Men’s Basketball against Lehigh

DAYTON – The men’s basketball team of the University of Dayton achieved a compelling victory against Lehigh with a score of 86-62 on Saturday, marking their 23rd straight win at home.

The leading scorer for the Flyers was Nate Santos, who registered 24 points, going a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point range.  This flawless shooting performance ranks second in the history of Dayton basketball, only behind Shawn Haughn’s 8-for-8 against Saint Louis in the 1933-94 season.  Malachi Smith contributed 17 points, Enoch Cheeks added 14, and Zed Key chipped in with 12.

With this victory, Dayton’s record improves to 8-2, while Lehigh drops to 3-6.

GAME RECAP
First Half – Dayton 41, Lehigh 25

• Dayton surged ahead with a strong start, hitting three three-pointers from junior Javon Bennett, redshirt junior Malachi Smith, and senior Enoch Cheeks. 
• Freshman Amaël L’Etang added six points of his own with a scoring run inside the paint, pushing the Flyers to a 19-9 lead.
• Graduate student Zed Key kept the momentum going for Dayton with his initial points coming from a well-executed jump hook at 10:52 mark.
• Senior Nate Santos tallied his first points after powering through tough defense for an and-one play at 10:07 mark.
• Smith continued to shine in the first half with another three-pointer, maintaining Dayton’s comfortable lead of 28-13
• Key scored again for the Flyers with a hook shot prior to the timeout
• Santos capped a dominant first half for Dayton by scoring consecutive baskets, including a three-pointer that further extended the lead to 37-21
• Smith kept his impressive performance going with a smooth mid-range jumper and an and-one, closing the half at 41-25 for Dayton

Second Half – Dayton 86, Lehigh 62

• Santos opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers
• Cheeks responded with eight quick points, including two from deep, keeping Dayton securely ahead at 57-31
• At the 11:40 juncture, Santos hit another long-range shot 
• Key contributed two additional points for Dayton with a strong low-post move
• Smith kept his scoring streak alive with a layup at 10:21 mark
• Bennett displayed his agility with a crafty reverse layup through contact at the 07:48 mark, preserving Dayton’s 66-47 lead
• Cheeks followed up with a corner three-pointer to extend the run
• Key netted an easy two points, continuing the Flyers’ offensive output with a score of 71-53
• Smith made another successful shot from downtown, adding yet another three-pointer with just 4:07 left
• Santos remained on fire, scoring his sixth three-pointer, finishing the night 6-6 and boosting the Flyers’ lead to 82-56
• Key powered through the opposing defense for two more points with 51 seconds remaining 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
•    23 – This win marks Dayton’s 23rd consecutive victory at home 
•    24: Nate Santos led with 24 points, achieving a new season-high
•    6: Nate Santos led all players with six three-pointers, setting a new season record
•    1,000: Zed Key’s 12 points today brought his career total to 1,000, currently at 1,004
•    20 – 0: The backcourt trio of Dayton’s guards (Javon Bennett, Malachi Smith, Posh Alexander) combined for 20 assists without a single turnover. Smith had nine, Bennett produced six, and Alexander recorded five.
•    5: Five former UD athletes: Jordan Benjamin (tennis), Ashley Campbell (soccer),  Zack Cline (football), Scoochie Smith (basketball) and Nicole Waters (soccer) were honored in UD’s Hall of Fame during halftime

UP NEXT
•    The Flyers return to the court to face Marquette on Saturday, December 14th at UD Arena
•    Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET