RECAP: Dayton dominates Duquesne behind 30 team assists
Final Score: Dayton 90, Duquesne 53
On a Saturday that featured a wealth of college hoops action, Dayton and Duquesne took to the hardwood for an early afternoon showdown. While a match-up between 16–5 Dayton and 9–14 Duquesne did not look like the most thrilling game on paper, Flyer fans seemed to care less. UD Arena sold out four days prior to the game and the atmosphere was electric from the start.
Early on Dayton’s offense ran beautifully. The Flyer’s hot start helped them open up a quick 12–6 lead over Duquesne at the first media timeout. Even after the explosive start, Dayton showed no signs of slowing down. Back to back threes by Darrell Davis and John Crosby extended the Flyer’s lead to 26–11 with 9:30 left in the first half.
Opening up as large as a 26 point lead, Dayton eased into halftime with a sizable advantage. The Flyers shot 58% from the field and 46% from three to take a 44–25 lead over Duquesne at the break. Despite just eight minutes from Kendall Pollard in the first half, other players stepped up. Nine Flyers scored in the first half as the True Team used its depth to pull away from Duquesne.
In the second half Dayton picked up right where it left off. Two consecutive layups by Kyle Davis put the Flyers up 30. As it turned out, Davis and the Flyers were still not done. A breakaway dunk by Davis extended Dayton’s lead to 77–36 with 6:25 left to play. The Flyers cruised from then on out to snatch a 90–53 win over Duquesne.
Trey Landers and walk-on Joey Gruden saw some action in Dayton’s big win as the Flyers out assisted Duquesne 30–6. Kendall Pollard led the way in scoring with 16 points despite playing just 19 minutes. Darrell Davis and Kyle Davis were the only two other Flyers to score in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively. Dayton shot 59% from the field and 46% in the win over the Dukes. The Flyers also out rebounded Duquesne by a 14 board margin.
Dayton’s 30 assists mark the third most assists in a game in school history (the record is 37 set back in 1985). After the game Kendall Pollard summed the blowout win up well saying, “That was a fun one for everybody.” Pollard went on to add that “With the last two games we’ve played I feel like we’re playing hard and playing together.” The True Team has certainly lived up to its motto in the last two wins over Fordham and Duquesne.
Following the win Archie Miller had high praise for Kyle Davis. Miller said Davis “doesn’t care about anything but winning… he’s so unselfish in the way he’s playing on both ends of the floor.” Miller went on to say Davis has “pretty much been our MVP all year… he’s been the very very same from the start all the way till today.” Clearly the senior guard is an intricate part of Dayton’s success. If the Flyers want to make another tournament run in March, Davis must continue the strong play and leadership.
With the win Dayton improves to 17–5 on the year and 8–2 in conference play. The Flyers will be back in action Tuesday night as they take on Saint Joseph’s inside the friendly compounds of UD Arena.
