Dayton wins 21st straight season opener in dominant fashion

What it means: Dayton still has not lost its first game since a since a 2004 loss to Eastern Kentucky.

This was the first game between Dayton and Canisius since 1986.

This was Dayton’s first victory by 40 or more points since an 88-46 victory against Alcorn State on Dec. 22, 2022. That was Dayton’s first 40-point victory since it beat Fordham 96-51 on Jan. 23, 2013.

Stars of the game: Javon Bennett led Dayton with 20 points. Amaël L’Etang had 17. Georgia transfer De’Shayne Montgomery scored 16 in his first game as a Flyer.

Stat of the game: Canisius had 19 turnovers to Dayton’s four. Dayton outscored Canisius 28-2 in points off turnovers.

Career firsts: Freshman Damon Friery and Villanova transfer Malcolm Thomas both scored their first career college points at the foul line. Both made 3 of 4 free throws.

Looking ahead: Dayton plays Maryland, Baltimore County at 2 p.m. Saturday at UD Arena. UMBC lost 79-69 at home to Penn State York, a United States Collegiate Athletic Association program.

HALFTIME RECAP

Dayton played its best first half of a season opener in recent memory, building a 51-27 halftime lead.

Here’s a quick recap of the half:

Key players: Bennett scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

Montgomery scored 12 points on 3-of-3 shooting. He made 5 of 6 free throws.

Key stat: Dayton shot 63.3% (19 of 30) from the field. Canisus shot 36.7% (11 of 30).

Biggest run: Dayton started an 8-0 run with 16 minutes, 41 seconds to play in the half on a basket by De’Shayne Montgomery. It turned a 9-6 lead into a 17-6 advantage with three more baskets.

Lineup news: Dayton started the same five players who started the exhibition games against Penn State and Bowling Green: Bennett; Montgomery; Keonte Jones; L’Etang and Jacob Conner.

Rotation update: Jaiun Simon and Bryce Heard were the first players off the bench.

Injury news: Jordan Derkack, who missed the two exhibition games with an injury, played eight minutes in the first half. He led Dayton with four assists. When the starting point guard Bennett was on the bench, Derkack brought the ball up the court.