DAYTON

STJOES

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No. 18 Dayton continues dominant Atlantic 10 start with 94-79 win at Saint Joseph's

AP
Feb 06, 2024

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Saint Joseph’s students came pumped to root on their Hawks in a rare home game against a ranked team, and they unleashed a rollout - a homemade banner long a tradition on the Philly hoops scene - that read “There’s Only 1 Flyer in Philly.”

Well, here's another nod to the city's NHL team: Up on Hawk Hill, it was the Dayton Flyers who bullied their way to a win.

Nate Santos and Kobe Elvis each scored 21 points and Javon Bennett added 18 to lead No. 18 Dayton to a 94-79 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday night.

DeRon Holmes II had 13 points for the Flyers (19-3, 9-1 Atlantic 10), who returned to Philadelphia just two weeks after k nocking off La Salle.

Dayton just might want to play all its games in Philly.

The Flyers shook off a sluggish start - they trailed by four at halftime - with a 27-6 run that opened the second half and sent them to their 16th win in 17 games. Elvis, who finished with 10 assists, began the period with a 3-pointer and Bennett hit two straight 3s for a 43-41 lead.

Elvis was 8 of 13 from the floor with three 3-pointers.

“He did a great job sharing it, did a great job being aggressive, did a great job in terms of understanding defensively the assignment and making it difficult for those guys,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said.

Holmes, a national player of the year candidate, had a muted performance as Elvis, Bennett and Santos went to work in the second half to build a 17-point lead. Holmes helped the Flyers outscore Saint Joseph's 60-41 after the break.

Santos blew a kiss after a 3 made it 81-67.

Cameron Brown led the Hawks (15-8, 5-5) with 19 points.

“We've played a lot of good teams this year,” Saint Joseph's coach Billy Lange said. “They’re as good a team as we've played.”

Saint Joseph’s hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2016, when one win that year was its only one since a run to the Elite Eight in 2004. Yes, it’s been 20 years since Jameer Nelson and Delonte West made Hawk Hill the place to be in college basketball.

Led by former coach Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph’s ripped off 27 straight wins to open the season, earned its first No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll, and first No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in team history. The Hawks had a 30-win season, a trip to the regional final for the first time since 1981, and the first All-America nod (Nelson) in program history.

Martelli lost his job as lean seasons piled up - he’s now an assistant at Michigan - and Lange hasn’t had a winning record in his first four seasons as coach.

The Hawks showed some potential this season, winning the Big 5 Classic title, and they started 9-2.

A win against a ranked team such as Dayton might have put a little oomph in their bid an NCAA at-large bid.

The Philadelphia Eagles sent their cheerleaders, Swoop the mascot, and even defensive end Brandon Graham was on hand to stir a full house in the mood for an upset. Heck, two female students crashed the court at halftime and wiped out a referee. They were promptly removed from the student section.

Dayton showed why it was the preseason favorite to win the A-10 and why it seems poised to take the league title.

“They're one of the best teams in the conference,” Lange said. “I think they just might be, by the metrics.”

UP NEXT

Dayton plays Friday at VCU.

Saint Joseph's hosts St. Louis on Saturday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

