Instead, Smith said he wants to read more books. He revealed he had visited Barnes & Noble recently to buy a psychology book about mindset and discipline and “how to be a better man.”
Smith has been one of Dayton’s best men all season and delivered again in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener, leading Dayton with 20 points and six assists in an 84-70 victory against La Salle.
“I think we played OK,” Smith said. “The most important thing is we got the W. There are definitely some things to work on.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Here are three takeaways from Dayton’s 26th straight home victory:
1. Dayton overcame a slow start: After failing to make a shot from the field in the first 11 minutes in their last game, a 66-59 loss to Cincinnati on Dec. 20, Dayton made 1 of 5 field goals in the first four minutes against La Salle. The Flyers committed three turnovers in the same span.
La Salle led 8-2 at the first TV timeout. Dayton didn’t take control of the game until the final eight minutes of the first half. After a free throw by Mac Etienne gave La Salle an 18-17 lead at the 8:55 mark, a 3-point play by Enoch Cheeks at the 7:58 mark started a 14-0 Dayton run.
Dayton outscored La Salle 19-3 in the final eight minutes of the first half to build a 36-21 halftime lead.
In the second half, Dayton led La Salle by 17 points early only to see the lead trimmed to six points four times in the first 10 minutes. Dayton then went on a 13-2 run and led by at least eight points the rest of the way.
“I thought today was probably defined by a game of runs,” Grant said. “(La Salle) came out with really good energy to build the lead. I thought the guys off the bench tonight for us really gave us a spark.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
2. Almost everyone on the bench contributed: Dayton’s bench outscored La Salle’s 20-5 in the first half and 26-21 in the game.
Dayton redshirt freshman forward Jaiun Simon, who had six points in his career entering the game, scored all five of his points in the half. He made his first career 3-pointer after missing five in his first 11 appearances.
Freshman forward Amaël L’Etang scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, hitting double figures for the fifth time. Jacob Conner, who did not score in the last two games after missing six games with an ankle injury, scored all seven of his points in the first half.
All nine players who saw action in the first half for Dayton scored at least one point. The one player who has been buried on the bench in recent games, forward Isaac Jack, didn’t get into the game until the second half and played three minutes — two more than he had played total in the last three games.
“You’ve just got to be prepared for an opportunity if it presents itself,” Grant said. “Isaac’s got a great attitude. He works his tail off every day. He’s got a couple of guys that are ahead of him right now in the rotation. He has the ability to make sure that he’s prepared for whatever opportunity presents itself. I think he’s done a great job with that.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
3. The Flyers protected their home court again: Grant praised the team in the locker room after the game for not losing a home game in 2024. The Flyers won their first nine home games in 2024 last season and are 10-0 at home this season. They haven’t lost a home game since Feb. 25, 2023, against George Mason. They can tie the second-longest home winning streak in school history by beating George Mason on Jan. 15.
In the six early A-10 games Tuesday, all but one home team won. Saint Louis (8-6) won 88-63 at Fordham (8-6).
St. Bonaventure (13-1) recorded the biggest victory on A-10 opening day, beating preseason favorite Virginia Commonwealth 77-75 on a basket by Melvin Council Jr. with three seconds remaining at the Reilly Center. VCU (10-4) fell to 0-2 in true road games.
Duquesne (6-8) earned the most surprising victory, beating Rhode Island 67-55 in Pittsburgh. Rhode Island (11-2) also fell to 0-2 in true road games.
STAR OF THE GAME
Malachi Smith improved his scoring average from 11.2 to 11.9 points per game with his second 20-point performance of the season and third of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
Dayton struggled from 3-point range (7 of 25, 28%) but made 24 of 40 2-point shots, thanks in part to 23 fast-break points. It has shot 59% or better eight times. It ranks 40th in the country in 2-point field-goal percentage (57.4).
LOOKING AHEAD
Dayton plays George Washington (11-3, 0-1) at noon Saturday at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C. Dayton has won seven of the last eight games in the series against George Washington. Dayton lost 76-69 in its last visit to George Washington in 2023.
George Washington lost 66-61 at Richmond (6-8, 1-0) on Tuesday.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Dayton at George Washington, Noon, USA Network, 1290, 95.7
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