has been the first on the team to score.
- UD's defense held Southern scoreless early, shutting out the Jaguars heading into the first media timeout.
- Elvis paced the offense with eight of the team's first 13 points, including two early three's to give Dayton a 13-3 lead with 14:21 remaining in the first half.
- A 14-4 run by Southern cut UD's lead to just 19-17 with 9:17 left in the half.
- Dayton spread the ball out to re-extend the lead to eight, with four different Flyers scoring over the stretch.
- After a Southern layup put the score at 27-21, Camara scored five consecutive points to stretch Dayton's lead to double digits heading into halftime.
- Camara led all scorers with 11 points in the first half, with Elvis also reaching double figures with 10 in the opening 20 minutes.
2nd Half: Dayton 69, Southern 60
- Freshman DaRon Holmes II extended the lead to 15 out of the break, scoring the first four points of the half.
- The Flyers used a 10-0 run to push the lead above 20, with a three by freshman Malachi Smith giving the Flyers a 55-33 lead with 9:36 left in the contest.
- Southern cut the lead to single digits with a 23-5 run of their own, putting the score at 62-58 with 1:44 left in the game.
- The Jaguars forced the Flyers into committing seven turnovers during that run.
- Elvis put in a layup to end the run, pushing the lead back up to six, and after the teams traded free throws, Dayton led 67-60 with 22.9 remaining.
- Southern missed a three on the next possession, with Dayton getting the ball back and Elvis sinking two free throws to seal the victory for the Flyers.
- Redshirt freshman Mustapha Amzil led UD with seven points and tied for the team-high with five rebounds in the second half.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Dayton improves to 3-1 on the season when scoring first.
- The Flyers have now outrebounded their opponent in all but one game this season, controlling the glass against the Jaguars 43-25.
- UD saw three finish in double figures with Elvis (15), Camara (13), and Holmes (10) each scoring 10+ for the Flyers.
- Camara's double-double is the fifth for the Flyers this season and gives him the most on the team with two.
- The 12 rebounds for Camara marked a season high for the sophomore.
- Holmes II also set a career high with four assists in the contest.
- Elvis also tied his career best with his 15 points and added four assists
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UP NEXTÂ
• The Flyers will open up the conference season on Dec. 30 with a road matchup against Rhode Island at 7 p.m.
• Dayton will return home for its Atlantic 10 home opener to begin 2022 on Jan. 2 against St. Bonaventure. The game with the Bonnies tips at 12 noon ET.
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