No. 25 Dayton beats Saint Louis 100-83, snaps a three-game road losing streak

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Daron Holmes II had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Koby Brea and Kobe Elvis each hit five 3-pointers as No. 25 Dayton snapped a three-game road losing streak with a 100-83 victory over Saint Louis on Tuesday night.

The Flyers made a Chaifetz Arena record 18 3-pointers and matched the school record for 3s, set earlier this season in a win over Oakland.

Brea and Elvis each scored 21 points for Dayton (23-6, 13-4 Atlantic 10), which won without starting point guard Javon Bennett, who was sidelined with a thumb injury.

Gibson Jimerson scored 24 for the Billikens (11-19, 4-13), who are assured of their worst record in A-10 play in coach Travis Ford’s eight seasons. Terrence Hargrove Jr. added 17 points in his final home game for Saint Louis.

Dayton controlled the board and finished with a 38-20 rebounding advantage. The Flyers surged ahead with a 21-3 run that was fueled by second-chance points.

Brea hit a 3-pointer after an offensive rebound to give Dayton its first lead, and Elvis had a five-point possession by hitting two free throws after an intentional foul by Bruce Zhang and then connecting on a desperation, fall-away 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer.

Brea converted two free throws with 2:46 left in the first half to complete the run and pushed the lead to 42-28.

THE TAKEAWAY

Dayton showed it can be dominant despite playing without its top point guards. Malachi Smith, the original starter, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Flyers’ opener. That force Brea, the nation’s leader in 3-point shooting percentage, into the starting role, with Brady Uhl helping out off the bench.

UP NEXT:

Dayton: Closes out the regular season at home against VCU on Friday.

Saint Louis: At St. Bonaventure on Saturday in its regular-season finale.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball