By Malcolm Price

1 15 2025

DAYTON – The University of Dayton men’s basketball team suffered its third consecutive Atlantic 10 loss on Wednesday night, falling to George Mason 67-59 at UD Arena.

The Flyers trailed throughout the game, unable to counter George Mason’s physical presence on the boards. The Patriots out-rebounded Dayton 32-23, capitalizing on second-chance opportunities to maintain control. Senior Nate Santos led the Flyers with 20 points, while sophomore Malachi Smith added 14 points and five assists in the contest.

First Half – George Mason 41, Dayton 27

• After a couple made daggers from George Mason, senior Enoch Cheeks got the Flyers on the board with a smooth pull-up at the 17:08 mark.
• Graduate student Zed Key secured his first bucket with a lefty jump hook in the paint at 16:22 mark.
• After a bucket from the Patriots, Cheeks swished in a three pointer at 15:46 mark.
• The Patriots held the Flyers to scoring just four points, all from the charity strike, for eight minutes of the half.
• Flyers got back in the game with three straight field goals from junior Isaac Jack and two from senior Nate Santos including a trey.
• Santos continued his strong half with back-to-back three-pointers that kept Dayton in the game.

Second Half – George Mason 67, Dayton 59

• Javon Bennett took charge to start out the half, with a made jumper and was the first to put points on the board at the 18:53 mark.
• After a jumper by the Patriots, Santos responded with a three-pointer building the Flyers momentum.
• Malachi Smith on a powerful run, sank a jumper and an impressive defensive block by Zed Key helped prevent the Patriots run.
• On a forced turnover by George Mason, Bennet made them pay with a three at the 14:34 mark.
• The Flyers held the Patriots in a scoring drought for over three minutes, building momentum with relentless energy despite the scoreboard staying quiet.
• Capitalizing on a flurry of turnovers and jump balls, we electrified the court with a statement dunk by Key at the 8:54 mark.
• As the Flyers forced fouls, Santos battled through traffic and muscled in a hard-fought layup earning the Flyers a 6-0 run for over four minutes on the Patriots.
• Key, Cheeks, Smith, and Bennett all go for points in the final minutes of the game with forced turnovers and a powerful block by Amaël L’Etang.
• To bring the game within six, Cheeks and Smith sank a three with a minute left of play putting the Flyers on a 13-0 run.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• 20 – Nate Santos led the Flyers with 20 points
• 5 – Malachi Smith led all players with 5 assists in the contest
• 13 – The largest run of the game, held by the Flyers at the end of the second half
• 21 – Points made by the Flyers off of turnovers compared to the 12 earned by the Patriots
• 4 – Tonight’s match up Nate Santos’ fourth 20-point game this season
• 16 – Javon Bennett was a team-best +16 in the game
• 6 – Amaël L’Etang led UD with six rebounds.  He also had a game-high three blocked shots
• 26 – The loss snapped a 26-game homecourt winning streak, the third-longest in UD history

UP NEXT

• The Flyers are back in action at the friendly confines of UD Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18 against Loyola Chicago at 4 p.m. ET.

COURTESY DAYTON MEDIA RELATIONS