By Malcolm Price
3 14 2025
GAME NOTES
https://daytonflyers.com/documents/2025/3/12/Dayton_A-10_Quarterfinals.pdf
DAYTON — The University of Dayton men’s basketball team moves into the post-season this weekend, playing in the Flyers’ 30th Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship. The tournament will be played at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. March 12-16.
UD, 22-9 overall and 12-6 in the A-10 regular season, is the tournament’s third seed. Dayton will play its first game in the quarterfinals on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Flyers won at VCU 79-76 last Friday for their third win over a ranked team this year. Javon Bennett led the way with a UD career-best 22 points. Malachi Smith had 13 points and seven assists. Joining them in double figures were Enoch Cheeks with 12, Nate Santos with 11 and Amaël L’Etang with 10. Dayton scored 51 points in the second half.
Friday’s game will be broadcast on WHIO Radio, and streamed on Peacock. Streaming audio, video and live stats will be at DaytonFlyers.com.
#TRENDING
• Nate Santos was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and A-10 All-Academic, Enoch Cheeks was named Third Team All-Atlantic 10 and A-10 All-Defensive Team; and Amaël L’Etang was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team on Tuesday.
• L’Etang is the seventh Anthony Grant recruit (in eight seasons) to be named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
• This is also the seventh consecutive year that Dayton has had at least two players named All-Atlantic 10.
• Santos’ 6-for-6 shooting performance from deep against Lehigh is the second-best in D-I. It is also the third-best ever at UD, behind Shawn Haugh’s 8-for-8 in 1993-94.
• Posh Alexander is one of three active players who have 1,500 career points, 500 career assists and 250 steals (1,503, 610, 292 respectively).
• The Dayton roster includes six players who have earned all-conference recognition in their careers – Nate Santos (A-10), Enoch Cheeks (Horizon & A-10). Javon Bennett (NEC) ), Malachi Smith (A-10), Posh Alexander (Big East) and Amaël L’Etang(A-10).
• Amaël L’Etang was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week on Nov. 25, Jan. 25 and Feb. 10. He averaged 8.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg in the latest, with a 13/13 double-double vs. Davidson.
• Cheeks was named the A-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 15.7 points and 7.0 rebounds against North Carolina, Iowa State and UConn in Maui.
• Cheeks is 11th in the A-10 in rebounding (6.3), fourth in steals (1.8), and 14th in FG% (.474, 136-287). Of the top 15 A-10 rebounders, he at 6-foot-3 is the shortest.
• Santos is 17th in the A-10 in scoring (14.1) and fourth in 3-pt. FG% (.423, 63-149).
• Smith is second in the A-10 in assists (5.3) and is third in A/T ratio (2.5).
• Bennett is tied for sixth in steals (1.6) and 17th in 3-pt. FG% (.365, 57-156).
• Zed Key 12th in blocked shots (1.1). He is tied for 28th in D-I for most dunks (48).
• As a team, Dayton is second in the Atlantic 10 in 3-pt. FG% (.357, 249-698), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.45), and FT% (.747, 503-673).
• This is the Flyers’ 30th season in the Atlantic 10, and UD won its 300th A-10 game on Jan. 21 at Duquesne.
• UD ranked 20th in average attendance in NCAA Division I last season, averaging a capacity crowd of 13,407 fans a game in 2023-24. Of schools in the top 25 in attendance, only Kansas, Purdue, Michigan State and UConn also sold out every game of the season.
• Dayton sold out every game for the again in 2024-25. This will be the fourth consecutive year UD has sold out every home game. That streak is now 77 games.
• This is also the 55th anniversary season of UD Arena. The Arena underwent a $76.2 million transformation project that was completed in time for the 2019-20 season.
• The Flyers are wearing “DJD” on their left shoulder strap in memory of Don Donoher. Coach Donoher died last April at the age of 92. He was the first man to coach his alma mater in the NCAA tournament after appearing in it as a player. A member of the NABC College Basketball Hall of Fame, he is Dayton’s all-time winningest coach (437 wins). He was the 2017 winner of the USBWA’s Dean Smith Award.
UP NEXT
• Friday’s winner will play in the A-10 semifinals on Saturday, March 15.
• Game time is 3:30 p.m. ET.
COURTESY DAYTON FLYERS MEDIA RELATIONS