1st Half
DAYT
Flyers
34
JOES
Hawks
38

Time		Play	Score
20:00		(Hawks gains possession)
19:54		Lynn Greer III turnover (lost ball) (Enoch Cheeks steals)
19:37		Nate Santos misses three point jump shot
19:35		Lynn Greer III defensive rebound
19:24	+2	Rasheer Fleming makes two point dunk (Lynn Greer III assists)	0-2
19:12	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point layup	2-2
19:02	+3	Cameron Brown makes three point jump shot (Rasheer Fleming assists)	2-5
18:40		Kobe Elvis turnover (lost ball) (Erik Reynolds II steals)
18:32		Erik Reynolds II misses two point layup
18:30		Nate Santos defensive rebound
18:23	+3	Kobe Elvis makes three point jump shot	5-5
18:00	+2	Cameron Brown makes two point layup (Christ Essandoko assists)	5-7
17:27		Kobe Elvis misses three point jump shot
17:25		Rasheer Fleming defensive rebound
17:09		Rasheer Fleming misses three point jump shot
17:07		Lynn Greer III offensive rebound
17:00	+3	Christ Essandoko makes three point jump shot (Lynn Greer III assists)	5-10
16:37		Nate Santos misses two point layup
16:35		Christ Essandoko defensive rebound
16:28	+3	Cameron Brown makes three point jump shot	5-13
16:13		Javon Bennett turnover (bad pass) (Christ Essandoko steals)
16:03	+2	Lynn Greer III makes two point jump shot	5-15
15:39		Lynn Greer III personal foul
15:39		TV timeout
15:34	+3	Koby Brea makes three point jump shot (Kobe Elvis assists)	8-15
15:15		Erik Reynolds II misses three point jump shot
15:13		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
14:54		Kobe Elvis misses two point jump shot
14:52		Christ Essandoko defensive rebound
14:35		Erik Reynolds II misses three point jump shot
14:33		Flyers defensive rebound
14:03		DaRon Holmes II misses two point layup
14:01		Flyers offensive rebound
14:01		Flyers turnover (shot clock violation)
13:43	+3	Rasheer Fleming makes three point jump shot (Cameron Brown assists)	8-18
13:27	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point dunk (Kobe Elvis assists)	10-18
13:16		Xzayvier Brown misses two point layup
13:14		Hawks offensive rebound
13:14		Enoch Cheeks personal foul
13:01	+3	Cameron Brown makes three point jump shot	10-21
12:30		Jump ball. (Flyers gains possession)
12:28		Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
12:26		Rasheer Fleming defensive rebound
12:18		Xzayvier Brown turnover (bad pass)
11:55		Enoch Cheeks misses three point jump shot
11:53		Javon Bennett offensive rebound
11:44		Enoch Cheeks misses two point layup
11:39		Hawks defensive rebound
11:39		TV timeout
11:20		Xzayvier Brown turnover (lost ball) (Nate Santos steals)
11:14	+2	Javon Bennett makes two point layup (Nate Santos assists)	12-21
11:01		Rasheer Fleming misses three point jump shot
10:59		Koby Brea defensive rebound
10:40		Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
10:38		Xzayvier Brown defensive rebound
10:33	+2	Cameron Brown makes two point layup (Xzayvier Brown assists)	12-23
10:06		Isaac Jack offensive foul (Cameron Brown draws the foul)
10:06		Isaac Jack turnover (offensive foul)
9:49		Xzayvier Brown misses three point jump shot
9:47		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
9:23		Isaac Jack misses two point jump shot
9:21		Xzayvier Brown defensive rebound
9:03		Anthony Finkley misses three point jump shot
9:01		Xzayvier Brown offensive rebound
