The Wayne High School graduate Williams lived up Smith’s prediction, scoring a career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He set the early tone by scoring six of Dayton’s first 10 points. Dayton led 12-4 after five minutes and never trailed.
Dayton (13-4, 4-1) rebounded from a 67-55 loss Wednesday at Massachusetts. Williams topped his previous career high by three points. He’s averaging 7.4 points per game.
“We had to get up off the mat after a loss,” Williams said. “Getting a win like this, especially in the fashion we did, it’s a big deal for us. We’ve got to be ready for Richmond on Thursday.”
Tournament preview: Dayton will return to PPG Paints Arena, which used to be known as the CONSOL Energy Center, for the Atlantic 10 tournament. The event begins March 8. If the Flyers earn one of the top four seeds, they will start the tournament in the quarterfinals March 10.
Duquesne doesn’t play any other A-10 games at PPG Paints Arena. The rest of its games are at the smaller Palumbo Center. That could be an advantage for the Flyers in March.
“We’ll be more comfortable,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said. “We’ve been here. Our crowd showed a little glimpse of what we could potentially have in March. We could have a heck of a showing here. It’s a beautiful arena. It’s a great place to play.”
Week ahead: Fans accustomed to games on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday will want to double-check the schedule in the coming week. The Flyers host Richmond (11-6, 5-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday and then play Saint Louis (5-12, 1-4) at 2 p.m. Sunday at UD Arena.
The Spiders took over sole possession of first place by beating St. Joseph’s 70-66 Saturday in Philadelphia. It was the third road win for Richmond, which has also won at Davidson and George Washington. Richmond is 1-10 all time at UD Arena.
Saint Louis won its first A-10 game Saturday, beating George Mason 61-54.
Around the A-10: One game after losing to Fordham, Davidson (9-7, 2-3) beat visiting Virginia Commonwealth 69-63. Jack Gibbs scored 30 points for Davidson.
VCU (14-4, 4-1) fell into a tie for second place with Dayton. La Salle (9-5, 3-1) sits a half game back. The Explorers host George Washington (9-8, 1-3) on Sunday.
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