DAYTON – The University of Dayton Men's Basketball team rolled to its third consecutive Atlantic 10 victory with a 78-66 win over Duquesne inside the friendly confines of the Epicenter of College Basketball, UD Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The Flyers (18-9, 9-5 A-10) rode a strong second half that saw the Dukes (16-11, 8-6 A-10) shoot just 27.6% from the floor. Dayton held a six-point lead with 14:32 to go in the game and erupted for a 18-8 run over the next nine minutes to put the game out of reach.

Sophomore Amaël L'Etang led UD with his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Senior Javon Bennett added 14 points, and graduate student Keonte Jones tacked on 13. while senior Jordan Derkack had and junior De'Shayne Montgomery each scored nine. 

Dayton shot 44.2% (23-for-52) from the floor for the game and 38.1% (8-for-21) from beyond the arc while holding Duquesne to 37.7% (20-53) from the floor and 42.1% (8-19)  from downtown. The Flyers out-rebounded the Dukes 34-33 and forced them into 13 turnovers while committing just eight themselves.

GAME RECAP
FIRST HALF – Dayton 42, Duquesne 39

• With three seconds left on the shot clock, senior Javon Bennett hit a jumper to score the first points for the Flyers.
• Junior Deshayne Montgomery with a lay-up made the score 4-2, Flyers.
• Assisted by Montgomery, redshirt sophomore Jauin Simon hit a three-point jumper to give the Flyers a 5-point lead over the Dukes. 
• Graduate student Keonte Jones shot 2 for 2 at the free-throw line to bring the score 9-5, Flyers.
• Simon hit a lay-up that brought the crowd to their feet at 16:17 to bring the score to 11-5 in favor of the Flyers. 
• After a miss by Bennett, Jones got the rebound to score a tip-in dunk for the Flyers at 15:30.
• Redshirt freshman Malcom Thomas went behind the line to shoot 2 of 2 to bring the score to 15-7, Flyers lead. 
• Bennett hit a field goal at 13:30 to keep the Flyers in the lead 17-11.
• Sophomore Bryce Heard drove to the basket at 10:42, where he hit a jumper in the paint to break the tie. Flyers lead 19-17. 
• 2 of 2 for Simon at the line to bring the Flyers back into the lead 21-17.
• Assisted by Sophomore Amaël L'Etang, Heard swished a three with ease to bring the Flyers to 24-22 over the Dukes.
• Bennett, with two good shots behind the line, brought the score to 26-24, Flyers lead. 
• L'Etang pushed past the defense to score a jumper at 6:18 and bring the Flyers to 28 points over the Dukes 27. 
• Montgomery brings the energy with a made jumper to bring the Flyers to 30 points with just under six minutes left in the half. 
• L'Etang hit a second-chance three at 4:29, making the score 33-29, Flyers lead.
• The arena went crazy for Bennett's offensive dominance after scoring a three-pointer, then making a steal into a lay-up just seconds later, bringing the score to 39-35 in favor of the Flyers. 
• With 43 seconds left in the half, L'Etang hit a three-point jumper to give the Flyers a 42-39 lead. 

• Bennett started the second half with a three-point jumper to give the Flyers a 45-41 lead. 
• Jones went 2 for 2 at the foul line, keeping the Flyers ahead 47-43 with 16:40 on the clock.
• Montgomery, with a three-pointer from the corner, got the crowd on their feet, maintaining the lead at 50-43 with 16:01 on the clock.
• L'Etang hit a massive three-point shot at the top of the key to bring the score to 54-45.
• Assisted by Derkack on a fastbreak, an overhead pass gave Montgomery the opening for a dunk that made the arena roar, to make the score 56-47. 
• A lay-up from Derkack led to an and-one, giving the Flyers a 12-point lead with 11:49 on the clock.
• Heard with two good shots from the line at 10:11, kept the Flyers in the lead. 
• After a defensive rebound, L'Etang found an opening under the basket, passing to Derkack, who put up a shot at 8:54, giving the Flyers a 12-point lead. 
• Derkack and Jones continued to add to the Flyer lead, both shooting 2 for 2 behind the line. 
• Jones, with a steal, made for an easy scoring opportunity as he brought the ball up the court and dunked with ease, putting the score at 69-53, Flyers lead over the Dukes. 
• Simon fouled out of the game with 7 points and 3 rebounds. 
• With 4:43 remaining on the clock, L'Etang hit a lay-up underneath the basket to bring the Flyers over the 70-point threshold.
• Jones made Flyer fans go crazy with a dunk off a fast break assist from L'Etang. The Flyers lead 75-64 with just over two minutes left in the game. 
• Jones fouled out of the game after having 13 points, 7 rebounds, and shooting 87.5% from the line. 
• L'Etang hit two behind the stripe, bringing the score to 77-66 with 1:15 remaining of game play. 
• L'Etang closes out the game with one good free-throw. Final score 78-66.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
75 – shooting percentage for the Flyers from the free-throw line, marking the 15th time they've shot 75% or better this season
17 – points from Amaël L'Etang, his seventh consecutive game with 10+ points
10 – rebounds from L'Etang, registering his fourth double-double of the season
5 – assists for L'Etang, his most for the season and tying a career-high
11 – points scored by Javon Bennett in the first half, who then went on to score 14
13 – points for Keonte Jones, who also had seven rebounds to go along with two poster dunks
14 – assists for the Flyers in the game, their third-straight double-digit assist performance as a team
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers return to the Epicenter of College Basketball, UD Arena, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, when they host No. 18 Saint Louis at 7:00 PM.