This was the latest start for a Dayton game in the Eastern Time Zone since perhaps the 10:53 p.m. game against Providence in the NCAA tournament in 2015.
The late start didn’t seem to affect either team. The shooting numbers, especially, were fit for prime time. Both teams shot 45.5% from 3-point range. Dayton made 14 of 33. BYU made 10 of 22.
BYU senior Richie Saunders proved to be the difference in the game. He made a go-ahead 4-point play to break a 70-70 tie with 2 minutes, 56 seconds to play. Then, after a 3-pointer by Dayton forward Amaël L’Etang cut the BYU lead to 74-73, Saunders made another at the 1:51 mark.
“They made plays; we made plays,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. “(Saunders) made some huge plays. Down the stretch, it’s one of those games where the clock ran out on you a little bit, but it’s a good effort. We didn’t get the result we wanted, but I think we learned a lot about ourselves. Hopefully, we’ll be a better team for this experience.”
Saunders scored 29 points against Dayton three years after scoring eight points off the bench in a 79-75 overtime victory against Dayton in the seventh-place game at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
“Richie’s will to win is second to zero to anyone in the country,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “This guy just finds a way. I love that about him.”
Despite the loss, Dayton (6-2) left the State Farm Field House with an optimistic outlook heading into December. An 84-79 overtime victory against Georgetown in the first round is another building block for a NCAA tournament at-large resume.
Credit: David Jablonski
Here’s a breakdown of Dayton’s play in the two games in Florida:
MVP: Senior guard Javon Bennett scored 13 points against Georgetown and 22 against BYU. He rebounded from a 4-of-19 shooting performance in the first round by making 7 of 16 shots, including 6 of 11 3s, in the championship game.
Bennett, an Orlando native, said he played AAU games in high school at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. The familiarity paid off in the second game.
Through eight games, Bennett leads Dayton in scoring (16.9 points per game), though his 3-point percentage has fallen to 31.6 from 39.0 last season.
Credit: David Jablonski
Breakout performance: Sophomore guard Bryce Heard averaged 4.5 points in the first six games and 14.0 points in the tournament. He scored 12 points against Georgetown and 16 against BYU, making 7 of 12 3-pointers, a number of them at key moments in both games.
“I think it’s great for him just from a confidence standpoint to be able to come out on this stage against this competition and perform the way he performed,“ Grant said. “I talk a lot about how we’re in the process of trying to learn our team as well because a lot of these guys are new to us. We’re seeing what guys do and what combinations are good. So that was great to see.”
Underrated performances: Senior forward Jacob Conner played only 10 minutes against Georgetown but was on the court for the final three-plus minutes of overtime. He had an assist and two key rebounds in that stretch.
• Redshirt freshman forward Malcolm Thomas had six points on 3-of-4 shooting in the first half against Georgetown.
Best stat: Dayton continues to prove it’s a better 3-point shooting team than it showed earlier this season. It shot 20.3% (14 of 69) in the first three games. That included a 2-of-26 performance in a 74-62 loss at Cincinnati.
In Florida, Dayton made 26 of 59 3-pointers (44.1%), raising its season average to 34.2%.
Worst stat: Seven of Dayton’s eight opponents have shot better than 35% from 3-point range. Georgetown (9 of 25, 36%) and BYU (10 of 22, 45.5) continued that trend.
Dayton’s 3-point defense (38.6%) ranks 325th in the country.
Best fan: Caroline Kramer, the 4-year-old Dayton fan from Kettering who was featured in a viral TikTok video shot by her mom Brittany earlier this season, handed out friendship bracelets to the players as they left the court after beating Georgetown.
NEXT GAME
Who: East Tennessee State at Dayton
When: 7 p.m., Tuesday
Streaming: Fan Duel Sports Network
Radio: 95.7-FM, 1290-AM
Credit: David Jablonski
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