Dayton controls second half in exhibition victory against Penn State

Keonte Jones leads Flyers with 17 points
Dayton's De'Shayne Montgomery dunks against Penn State in an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Dayton's De'Shayne Montgomery dunks against Penn State in an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff

The Dayton Flyers dominated the second half and beat Penn State 78-62 at UD Arena on Sunday in the first of two exhibition games before the regular season begins Nov. 3.

Here’s a quick recap of the game:

What it means: Dayton won an exhibition game against a Division I team for the first time in recent memory. The Flyers lost to Ohio State in 2023 and to Xavier last season.

Star of the game: Cal State Northridge transfer Keonte Jones, one of eight newcomers on the Dayton roster, led the Flyers with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting.

Other contributors: Amaël L’Etang had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Dayton.

Javon Bennett made 3 of 6 3-pointers and scored nine points.

Stat of the game: Dayton shot 26% (7 of 27) from 3-point range but 65.7% (23 of 35) from 2-point range.

Turning point: Dayton led from start to finish after building a 5-0 lead but had a slim 34-29 halftime lead. It then opened the second half with a 20-5 run, building a 54-34 lead. It led by as many as 27 points.

Injury news: Rutgers transfer Jordan Derkack and freshman guard Jaron McKie were not in uniform. Derkack tweaked something in practice and was held out as a precaution, according to a UD spokesman. McKie had his arm in a sling as he watched from the bench.

Lineup news: Dayton started three returning players (Bennett, Jacob Conner and L’Etang) and two newcomers (Jones and De’Shayne Montgomery).

Looking ahead: Dayton plays Bowling Green at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at UD Arena in its second exhibition game. The game will not be televised or streamed.

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