University of Dayton Athletics

DAYTON – The University of Dayton men's basketball team rolled to a 32-point victory over Morehead State in the final exhibition game of the 2026-27 season, winning 88-56 at the Epicenter of College Basketball, UD Arena.

Dayton came out strong in the first half, taking a 42-30 lead at the break, aided by 13 points from freshman Aiden Derkack and junior Malcolm Thomas' four blocks. The Flyers continued building on their lead in the second half, putting up 46 points in the half for the 88-56 final score.

Junior Amaël L'Etang led UD with 14 points and six rebounds, tying senior Zaide Lowery and junior Malcolm Thomas in boards. Thomas also recorded a team-high five blocks. Derkack finished the game with 13 points, Thomas with 11, Lowery with 10, and sophomore Damon Friery added 10. Five Flyers were perfect at the free-throw line, contributing to Dayton's 82.4 free-throw percentage.

GAME RECAP
First Half – Dayton 42, Morehead State 30

• A defensive rebound from junior Malcom Thomas set up junior Amaël L'Etang for the chance to put up Dayton's first points with a three-point basket, tying the game at 3-3 at 17:52.
• Thomas drove to the rim to give the Flyers their first lead of the game, 5-3, at 16:31. 
• A defensive rebound under the MSU basket gave junior Travis Perry a fast-break layup, bringing the score to 7-3.
• Perry knocked down a three-pointer at 15:30 to extend the Flyers' lead to 10-7.
• Senior Zaide Lowery capitalized on the turnover with an assist from senior Jaiun Simon to bring the Dayton lead to 14-7 at 13:55. 
• Derkack made a layup off the fast break followed by a free throw at 9:06 to advance the score to 17-14.
• With 8:15 left in the half, Derkack grabbed an offensive rebound and knocked down a jumper to drive the Flyer lead to 19-14.
• A slam dunk by Derkack on the fast-break at 7:25 led the Flyer to a score of 21-14.
• L'Etang kept the momentum going with a second-chance layup at 6:54, pushing the score to 23-15.
• Thomas brought a rebound down to the paint to put up two with six minutes to go for a 10-point lead at 25-15. 
• Simon sank a three-point jumper, extending the Flyers' lead to 28-17 with 5:35 left in the half.
• Junior Grant Randall put up three from downtown to keep Dayton in the lead by 10. 
• Simon brought up two with minutes left to bring the score to 33-26. 
• L'Etang shot from long range at 2:06, making a three-point jumper off a turnover, advancing the score to 36-26.
• A foul inside the paint put L'Etang at the line, going two for two, bringing the Flyers to 100 percent at the line going into halftime.
• Derkack closed out the half with a layup, giving the Flyers a 12-point lead heading into the break. 

 
Second Half – Dayton 88, Morehead St. 56

• L'Etang put up a second-chance layup for the Flyers, starting the second half with a score of 44-30.
• Randall snagged an offensive board for a tip-in layup at 17:30, pushing the Flyers to 48-33.
• Lowery made an aggressive drive to the rim, putting up two for the Flyers, bringing the score to 50-33.
• At 16:08, sophomore Landen Joseph scored three to widen the Flyers' lead. 
• An assist from Derkack set Thomas up to land a three at 14:51, putting the Flyers up 20 with a 57-37 score.
• Thomas followed up a pair of free throws with a layup to push the Dayton lead to 61-42. 
• Sophomore Jaron McKie sank a second-chance layup, earning an and-one for the Flyers with 10:04 on the clock.
• A rebound from Simon led Lowery on a drive to the basket, putting up two, assisted by Joseph. 
• At 6:23, assisted by Landen, Friery knocked down a three-pointer off the fast break, followed by a two-point basket at 5:18, driving the score to 74-46.
• Simon continued the Flyers' run, making a 3-point jumper that extended the Dayton lead to 77-48.
• Lowery continued the Flyers' run with another three-pointer at four minutes remaining, pushing the score up to 80-48.
• Friery hit a three-point jumper to bring Dayton's momentum into the final minutes for an 88-54 score.
• McKie followed it up with another three-pointer at 1:15, bringing the Flyer lead to 86-52.
• On the next possession, Friery was back under the basket for two, assisted by freshman Cody Peck, to finish out the scoring campaign for Dayton.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
17 - Assists in the game for Dayton, led by Landed Joseph with four
14 - Points scored by Amaël L'Etang to lead the Flyers in scoring
6 - Rebounds grabbed by Malcolm Thomas, L'Etang and Lowery to lead the Flyers on the board
82.4 - Free-throw percentage for the Flyers
50.8 - Field-goal percentage for the Flyers in the game
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers will officially open the 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2, welcoming NJIT to UD Arena at 7 p.m. Fans can tune in on WHIO TV.

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