DAYTON – Senior Jordan Derkack sank a pair of free throws with just :02 on the clock to help the University of Dayton men's basketball team outlast St. Bonaventure on Tuesday night, 72-70, at UD Arena.
 
The Flyers (15-8, 6-4 A-10) stopped their four-game losing skid thanks to Derkack's season-high of 18 points to go along with fellow senior Javon Bennett's 20. The Bonnies (13-10, A-10 2-8) lose their second consecutive game by less than five points.
 
Bennett's 20 points led all scorers and was the seventh time the Orlando native has scored 20 or more points this season. Derkack's 18 points marked a new high as a Flyer, with 12 of those coming from the charity stripe. Sophomore Amaël L'Etang chipped in 16 points and pulled down five rebounds.
 
Dayton shot 41.3% (19-of-46) for the game, including 31.6% (6-of-19) from three, while St. Bonaventure was 48.1% (26-of-54) from the floor and 21.1% (4-of-19) from beyond the arc. The Flyers forced 13 turnovers and scored 17 points off them, while only committing 10 of their own.
 
GAME RECAP
 
1st Half – Dayton 41, St. Bonaventure 30

• Sophomore Amaël L'Etang kicked off scoring for the Flyers with a long-range triple.
• Junior De'Shayne Montgomery turned a Bonnies turnover into two points to put Dayton ahead 5-2.
• Bennett scored the Flyer's next points as well, with a made jump shot at 14:20 to make the score 10-10.
• After a back-and-forth over the next three minutes, Dayton started an 8-0 run with a pair of free throws from senior Jordan Derkack.
• Bennett sank a deep three from the top of the key to push the Flyer lead to 27-22 with 6:05 to go.
• L'Etang fed Derkack with a sharp pass under the basket for two points at the 5:06 mark to push the lead to 30-22.
• Bennett sank a three-pointer for his 13th point only 15 minutes into the game, widening the lead to 33-24. 
• L'Etang made a layup at 2:13 to widen the lead to 11 points at 37-26.
• Bennett hit a three off a fast break after redshirt freshman Malcolm Thomas blocked a St. Bonaventure layup to give the Flyers' their biggest lead of the game at 41-28.

2nd Half – Dayton 72, St. Bonaventure 70

• Jones went 2-for-2 from the line to open up the half for the Flyers.
• Montgomery swiped a pass and threw down a dunk at 17:44 to once again give UD a 13-point cushion at 47-34.
• The  Bonnies went on a 14-0 run, which Derkack ended with a made layup at 12:22, making the score Dayton 49, St. Bonaventure 48.
• Sophomore Bryce Heard entered the game and made a three at 11:42 to reclaim the lead, Flyers 52, Bonnies 50. 
• Bennett, Heard and L'Etang were sent to the line within two minutes, all going 2-for-2, giving UD a 58-56 advantage with 8:35 remaining.
• Trailing by three, L'Etang battled through the Bonnies' defense to make a layup at 2:23, making it a 68-67 deficit.
• Down by two with just under a minute to go, Bennett flew to the rim to put in a crucial bucket and give UD a 70-68 lead.
• After SBU sank a pair of free throws to tie the game, Derkack drove to the basket and was fouled, sending him to the charity stripe with just 2.3 seconds.
• St. Bonaventure tried to ice Derkack with a timeout, but the senior calmly sank both to give the Flyers the 72-70 victory.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• 20 - points for Javon Bennett, his 11th career 20+ point game.
• 16 - points for Amaël L'Etang, his high during Atlantic 10 play this season.
• 18 - points for Jordan Derkack, a new high as a Flyer
• 12 - free throws made by Derkack, tying Bennett for the most made in a game this season
• 28 – made free throws for the Flyers, their most as a team in A-10 action
• 0 – bench points for St. Bonaventure.

UP NEXT
The Flyers head to the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. to battle the VCU Rams this Friday, Feb. 6  at 7 p.m.