DAYTON – The University of Dayton men's basketball team took down UMBC in a game that went down to the wire on Saturday afternoon, pulling out a 77-71 victory in the closing minutes at UD Arena. 
 
All five of the starters for UD finished in double figures, paced by senior Javon Bennett, who ended with 16 points on the afternoon. Bennett was also the team's leader in assists with seven. Junior De'Shayne Montgomery and sophomore Amaël L'Etang led the Flyers in rebounds with six apiece while each adding 11 points. Keonte Jones contributed 12 points on a perfect five-for-five from the field while proving to be a force on the defensive side of the ball, recording five steals in addition to two assists. Senior Jacob Conner also hit double-digits, scoring 10 points to tie is career-best as a Flyer.
 
Dayton established a lead early, going on an 11-2 run over almost four minutes in the middle of the first half, to grab a 10-point lead. The rest of the first half saw UMBC climb back into the contest, as they made five of their last six field goal attempts, as the Flyers led by just four going into the break. The Retrievers came out hot in the second half, leading by as much as six early on. The Flyers continued to battle, however, and made a couple of runs that proved to be just enough to earn the victory.
 
Dayton's defense continues to be a highlight, as they forced 15 turnovers and recorded 10 steals and four blocks as a team. Jones led the team in both categories.
 
GAME RECAP
First Half – Dayton 41, UMBC 37

• Javon Bennett started the scoring for the Flyers with a 3-pointer at the 18:41 mark.
• After the Retrievers drew back within a point, Bennett drove to the basket and finished off a layup to move the Flyer advantage back to three with 16:10 left in the half.
• Jordan Derkack scored on two straight possessions as he hit a putback layup before converting from the baseline, giving UD a 14-6 lead with 13 minutes left in the half. 
• Bennett then added another two points to the lead on a drive, giving him seven early in the game. 
• After a UMBC score, Amaël L'etang threw down a dunk off a Derkack assist to give the Flyers a 10-point advantage at 18-8.
• After four straight points from the Retrievers, Jacob Conner knocked down a three from the top of the key, making the score 21-12 with 10 minutes on the clock. 
• De'Shayne Montgomery pushed the Flyer lead back to double digits at 27-15 on two straight fastbreak buckets, first on a layup and then by throwing down an emphatic dunk off of a steal and assist from Bennett. 
• Keonte Jones scored his first basket of the game by converting a layup through contact, making the Flyer lead 29-18 with seven minutes remaining. 
• On the defensive side of the ball, Malcolm Thomas made his presence known with an emphatic block that electrified the sold-out UD Arena crowd. 
• Bennett found Jones in the corner for a triple to increase the lead 33-23.
• After a couple of unanswered baskets from UMBC, L'Etang found himself open under the basket off a Derkack assist for two. 
• Bennett once again found Jones in the corner, and he knocked down the triple to make the Flyer lead 38-27 with three minutes left in the half.
• After a 10-0 run from the Retrievers, Conner threw down a dunk to give Dayton a 35-41 lead in the final minute of the half. 
• UMBC made five of its last six field goals in the first half to close the gap to four going into the break. 
• At the half, the Flyers were led by Jones with eight points, L'Etang with five rebounds, and Bennett with five assists.

 
Second Half – Dayton 77, UMBC 71

• After UMBC got on the board first in the second period, Conner finished a layup through a foul and converted the and-one to record the first Dayton points of the half.
• A 13-2 run from the Retrievers over almost three minutes saw them jump in front 52-46, but after a timeout, the Flyers put a run of their own together, sparked by a Montgomery basket and Jones steal to tie the game at 52 with 13:15 left to play. 
• Bennett brought the contest back to level at 57 at the 10:30 mark with a mid-range jumper, the fifth field goal the Flyers had converted in six attempts. 
• A pair of free throws from Bryce Heard gave the Flyers the lead back at 59-57. 
• After a 3:41 scoring drought that saw them turn the ball over four times, UMBC knocked down a pair of free throws to draw level at 59 with eight minutes to play.
• Jones then ran down the court and finished a tough layup to push UD ahead 61-59. 
• After getting a stop at the other end, L'Etang knocked down a huge three to increase the lead to 64-59.
• Both teams would trade threes as the Retrievers would answer with a three of their own, but Montgomery quickly responded with a transition triple to push the lead back up to five with six minutes left in the game. 
• Jones drove baseline and flew high for a slam to make the lead 64-71 with three minutes to play.
• Five unanswered points from UMBC saw them get within a possession at 71-73 in the final minute, but a pair of rebounds on the offensive glass and two Bennett free throws saw the Flyers push ahead by four with 22 seconds left on the clock.
• A defensive stand and two successful free throws from Montgomery sealed the win for Dayton.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• 2 – blocks for Keonte Jones, setting a new Dayton high
• 5 – Flyers reached double-digit scoring
• 6 – Rebounds each for Amael L'Etang and De'Shayne Montgomery
• 10 – Steals as a team for UD
• 10 – points for Jacob Conner, tying his best in a Flyer uniform
• 14 – +/- for Jaiun Simon, who led the team
• 16 – Points for Javon Bennett, leading the Flyers
• 31:26 – Time leading for the Flyers

 
UP NEXT
The Flyers play their first road game of the season when they face off at Cincinnati on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Fifth Third Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.

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