Dayton Scraps by LaSalle 84-70 in A10 Opener

Falling out of the Top-25 after losing to #19 Cincinnati 66-59 in the final non-conference game on the schedule, Dayton opened A10 play on New Year's Eve against LaSalle, earning a 84-70 bounce-back victory in front of another sellout UD Arena crowd of 13,407.  The Flyers improve to 11-3 (1-0) while the Explorers fall to 8-6 (0-1).
LaSalle topped in-state D-III foe Immaculata 108-48 at recently renovated Tom Gola Arena at Trumark Financial Center on Dec. 21st, while the Flyers have been idle since the Dec. 20th loss to the Bearcats at the Heritage Bank Center.  UD and LU last met on Jan. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia with the Flyers winning 66-54 in the only meeting of the season -- ending a five-game losing streak on LaSalle's home court.  UD held a 31-18 advantage in the series that dates back to 1952 when the Flyers lost to the Tom Gola-led Explorers 75-64 in the NIT Finals in front of 18,485 fans at Madison Square Garden. That was UD's first appearance in the NIT Finals under head coach Tom Blackburn.
The Flyers looked lethargic from the opening tip, perhaps still on snooze from the extended time off as LaSalle opened up a 8-2 lead by the first media timeout. UD responded with a Jaiun Simon dunk, Posh Alexander layup, and Jevon Bennett triple to cut the lead to 10-9.  Simon then hit a trey to give the Dayton their first lead of the game at 14-12. The play remained sloppy however with unforced turnovers and soft defense that allowed the Explorers to keep pace. Enoch Cheeks, Na...