BROOKLYN – The University of Dayton men’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship Thursday with a hard-fought 60-54 win over Saint Joseph’s in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Flyer captain Toumani Camara led the way with a double-double of 17 points and 18 rebounds. The 18 boards matched his college career high set earlier this season against SMU. DaRon Holmes II also scored 17 points, while Malachi Smith added 11.
First Half – Dayton 27, Saint Joseph’s 23
• The two teams exchange the lead five times in the first nine minutes of the game, with SJU extending out to a five-point lead (16-11) with 8:01 left in the half.
• The Flyers were playing shorthanded with guards Kobe Elvis and Mike Sharavjamts sidelined, and Dayton walk-on Brady Uhl stepped up.
• Uhl’s three-pointer with 7:03 to go ignited a 14-0 run that gave the Flyer the lead for good.
• UD held SJU without a field goal for seven minutes, but the Hawks scored five points in the final 65 seconds to make it a 27-23 score at intermission.
Second Half – Dayton 60-, Saint Joseph’s 54
• The Flyers scored the first seven points of the second half to force a Hawk timeout four minutes and 10 seconds in.
• Dayton took its largest lead of the game (39-26) with 14:29 remaining.
• SJU battled back, and after scoring five points in five seconds, pulled to within three (57-54) with 39 seconds left.
• Mustapha Amzil drained a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left, and Toumani Camara added one more with five seconds left to make the final 60-54.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Three Flyers scored double digits – Toumani Camara (17), DaRon Holmes II (also 17) and Malachi smith (11).
• Camara also added a career-high tying 18 rebounds (twice as many as anyone else in the game) and a career-high four steals.
• Camara was also three-for-four from deep, while the rest of the team was a combined four-for 20.
• Holmes blocked four shots.
• Smith led UD with four assists.
• Koby Brea (five points, three assists, zero turnovers) was +16 in the game, more than twice as good as anyone else in the game.
UP NEXT
• Dayton will play Fordham in Saturday’s A-10 semifinals.
• Game time is 3:30 p.m. ET.
BOX SCORE
COURTESY DAYTON MEDIA RELATIONS