8:53		Cameron Brown misses three point jump shot
8:51		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
8:26	+2	Javon Bennett makes two point layup	14-23
8:06		Anthony Finkley turnover (traveling)
7:43	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point dunk	16-23
7:32		Erik Reynolds II misses three point jump shot
7:30		Koby Brea defensive rebound
7:15		DaRon Holmes II misses three point jump shot
7:13		Koby Brea offensive rebound
7:11	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point dunk (Koby Brea assists)	18-23
7:11		TV timeout
7:11		Anthony Finkley flagrant 2 (Kobe Elvis draws the foul)
7:11		Anthony Finkley turnover
7:11		Kobe Elvis misses flagrant free throw 1 of 2
7:11	+1	Kobe Elvis makes flagrant free throw 2 of 2	19-23
7:02	+2	Nate Santos makes two point layup (Kobe Elvis assists)	21-23
6:48		Erik Reynolds II misses three point jump shot
6:46		Flyers defensive rebound
6:25	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point jump shot	23-23
6:25		Erik Reynolds II shooting foul (Kobe Elvis draws the foul)
6:25		Hawks 30 second timeout
6:25	+1	Kobe Elvis makes regular free throw 1 of 1	24-23
6:13	+2	Lynn Greer III makes two point jump shot (Xzayvier Brown assists)	24-25
5:42		DaRon Holmes II misses two point jump shot
5:40		Nate Santos offensive rebound
5:40		Nate Santos misses two point layup
5:38		Hawks defensive rebound
5:17		Rasheer Fleming misses three point jump shot
5:15		Christ Essandoko offensive rebound
5:06	+3	Xzayvier Brown makes three point jump shot (Christ Essandoko assists)	24-28
5:00		Javon Bennett turnover (bad pass)
4:52		Javon Bennett personal foul
4:45		Rasheer Fleming misses two point layup
4:43		Christ Essandoko offensive rebound
4:42	+2	Christ Essandoko makes two point layup	24-30
4:24		Javon Bennett turnover (bad pass)
4:13		Christ Essandoko turnover (lost ball)
4:04	+2	Javon Bennett makes two point layup	26-30
4:04		Xzayvier Brown shooting foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
4:04		Javon Bennett misses regular free throw 1 of 1
4:04		Erik Reynolds II defensive rebound
3:52		Erik Reynolds II misses three point jump shot
3:50		Nate Santos defensive rebound
3:38	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point jump shot	28-30
3:36		Kobe Elvis technical foul
3:36		TV timeout
3:36		Erik Reynolds II misses technical free throw 1 of 2
3:36	+1	Erik Reynolds II makes technical free throw 2 of 2	28-31
3:15		Javon Bennett personal foul
3:00	+2	Erik Reynolds II makes two point layup	28-33
2:38		Kobe Elvis misses two point jump shot
2:36		Christ Essandoko defensive rebound
2:19		Erik Reynolds II turnover (traveling)
2:05	+3	Koby Brea makes three point jump shot (Kobe Elvis assists)	31-33
1:42	+2	Lynn Greer III makes two point jump shot	31-35
1:21	+3	Enoch Cheeks makes three point jump shot (Nate Santos assists)	34-35
1:05	+3	Rasheer Fleming makes three point jump shot (Lynn Greer III assists)	34-38
0:46		Enoch Cheeks misses two point jump shot
0:44		Enoch Cheeks offensive rebound
0:38		Enoch Cheeks turnover (lost ball) (Erik Reynolds II steals)
0:13		Erik Reynolds II misses three point jump shot
0:11		Koby Brea defensive rebound
0:01		DaRon Holmes II misses two point jump shot
0:00		Flyers offensive rebound
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
DAYT
Flyers
60
JOES
Hawks
41

