Courtesy of SLUBillikens.com
DAYTON, Ohio – Saint Louis built momentum in the second half but an early Dayton surge proved too much to overcome, as the 23rd-ranked Billikens fell 77–62 Tuesday night at UD Arena.
The Billikens dip to 25-3 overall and 13-2 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Dayton won its fourth straight and improved to 19-9 and 10-5 in the league.
Kellen Thames paced Saint Louis with a career-high 24 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor while adding seven rebounds. Dion Brown followed with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Robbie Avila chipped in 10 points.
Dayton raced out to a commanding first-half advantage, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes to take a 44–28 lead at the break. The Flyers led by as many as 25 points late in the first half.
Saint Louis regrouped after intermission and played Dayton nearly even the rest of the way, outscoring the Flyers 34–33 in the second half. The Billikens showed improved efficiency after the break, hitting 44.4 percent from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes.
The Billikens cut the deficit to as few as 11 points midway through the second half following a 9–2 run highlighted by a pair of baskets from Thames, but Dayton answered each push with timely scoring at the free-throw line to maintain control.
Dayton was led by Amael L’Etang, who finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, converting 12-of-15 free throws. Javon Bennett added 17 points and four assists.
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