“Josh is available from this point forward,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said. “How we work him in will be up to me. We have to figure that out. We have a couple days before we go to Rhode Island. We’ve got to make a push. I’m not going to put Josh out there for two minutes if he’s not ready to go, especially in a highly-contested game. It’s not fair to him. … Maybe at Rhode Island, that’s his opportunity.”
Key stat: Dayton entered the game hoping to keep the offense humming after two strong performances. Dayton had 18 assists on 23 field goals in a 75-66 victory at Fordham and 30 assists on 37 field goals in a 90-53 win over Duquesne. The Flyers had 14 assists on 26 shots against the Hawks.
“Especially with our team, being an older team, guys coming down the home stretch, we’ve really got to force the action with the pass,” Miller said. “When we’re at our best, with our best teams, guys have really shared the ball all over the place. That’s sort of been our trademark. I think every team is different. You’ve got to force the pass. You’ve got to show them on film. You work on it in practice. I think the other day, we saw the benefit of doing it early in the game, really sharing it early and making the game easy for a teammate.”
Short bench: St. Joseph's played without starters James Demery and Chris Clover, who did not make the trip to Dayton because of illnesses.
Big night: Dayton will celebrate Senior Night on March 1 before a game against VCU. That matchup could decide the Atlantic 10 title. It's also a big night because UD will recognize members of the 1967 national runner-up team on the 50th anniversary of their tournament run. There will be a reception before the game, and players will be honored during a timeout.
Next game: The Flyers (18-5, 9-2) play at Rhode Island (16-7, 8-3) at 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN2. The Rams won 70-62 at Massachusetts on Tuesday. They have won four straight games.
The Flyers broke a six-game losing streak in Kingston, R.I., last season, winning 68-66. Dayton won the first matchup against Rhode Island this season, 67-64 on Jan. 6 at UD Arena.
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