“Amaël, we miss you,” she shouted.
L’Etang smiled from his seat on the bench. For the first time in two seasons, he missed a game. A lower-body injury suffered in practice Monday prevented him from playing in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener against Fordham. He used crutches to get around the court as the team warmed up before the game.
Another Dayton big man, redshirt freshman forward Malcolm Thomas, also was sidelined after suffering an ankle injury 11 days earlier in a 64-61 loss to Liberty. He wore a protective boot on his left foot Wednesday.
Coach Anthony Grant said he does not know when either player will return.
Even without those two players, who average 17.8 points between them, Dayton (10-4) led from start to finish in a 63-56 victory against Fordham (9-5).
“We’re pleased to start the conference season here at home and to get a win,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. “Obviously, both teams being a little short-handed today, guys had to step into some different roles. I thought, for our guys, just the effort, the fight that we showed today made the difference. Neither team really was stellar on the offensive end, but I thought our guys were able to make plays to put ourselves in position to to find a way to win the game, and that’s the most important thing.“
Here are five takeaways from Dayton’s 14th game:
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
1: Dayton used all of its available scholarship players: With L’Etang and Thomas injured, sophomore point guard Adam Njie Jr. still sidelined by a “potential eligibility issue” and freshman guard Jaron McKie out for the season with a shoulder injury, the Flyers have nine scholarship players. That includes Sean Pouedet, a guard from Belgium who made his debut in the Liberty game.
All nine players saw action in the first half. Freshman forward Damon Friery, who had not made an appearance before halftime, played three minutes.
Jaiun Simon, one of two scholarship players who has been on the roster for three seasons, scored eight points in the first half — one more than his career high — and finished with 11 points. He made 4 of 7 shots and 3 of 6 free throws. He also set a career high by playing 23 minutes.
“You never know when the opportunity presents itself,” Simon said, “so you’ve just got to stay ready for every moment and go out there and work.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
2: Fordham still has never won a game at UD Arena: The Rams are 0-18 against the Flyers in Dayton. They also lost two A-10 tournament games at UD Arena in 2003 and 2004. Fordham’s only win in Dayton came in the first game in the series in 1953 at the UD FieldHouse.
This was the third straight time Dayton beat Fordham by single digits at UD Arena, following a 78-70 victory in 2024 and a 68-61 victory in 2022.
Fordham, led by new coach Mike Magpayo, saw a three-game winning streak end. It beat Fairleigh Dickinson, Manhattan and New Haven in its last three games before the holiday break.
Grant was impressed by Fordham’s size, physicality and ability to rebound. The Rams had a 16-8 advantage in offensive rebounds. They used players who were 6-foot-11 (Jack Whitbourn), 6-10 (Akira Jacobs), 6-9 (Rikus Schulte) and 6-7 (Roor Akhuar). Dayton countered with one 6-10 player (Jacob Conner), Friery (6-9) and Simon (6-7).
Neither team shot the ball well from 3-point range. Dayton made 4 of 16 (25%). Fordham made 4 of 15 (26.7%).
Fifteen turnovers hurt Fordham. The Flyers, who had eight turnovers, outscored the Rams 18-4 in points off turnovers.
Fordham also played without two key players, including senior guard Christian Henry, the team’s second-leading scorer (12.2) and the A-10 assists leader (5.4).
“(Maypayo’s) got them playing really well together,” Grant said. “They were down some people as well today. They really battled and gave themselves a chance throughout the game.”
Credit: David Jablonski
3: Dayton made enough plays down the stretch to win: Fordham trailed 41-28 early in the second half and then scored nine straight points. Later in the half, with 7 minutes, 49 seconds to play, it cut Dayton’s lead to 47-45 with a 5-0 run.
Fordham even had two possessions with a chance to take the lead before Dayton guard Jordan Derkack’s 3-point play at the 6:56 mark pushed the lead to five points.
Derkack led Dayton with a season-high 15 points. He made 5 of 9 field goals and 5 of 5 free throws. Four other players scored in double figures: Simon (11); Javon Bennett (11); and De’Shayne Montgomery (10).
“The battle we showed today was impressive, especially after 11 days off,” Derkack said. “The game before Christmas and the game after Christmas are always the toughest games on the schedule. For us to understand the scout and then to be down two of our better guys and still come out with the win, it’s pretty impressive.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Dayton (10-4) at Loyola (5-9)
When: 2 p.m., Saturday
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 95.7-FM, 1290-AM
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