University of Dayton Athletics

DAYTON – The University of Dayton men's basketball team squared off with Notre Dame in the annual CareSource Spotlight Game on Saturday night, overcoming a five-point halftime deficit to pull out a convincing 75-65 victory.

The Flyers trailed 38-33 at halftime before battling back to tie the game at 50 with just over 10 minutes remaining. Dayton built a six-point advantage late in the second half behind key baskets from sophomore Landen Joseph and junior Malcolm Thomas.

Thomas led the Flyers with 20 points and six rebounds, while Joseph added 15 points, three rebounds and two assists. Freshman Aiden Derkack recorded a team-high three assists and sophomore Tristian Ford swiped four steals.

GAME RECAP
First Half – Dayton 33, Notre Dame 38
Junior transfer Travis Perry put the Flyers on the board at 18:03 with a drive downcourt, finishing with a layup, setting the score at 2-2. 
Perry buried a three at 16:29 to give the Flyers their first lead of the game at 5-3.
Freshman Aiden Derkack drove to the basket, making it a 7-4 game with 15:49 on the clock. 
Freshman Cody Peck got into the scoring with a dunk at 11:57, putting the Flyers up by 1, 11-10. 
Sophomore transfer Landen Joseph knocked down a mid-range turnaround jumper to extend Dayton's lead to 13-12 at 11:03.
With 15-13 on the board, sophomore Damon Friery made a quick layup from right under the basket at 9:08, bringing the score to 15-15.
With an assist from Derkack, Thomas found an open lane and dunked to keep the Flyers' momentum going, down 22-19. 
From the rebound off Derkack, Thomas sank a tip-in dunk at 4:55, setting the score to 26-21. 
Thomas went back to the line, sinking two good shots, cutting Notre Dame's lead to 29-25 with 3:07 left on the clock. 
Perry hit a three from the top of the key to keep the Flyers in the game, 36-29, with 1:27 remaining in the half. 
Sophomore Tristian Ford converted a layup with 55 seconds remaining in the first half, responding to Notre Dame's defensive pressure and cutting the Fighting Irish's lead to 36-31. 
Derkack finished a layup under the basket with five seconds remaining in the first half, bringing the Flyers within five points of Notre Dame at 38-33 heading into halftime. 

Second Half – Dayton 75, Notre Dame 65
Thomas started off the second half with a jumper inside the arc at 19:01, making the and-one for a two-point game, 38-36.
Tying the game at 38-all, senior Zaide Lowery got the crowd going with a slam.  
Joseph knocked down a three-pointer with 14:47 remaining in the half, cutting Notre Dame's lead to 43-41.
Ford hit a shot from outside the arc at 11:58, keeping it a one-point game, 47-46. 
Peck converted a second-chance jumper with 11:03 remaining in the second half, once again cutting Notre Dame's lead to one at 49-48.
Friery made a layup at 10:15, tying the game at 50 apiece.  
Ford drained a free throw, giving the Flyers the lead of 51-50 with 9:36 on the clock. 
Joseph connected from long range to extend the Flyers' lead to 54-51 with 9:07 remaining. 
Ford kept the momentum going and buried a three, building on the Dayton lead at 59-55 at 7:18.
Joseph scored a layup off a fast break at 5:59, giving the Flyers a 61-57 advantage over Notre Dame.
Thomas, quick off the rebound, sank a jump shot with seconds to spare on the shot clock, setting the Flyers to 63-62 at 3:46. 
Thomas drained another three for the Flyers, holding a lead of 66-62 at 3:12. 
Joseph, quick off a Notre Dame turnover, sank a layup to widen the lead to 68-62 at 2:37. 
Thomas met the rim with a dunk, assisted by Derkack, with 2:21 on the clock for a 70-62 score.
With 35 seconds left in the game, Joseph drained a jumper outside the arc, making the final bucket of the game at 75-65. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
20 - Points scored by Malcolm Thomas to lead the Flyers in scoring 
6 - Rebounds grabbed by Thomas to lead the Flyers on the boards
3 - Assists recorded by freshman Aiden Derkack, playing a team-leading 29 minutes
3 - Three-pointers made by Landen "Dunk" Joseph, contributing to his 15 points
44.6 - Field goal percentage for the Flyers in the game
31 - Rebounds recorded by the Flyers 
10 - Flyers who appeared in the game, all registering 10+ minutes
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers return to the Epicenter of College Basketball, UD Arena, on Saturday, Oct. 24 to take on Morehead State in the team's final exhibition. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.