‘I was feeling it’ — Holmes’ perfect first half and career day lead Dayton to road win

DaRon’s dad, DaRon Holmes Sr., was hard to miss. He wore a Chapel Blue jersey with his son’s No. 15 on the back.

“Was that a Christmas present,” Holmes Sr. was asked.

“A Christmas present for myself,” he said.

The younger DaRon delivered the best present for his parents and extended family members in attendance on the last day of 2022 by scoring a career-high 32 points, carrying Dayton (10-5) to its fifth straight victory in December, a 2-0 start in the Atlantic 10 Conference, its first true road victory of the season, its sixth straight victory against Davidson and its fourth straight victory at Belk Arena.

Holmes is the first Flyer to score 30 or more points since Obi Toppin had 31 in a 77-59 victory against North Florida on Dec. 30, 2019. Holmes recorded the highest points total by a Flyer since Josh Cunningham scored 32 against Rhode Island in an 88-74 loss at UD Arena on Jan. 20, 2018.

“That’s what he’s capable of,” forward Toumani Camara said. “Everybody can have good days, but we know his talent and potential. It’s not surprising to us. He works hard.”

Holmes made 8 of 8 field goals in the first half, including his only 3-point attempt, as Dayton built a 44-33 lead. He also made all three of his free-throw attempts. He made a jump shot from the baseline on Dayton’s last possession and then looked back at the Davidson bench as he got back on defense.

“I was feeling it,” Holmes said. “That’s one thing the coaching staff has helped me add to my game — to be able to step out and shoot it and help our team.”

Holmes had a quieter second half but still made 11 of 14 field goals in the game and 9 of 13 free throws. He also grabbed 10 rebounds to record his sixth double-double of the season. His dad was as impressed as everyone.

“I saw confidence in every aspect of his game,” Holmes Sr. said.

Holmes Sr. didn’t think his son was happy with his defensive performance because he finished without a blocked shot, but he’s seeing all the offensive skills develop.

“He’s starting to show the ability we always knew he had,” Holmes Sr. said. “He’s staying confident in all the areas of the floor.”

Holmes is on a roll as big as the Flyers. He has averaged 25.6 points in the five-game winning streak. He improved his season scoring average to 18.9 points.

“He saw a lot in the non-conference in terms of different looks and people throwing double teams at him from different directions,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. “I thought he handled it really well. He did a great job (Saturday) of being aggressive and showing he’s capable of stepping away from the basket and going into the post. His ability to maneuver inside was great to see.”

Dayton did not trail in the game after jumping out to a 10-3 lead. It also did not trail Wednesday in a 69-57 victory against Duquesne. In this game, it did let Davidson tie the game at one point midway through the second half.

The Wildcats (8-6, 1-1) outscored Dayton 14-3 in the first eight minutes of the second half. Dayton’s only points — seven in all — in the first 11 minutes of the half came at the free-throw line. Holmes got the offense back on track with a layup at the 8:26 mark.

In the final eight minutes, Davidson’s offense disappeared, and Dayton did enough on its end to build a comfortable cushion. Grant visited with Holmes’ parents, DaRon and Tomika, as well as Zimi Nwokeji’s mom, Linda, not to mention UD Hall of Famer Brian Roberts, before talking about the game outside the locker room.

The Flyers were expected to arrive home around 8 p.m. in plenty of time to enjoy New Year’s Eve. Grant said he was too old to stay up to midnight, but at least his dreams of victory in North Carolina will be good ones.

“In the second half, I thought we got good looks, but they didn’t go in,” Grant said. “They made a run. For our guys to be able to withstand that run and methodically for the rest of the game go on and be able to build a lead, that’s growth. Those are learning opportunities. I’m pleased with that. You never want to have to go through that type of lull where you’re struggling offensively like that, but our defense stayed the course. We actually got better in the second half.”

WEDNESDAY’S GAME

Saint Joseph’s at Dayton, 7 p.m., Spectrum News 1, ESPN+, 1290, 95.7