DaRon Holmes II scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half to lift No. 16 Dayton to a 78-70 victory over visiting Fordham in Atlantic 10 play on Saturday afternoon.
Holmes made 10 of 13 shots from the floor and had 10 rebounds for the Flyers (21-4, 11-2 Atlantic 10), who improved to 13-0 at home this season.
Dayton’s Javon Bennett scored all 14 of his points in the first half, Enoch Cheeks finished with 12 and Nate Santos added 11.
The Flyers shot 57.4 percent from the floor (27 of 47) and 35 percent from 3-point range (7 of 20). They also held a decisive 34-22 edge in points in the paint.
Japhet Medor and Kyle Rose each scored 17 points for the reeling Rams (10-15, 4-8), who have lost three in a row and seven of their last nine games. Fordham fell on Saturday while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor (24 of 58).
Fordham scored seven straight points to pull even at 66 before Holmes sank a jumper to regain the lead for Dayton. He added an emphatic dunk, a jumper and three free throws down the stretch to seal the win for the Flyers.
Holmes’ layup gave Dayton a 46-35 lead early in the second half before Medor sank a 3-pointer, converted a four-point play and added three free throws to highlight his team’s 14-2 run. Rose and Abdou Tsimbila each made a jumper to give Fordham a brief 49-48 advantage.
Dayton shot a robust 68 percent from the floor (17 of 25) and 54.5 percent from 3-point range (6 of 11) to secure a 44-35 lead at halftime. Bennett made 6 of 7 shots — including both attempts from beyond the arc — during the first half.
Rose sank a 3-pointer to bring Fordham within one at 25-24 before Dayton ignited a 10-1 run, highlighted by Koby Brea and Holmes each converting from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media