The University of Dayton has fielded basketball teams for more than 100 years. No senior class has ever won more games.
“We’re just really proud of them,” said Dayton Athletic Director Neil Sullivan, who watched the game from a couple rows behind the bench. “We’re proud of everything they’ve done for themselves, for the program, for the community. Those guys have been through a lot of battles, a lot of ups and downs. It will stick with them the rest of their lives. We’re thrilled that will be a part of their legacy, but I also think they know they’re not done. They’ve got their sights set pretty high.”
Dayton can win No. 99 on Saturday against St. Bonaventure at UD Arena. They could win No. 100 on Tuesday against George Mason at UD Arena. That would make up for the fact that they didn’t break the record of 97 wins at home.
Dayton tied the record Friday with a 75-74 victory at Rhode Island. The Flyers passed the 2011 seniors, a class that starred Chris Wright, with this victory. Dayton is 98-33 (.748) in the last four seasons. That’s the best winning percentage as well for a senior class since the early 1970s when freshmen were first allowed to play.
“It’s something special,” Davis said. “We’ve been battling for four years in the A-10. We’ve been playing hard. It all paid off tonight.”
Dayton (20-5, 11-2) also kept pace atop the Atlantic 10 Conference with Virginia Commonwealth. Five games remain in the regular season. There are plenty of opportunities left for Dayton to extend the school record.
“It’s something they’ve looked forward to as they got close,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said. “Anytime you can come in and be a cornerstone of a change in the culture and a shift in the success, it’s special. Being able to recruit them and get them to the end of the line is important. We want them to stack up as many as they can and set the standard for somebody else to try to break it.”
Dayton earned the record-breaking victory with one of its most dominant performances — start to finish — of the last four seasons. Its seventh straight victory over Saint Louis (9-17, 4-9) saw them lead for double digits for the last 30 minutes.
Dayton was never challenged after building an 18-4 lead in the first 11 minutes. The Flyers shot 57.1 percent from the field (28 of 49), 50 percent from 3-point range (9 of 18) and 80 percent from the free-throw line (20 of 25).
Cooke led Dayton with 18 points. Josh Cunningham, playing extended minutes for the first time since his injury, scored 12. Smith had 10. Pollard added nine points.
“We got off to a really good start defensively,” Miller said. “Everyone was geared in — our intensity level, our ball pressure. Our defense set the tone. Offensively, as the game continued to go, I thought guys were unselfish.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
St. Bonaventure at Dayton, 2 p.m., NBC Sports Network, FM 95.7, AM 1290 WHIO
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