DAYTON, Ohio — Javon Bennett scored 22 points, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range, DaRon Holmes II had 21 and No. 21 Dayton won its 12th straight game, blowing past Rhode Island 96-62 on Saturday.
Koby Brea was 5 for 7 from behind the arc and had 15 points for the Flyers (15-2, 5-0 Atlantic 10), who haven’t lost in two months. The Rams (9-8, 3-2) were never in it.
Rhode Island didn’t have an answer for Holmes, Dayton’s star who dominated the game until being relieved about 5 minutes into the second half with the Flyers already leading by 30.
Jaden House led all scorers with 27 for Rhode Island, but nobody else on the roster had more than eight points.
The Flyers opened with an 11-0 run, with Holmes hitting a jumper, a 3-pointer and getting a dunk off a fast break. The Rams didn’t get on the scoreboard until House hit a 3 at 4:19 into the game.
Dayton led 47-27 at the half, scored the first eight points of the second half and cruised from there.
BIG PICTURE
Rhode Island: Coach Archie Miller returned to University of Dayton Arena for the first time since his coaching tenure here ended in 2017. He coached at Dayton for six seasons, leading the Flyers to four NCAA Tournament appearances before taking the Indiana job. He was fired by Indiana after four seasons and zero tournament appearances.
Dayton: The Flyers broke into the AP Top 25 after going unbeaten for the past two months. Their last loss came to then-No. 6 Houston on Nov. 19 in the Charleston Classic. Dayton has a solid chance of running the table in the A-10.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Flyers should keep rolling in the A-10 and stay in the AP Top 25. The next test could be Richmond on the road Jan. 27.
UP NEXT
Rhode Island: Hosts Fordham on Wednesday.
Dayton: At La Salle on Tuesday.
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