Dukes Clash: Men’s Basketball Showdown at Duquesne This Tuesday!

DAYTON —The men’s basketball squad of the University of Dayton travels for the third time this season on Tuesday, heading to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne. Game begins at 7 p.m. ET.

Dayton possesses a record of 12-6 overall, with a 2-3 standing in the Atlantic 10. Duquesne, on the other hand, stands at 9-9 overall but boasts a 4-1 record in the A-10 under the guidance of new coach Dru Joyce III.

UD triumphed 83-81 in overtime against Loyola at home last Saturday, propelled by a stunning 55-foot alley-oop layup almost at the buzzer executed by Malachi Smith to Amaël L’Etang. L’Etang moved to defend a potential game-tying shot from Loyola’s Jalen Quinn with just 3.8 seconds on the clock, then sprinted down the court to receive the long pass from Smith and gently dropped it in with only 0.2 seconds to spare.

Enoch Cheeks achieved a collegiate career-high with 26 points, along with seven rebounds and five steals. Smith contributed 15 points and dished out eight assists. Javon Bennett also added 15 points, while L’Etang finished with 11 points. L’Etang had a +13 rating for the match.

The match against Duquesne will be aired on WHIO Radio, and can be streamed live on ESPN+. Additional details including live audio, video, and stats can be found at DaytonFlyers.com.

#TRENDING

• Nate Santos secured a spot on the First Team Preseason All-Atlantic 10 after previously being awarded a position on the third team following last season.

• Santos achieved an impressive 6-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc against Lehigh, marking the second-best performance in D-I history. This also ranks as the second-best in UD history, following Shawn Haugh’s perfect 8-for-8 in the 1993-94 season.

• Posh Alexander earned recognition as a Second Team Preseason All-Atlantic 10 and was also selected for the Preseason All-Defensive Team. Alexander, a fifth-year transfer, has already surpassed 1,000 career points and 500 career assists (1,439 and 588 respectively). He is the fourth recruit from New York City during Anthony Grant‘s time at UD and has led the Big East in steals for the last four seasons (three at St. John’s and one at Butler).

• Enoch Cheeks also made the A-10 Preseason All-Defensive Team. He led the squad with 40 steals, was second in blocked shots (21), and placed third in rebounding (4.7) during his first year at UD after transferring from Robert Morris. The Providence, R.I. native received the 2023-24 UD Steve McElvene Award and consistently guarded the opponents’ top perimeter player. In 25 of the 33 games where the top player for the Flyers’ opponents was a guard or wing, that player was held below their average on 17 occasions. Cheeks started in all 33 games and averaged 8.1 points per game (9.5 in A-10 contests).

• The Dayton roster features five athletes who have previously received all-conference accolades – junior forward Nate Santos (Atlantic 10), junior Enoch Cheeks (Horizon League), junior Javon Bennett (Northeast Conference), redshirt junior Malachi Smith (Atlantic 10), and fifth-year senior Posh Alexander (Big East).

• Amaël L’Etang was awarded the A-10 Rookie of the Week on Nov. 25, contributing 11 points (4-6 FG) in 13 minutes against New Mexico State.

• Cheeks was honored as the A-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 15.7 points and 7.0 rebounds against North Carolina, Iowa State, and UConn in Maui.

• Cheeks ranks 11th in the A-10 for rebounding (6.8) and fifth for steals (1.9). Among the top 12 rebounders in the A-10, Cheeks is the shortest by three inches.

• Smith sits second in the A-10 for assists (5.7) and third in the assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6)

• Zed Key is sixth in FG% (.592, 61-103) and is tied for 10th in D-I for the most dunks (34).

• As a collective, Dayton is second in the Atlantic 10 for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55) and is tied for third in FG% (.470, 468-996).

• This marks the Flyers’ 30th season in the Atlantic 10.

• Last season, UD ranked 20th in average attendance in NCAA Division I, drawing a capacity crowd of 13,407 fans per game in 2023-24. Among schools in the top 25 for attendance, only Kansas, Purdue, Michigan State, and UConn also achieved sellouts for every game.

• Dayton has announced that it has sold out all games for the upcoming 2024-25 season, including two exhibition matches that have already occurred. This will mark the fourth consecutive year UD has sold out every home game, extending the streak to 69 games.

• Additionally, this season marks the 55th anniversary of UD Arena. The venue underwent a $76.2 million renovation project completed in time for the 2019-20 season.

• The Flyers are wearing “DJD” on their left shoulder strap in honor of Don Donoher. Coach Donoher passed away last April at 92 years old. He was the first individual to coach his alma mater into the NCAA tournament after having played in it himself. A member of the NABC College Basketball Hall of Fame, he remains Dayton’s all-time winningest coach with 437 victories. He was the recipient of the USBWA’s Dean Smith Award in 2017.

UP NEXT

• Dayton is set to host Saint Joseph’s on Friday, Jan 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

• This will mark the first of three consecutive appearances (and five overall this season) on the Atlantic 10’s Friday Night Showcase broadcasted on ESPN.