“It looked like you were having a little more fun out there today, smiling,” WDTN’s Kayler Smith said. “I saw you pose for a selfie after the game. Just tell me about your mentality.”
“I mean I’m the same every game,” Grant said. “I think I’m the same. I don’t think I’ve really changed.”
“Do you usually take selfies with fans like that?” Smith asked.
“When they ask,” Grant said.
The ninth-year coach Grant still has plenty of supporters among the 13,407 fans who pack UD Arena for every game. There are also a smattering of boos when he’s introduced before games these days.
Five losses in six games left the Flyer Faithful in a dark place. Three victories in the last seven days, including a 78-66 victory Saturday against Duquesne at UD Arena, have brightened the mood if not saved the season — only an A-10 tournament championship could do that.
Following a 70-59 victory against Davidson on Sunday at UD Arena and an 82-67 victory at George Mason on Wednesday, Dayton recorded its third double-digit victory of the week. The Flyers didn’t trail in the second half in any of the three games.
“I’m proud of the effort today,” Grant said. “We talked about having an opportunity to put ourselves in a position where we can stack some success and what it would take to be able to do that.
“For us, it’s always going to start on the defensive end. I thought, in the first half, we left some things out there. They were able to have a lot of success offensively, especially from the 3-point line. In the second half, I thought our guys really locked in and did agreat job. I thought we were able to get stops, get out in transition, be able to have some success in broken-floor situations and build a lead, and then it just came down to being able to make enough plays on both sides of the ball to secure the win.”
Here are three takeaways from Dayton’s 27th game:
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
1: Dayton stayed in contention for a top-four finish: With four games to play, Dayton moved into a tie for third place in the Atlantic 10 Conference with George Mason (21-6, 9-5) and Saint Joseph’s (17-10, 9-5), which beat Loyola Chicago 75-61 on Saturday in Philadelphia.
Duquesne (16-11, 8-6), which saw a five-game winning streak end, began the day tied for fourth with Dayton and Saint Joseph’s and now sits alone in sixth place.
Duquesne suffered its 13th straight loss at UD Arena since an 83-73 victory in 2012. The Flyers have won nine straight regular-season games in the series.
Dayton’s three-game winning streak is its longest since it started A-10 play with five straight victories.
“We came in expecting to win,” said Dayton guard Javon Bennett, who had 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, “and I think we did a good job of playing together. It’s huge for us to be playing this well at the right time.”
To stretch the winning streak to four games, Dayton will have to beat the team that beat it 102-71 on Jan. 30. First-place Saint Louis (25-2, 13-1) plays at UD Arena at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
2: Dayton played better defense in the second half: The Dukes shot 70% (7 of 10) from 3-point range in the first half but still trailed 42-39 at halftime. In the second half, they shot 11.1% (1 of 9).
Duquesne’s top scorer, Taren Guinyard, scored 14 points and made 3 of 5 3-pointers in the first half. In the second half, he scored two points and missed both of his 3-point attempts.
Dayton pushed its lead to double digits for the first time on back-to-back baskets by De’Shayne Montgomery and Jordan Derkack eight minutes into the second half. Derkack’s 3-point play gave Dayton a 58-47 lead with 11 minutes, 49 seconds to play.
“I think Coach did a good job with adjusting, making sure we were playing more aggressive and switching and all that stuff, instead of letting them run free,” Bennett said. “I think we did a good job in the second half limiting how many attempts they were able to get.”
Credit: David Jablonski
3: The Flyers continue to do a better job of limiting turnovers: Dayton forward Amaël L’Etang had 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in 30-plus minutes.
L’Etang is the first Flyer to record a double-double with at least five assists and no turnovers since DaRon Holmes II in a 100-83 victory against Saint Louis on March 5, 2024. Obi Toppin, Jalen Crutcher, Malachi Smith and Enoch Cheeks are the only other Flyers to record that stat line in Grant’s nine seasons.
L’Etang has not turned the ball over in the last two games after averaging 3.1 in the previous seven games.
For the second straight game, Dayton turned the ball over eight times. In the 10 games previous to these two games, it committed double-digit turnovers in every game.
“It’s huge,” Bennett said. “You never want to have on-ball turnovers, especially against good teams. They take advantage of that.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Saint Louis at Dayton
When: 7 p.m., Tuesday
TV: FanDuel Sports
Radio: 95.7-FM, 1290-AM
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