Time		Play	Score
19:52		Erik Reynolds II turnover (lost ball) (Nate Santos steals)
19:44	+3	Kobe Elvis makes three point jump shot (Javon Bennett assists)	37-38
19:27	+3	Cameron Brown makes three point jump shot (Lynn Greer III assists)	37-41
19:16		DaRon Holmes II offensive foul (Lynn Greer III draws the foul)
19:16		DaRon Holmes II turnover (offensive foul)
19:07		DaRon Holmes II blocks Erik Reynolds II's two point jump shot
19:05		Flyers defensive rebound
18:53		Nate Santos misses three point jump shot
18:51		Lynn Greer III defensive rebound
18:40		Cameron Brown misses three point jump shot
18:38		Flyers defensive rebound
18:25	+3	Javon Bennett makes three point jump shot (Kobe Elvis assists)	40-41
18:09		Rasheer Fleming misses three point jump shot
18:07		Nate Santos defensive rebound
17:51	+3	Javon Bennett makes three point jump shot (DaRon Holmes II assists)	43-41
17:42		DaRon Holmes II blocks Lynn Greer III's two point layup
17:40		Javon Bennett defensive rebound
17:36		Christ Essandoko shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
17:36		DaRon Holmes II misses regular free throw 1 of 2
17:36		DaRon Holmes II misses regular free throw 2 of 2
17:36		Nate Santos offensive rebound
17:34	+2	Nate Santos makes two point putback layup	45-41
17:06		Xzayvier Brown misses two point jump shot
17:04		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
16:56		Kobe Elvis turnover (bad pass) (Erik Reynolds II steals)
16:51		Enoch Cheeks personal foul (Lynn Greer III draws the foul)
16:43		Lynn Greer III misses three point jump shot
16:41		Lynn Greer III offensive rebound
16:40		Lynn Greer III turnover (bad pass) (Enoch Cheeks steals)
16:35		Kobe Elvis misses three point jump shot
16:28		Christ Essandoko defensive rebound
16:03		Hawks turnover (shot clock violation)
15:42	+2	Enoch Cheeks makes two point driving layup	47-41
15:35		Hawks 30 second timeout
15:35		TV timeout
15:15		Cameron Brown turnover (out of bounds)
15:15		TV timeout
14:57	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point driving layup	49-41
14:37		Xzayvier Brown misses three point jump shot
14:35		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
14:24		Cameron Brown personal foul (Nate Santos draws the foul)
14:10	+3	Koby Brea makes three point jump shot (Kobe Elvis assists)	52-41
13:47		DaRon Holmes II shooting foul (Rasheer Fleming draws the foul)
13:47		Rasheer Fleming misses regular free throw 1 of 2
13:47	+1	Rasheer Fleming makes regular free throw 2 of 2	52-42
13:20		Rasheer Fleming blocks Kobe Elvis's two point layup
13:18		Erik Reynolds II defensive rebound
13:06		Xzayvier Brown misses two point layup
13:04		Kobe Elvis defensive rebound
12:48	+2	Nate Santos makes two point driving layup	54-42
12:31	+2	Lynn Greer III makes two point pullup jump shot	54-44
12:13	+3	Nate Santos makes three point jump shot (DaRon Holmes II assists)	57-44
11:48		Cameron Brown misses three point jump shot
11:45		Flyers defensive rebound
11:45		TV timeout
11:29		Lynn Greer III personal foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
11:24		Cameron Brown shooting foul (Nate Santos draws the foul)
11:24	+1	Nate Santos makes regular free throw 1 of 2	58-44
11:24	+1	Nate Santos makes regular free throw 2 of 2	59-44
11:04		Erik Reynolds II misses three point jump shot
11:02		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
10:55	+2	Nate Santos makes two point cutting layup (Javon Bennett assists)	61-44
10:49		Hawks 30 second timeout
10:43		Koby Brea personal foul (Lynn Greer III draws the foul)
10:33	+2	Lynn Greer III makes two point driving layup	61-46
10:16		Christ Essandoko blocks Javon Bennett's two point layup
10:14		Isaac Jack offensive rebound
10:02		Christ Essandoko blocks Isaac Jack's two point layup
10:02		Lynn Greer III defensive rebound
10:02		Xzayvier Brown misses three point jump shot
10:00		Flyers defensive rebound
9:39	+2	Nate Santos makes two point cutting layup (Kobe Elvis assists)	63-46
9:25	+2	Christ Essandoko makes two point cutting layup (Erik Reynolds II assists)	63-48
9:25		Nate Santos shooting foul (Christ Essandoko draws the foul)
9:25		Christ Essandoko misses regular free throw 1 of 1
9:25		Koby Brea defensive rebound
9:07		DaRon Holmes II misses three point jump shot
9:05		Enoch Cheeks offensive rebound
8:51		Enoch Cheeks misses three point jump shot
8:49		Xzayvier Brown defensive rebound
8:39		Christ Essandoko misses three point jump shot
8:37		Rasheer Fleming offensive rebound
8:34		Rasheer Fleming misses two point layup
8:32		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
8:13		Christ Essandoko personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
