PHILADELPHIA – The University of Dayton men's basketball team suffered a setback on the road Saturday afternoon, falling to Saint Joseph's 81-74 at Hagan Arena.
 
The Flyers (14-6, 5-2 A-10) trailed by two at the half but could never regain the lead, suffering multiple scoring droughts that ultimately gave Saint Joseph's the opportunity it needed. SJU (12-8, 4-3 A-10) made 10 three-pointers in the game and made 16-of-18 free throws in the second half alone to seal the victory.
 
Junior De'Shayne Montgomery used a strong first half to fuel a 19-point performance, while senior Javon Bennett added 18, redshirt freshman Malcolm Thomas added 12 and sophomore Bryce Heard had 10.
 
Dayton finished the game with a better shooting percentage from the floor, shooting .438 compared to Saint Joe's .417. The Flyers also shot better from beyond the arc, .391 to .323. The Hawks, however, made 21 free throws at an .808 clip, while UD went to the line just 15 times, making nine (.600).
 
GAME RECAP
1st Half – Saint Joseph's 38, Dayton 36

• The Flyers jumped ahead thanks to a three-pointer from senior Javon Bennett.
• Junior De'Shayne Montgomery made a three-pointer of his own to put Dayton ahead 6-0.
• Another three from Bennett put UD ahead 9-5 at the first media timeout.
• Montgomery pulled down an offensive rebound and finished through contact put the Flyers ahead 11-9.
• After a layup by redshirt sophomore Jaiun Simon, Montgomery scored five consecutive points to make it an 18-12 game with 11:18 to go in the half.
• A one-hand slam over a Hawk defender gave senior Keonte Jones his 1,000th career point and made the score 22-15.
• Montgomery continued his torrid first half, scoring four more points for the Flyers, including tying the score with a steal and layup
• An 8-1 run by the Hawks in just under two minutes of action gave them a six-point lead with 2:13 to go.
• Simon hit a three and Bennett knocked down a pull-up jumper to put UD back in front, 36-35 with :43 remaining in the half.
• A three-pointer by SJU after two offensive rebounds gave the Hawks a 38-36 lead at the break.

 
2nd Half – Saint Joseph's 81, Dayton 74

• Dayton immediately tied the game at 38-38 with a basket from Jones.
• A 6-2 run by the Hawks put Dayton down 44-40 with 15:53 to go.
• Redshirt freshman Malcolm Thomas nailed a three to stop a Hawks run and make the score 49-43.
• Thomas followed it up with a pair of free throws to make it a 49-45 game with 13:21 remaining.
• Saint Joseph's extended its lead to eight with a 4-0 counterstrike, making the score 53-45 with 11:23 to go.
• A three-point basket by Bennett stopped another Hawks run and made the score 58-50 with 9:50 to go.
• SJU used a 9-3 run to jump ahead 67-53 with 7:04 to go.
• Sophomore Bryce Heard knocked down a corner three to bring the Flyers' deficit to 69-58.
• An old-fashioned three-point play from Heard made it a 71-61 game with 4:13 to go.
• Back-to-back baskets from Montgomery and Heard, plus a free throw from Montgomery made it a 73-66 game with 2:10 to go.
• After the Hawks made 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, a pair of free throws from Bennett and a basket underneath by Heard brought the score to 80-74 with just :17 seconds to play.
• SJU made one more free throw to bring the game to its final of 81-74.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• 1,000 – Senior Keonte Jones joined the 1,000-point club thanks to his eight points, becoming the third Flyer to reach the milestone in 2025-26.
• 18 – double-digit scoring outputs this season for both De'Shayne Montgomery and Javon Bennett, who scored 19 and 18, respectively
• 15 – turnovers by the Flyers leading to 20 points for Saint Joe's, tied for the third-most points off turnovers Dayton has allowed this season.
• 15 – free throw attempts for UD in the contest, tied for its second-fewest of the season.
• 7 – rebounds for sophomore Bryce Heard, setting a new career-high.
• 4 – times that Heard (10) and Malcolm Thomas (11) have each scored in double-digits this season.

 
UP NEXT
Dayton returns to the Epicenter of College Basketball, UD Arena, on Tuesday, Jan. 27 when it takes on Rhode Island in a 7 p.m. game.

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