Dayton improves to 7-2 with double-digit victory vs. ETSU

Flyers dominate second half and stretch lead to as many as 21 points
Dayton's De'Shayne Montgomery scores at the halftime buzzer against East Tennessee State on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Dayton's De'Shayne Montgomery scores at the halftime buzzer against East Tennessee State on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff

The Dayton Flyers opened the second half with an 11-0 run and coasted to an 88-71 victory against East Tennessee State on Tuesday at UD Arena.

Here’s a quick recap of the game:

What it means: Dayton (7-2) won its first game after finishing 1-1 with a victory against Georgetown and a loss to Brigham Young at the ESPN Events Invitational last week in Florida.

Dayton won its 31st straight non-conference home game. It improved to 4-0 in the series against ETSU (6-2).

Star of the game: Dayton’s De’Shayne Montgomery matched his career high with 27 points. He also hit that total as a freshman at Mount St. Mary’s. He made 8 of 14 field goals, including 3 of 7 3-pointers, and 8 of 8 free throws.

Stat of the game: Dayton made 28 of 35 free throws. ETSU made 12 of 15. Dayton’s Jordan Derkack made 10 of 13 free throws and scored 14 points.

Turning point: The 11-0 run in the five minutes of the second half stretched Dayton’s lead to 57-38. ETSU got no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Looking ahead: Dayton plays Virginia (6-1) at noon Saturday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

HALFTIME RECAP

Montgomery scored 17 points to lead Dayton to a 46-38 halftime lead.

Here’s a quick recap of the first half:

Key player: Montgomery made 5 of 7 field goals, including 1 of 3 3-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws.

Key stat: Dayton made 18 of 22 free throws. ETSU made 9 of 10.

Biggest lead: Dayton led 40-29 with 4 minutes, 55 seconds to play after a 3-pointer by Montgomery. ETSU answered with a 7-1 run.

Foul trouble: Two ETSU starters (Jordan McCullum and Allen Strothers) picked up three fouls in the first half.

Big shot: Montgomery caught a pass near halfcourt with 3 seconds to play and scored on a layup at the halftime buzzer.

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