7:59	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point driving layup	65-48
7:42		Lynn Greer III misses two point layup
7:40		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
7:31		Christ Essandoko shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
7:31		TV timeout
7:31	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	66-48
7:31	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	67-48
7:25		Javon Bennett personal foul (Erik Reynolds II draws the foul)
7:19		Erik Reynolds II turnover (out of bounds)
7:05		Koby Brea turnover (bad pass) (Rasheer Fleming steals)
6:59	+2	Lynn Greer III makes two point cutting layup (Rasheer Fleming assists)	67-50
6:34	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Kobe Elvis assists)	69-50
6:15	+3	Xzayvier Brown makes three point jump shot (Rasheer Fleming assists)	69-53
5:53		Rasheer Fleming shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
5:53	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	70-53
5:53		DaRon Holmes II misses regular free throw 2 of 2
5:53		Rasheer Fleming defensive rebound
5:36	+2	Xzayvier Brown makes two point driving reverse layup	70-55
5:08		Koby Brea misses two point jump shot
5:06		Koby Brea offensive rebound
5:05		Koby Brea misses two point jump shot
5:03		Rasheer Fleming defensive rebound
4:55		Cameron Brown misses three point jump shot
4:53		Javon Bennett defensive rebound
4:53		Erik Reynolds II personal foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
4:53		Javon Bennett misses regular free throw 1 of 1
4:53		Cameron Brown defensive rebound
4:44	+2	Lynn Greer III makes two point pullup jump shot	70-57
4:19	+2	Nate Santos makes two point driving layup	72-57
4:19		Xzayvier Brown shooting foul (Nate Santos draws the foul)
4:19	+1	Nate Santos makes regular free throw 1 of 1	73-57
4:00	+2	Xzayvier Brown makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot	73-59
3:50		Xzayvier Brown personal foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
3:50		TV timeout
3:50	+1	Javon Bennett makes regular free throw 1 of 2	74-59
3:50	+1	Javon Bennett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	75-59
3:41	+2	Xzayvier Brown makes two point driving layup	75-61
3:21	+3	Enoch Cheeks makes three point jump shot (Javon Bennett assists)	78-61
3:03		Lynn Greer III misses three point jump shot
3:01		Cameron Brown offensive rebound
2:55	+3	Rasheer Fleming makes three point jump shot (Cameron Brown assists)	78-64
2:55		Hawks 60 second timeout
2:49		DaRon Holmes II turnover (bad pass) (Erik Reynolds II steals)
2:45	+3	Cameron Brown makes three point jump shot (Erik Reynolds II assists)	78-67
2:43		Flyers 30 second timeout
2:35		DaRon Holmes II turnover (out of bounds)
2:30		Kobe Elvis personal foul (Xzayvier Brown draws the foul)
2:30		Xzayvier Brown misses regular free throw 1 of 1
2:30		Koby Brea defensive rebound
2:15	+3	Nate Santos makes three point jump shot (Javon Bennett assists)	81-67
2:04		Cameron Brown misses three point jump shot
2:02		Rasheer Fleming offensive rebound
1:59	+2	Rasheer Fleming makes two point putback layup	81-69
1:54		Lynn Greer III personal foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
1:54	+1	Javon Bennett makes regular free throw 1 of 2	82-69
1:54	+1	Javon Bennett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	83-69
1:41	+3	Xzayvier Brown makes three point stepback jump shot	83-72
1:32		DaRon Holmes II turnover (traveling)
1:32		Xzayvier Brown turnover (out of bounds)
1:32		Flyers 30 second timeout
1:25	+2	Enoch Cheeks makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Kobe Elvis assists)	85-72
1:13		Nate Santos shooting foul (Lynn Greer III draws the foul)
1:13	+1	Lynn Greer III makes regular free throw 1 of 2	85-73
1:13	+1	Lynn Greer III makes regular free throw 2 of 2	85-74
1:12		Cameron Brown personal foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
1:12	+1	Javon Bennett makes regular free throw 1 of 2	86-74
1:12	+1	Javon Bennett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	87-74
0:56	+3	Erik Reynolds II makes three point stepback jump shot	87-77
0:51		Cameron Brown personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
0:51	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	88-77
0:51	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	89-77
0:46	+2	Lynn Greer III makes two point driving layup	89-79
0:42	+2	Enoch Cheeks makes two point driving dunk (Kobe Elvis assists)	91-79
0:33		Nate Santos blocks Cameron Brown's three point jump shot
0:31		Javon Bennett defensive rebound
0:03	+3	Kobe Elvis makes three point jump shot	94-79
0:00		End of period

+ 3

Kobe Elvis makes three point jump shot