Dayton Men’s Basketball takes down Western Michigan

Photo by Dayton Flyers

Dayton, Ohio (PSF) — Following a disappointing stint in the Battle for Atlantis, the Dayton Flyers men’s basketball team returned home on Wednesday to face off against the Broncos of Western Michigan. Dayton entered the matchup at 3-4, while Western Michigan entered at 2-5, under first year head coach Dwayne Stephens.

It took a few possessions for the Flyers to find some energy, but after a Mike Sharavjamts reverse layup the team had found the energy they needed. On the other end of the floor, the Broncos could not get anything going, as the Flyers defense was suffocating them.

DaRon Holmes III was seemingly unstoppable in the post, leading to 24 points, which led all scorers in this one. Holmes was also very active on the defensive side, tallying two blocks, including a behind the back block on a would-be layup.

In addition to Holmes incredible performance, Toumani Camara also posted 17 points and 5 rebounds. Camara was game changer for the Flyers, because when this team needed energy, he was there to provide it.

The Flyers wound up taking a 37-24 lead into halftime, while shooting 54.5% from the field. Camara and Holmes led this team in the first half with their playmaking ability.

To start the second half, the Flyers switched to a zone defense. One thing that didn’t change was Holmes dominance. Holmes continued to dominate in the post, and on defense. To go along with his 24 points, Holmes also tallied 10 rebounds.

The second half was dominated by the Flyers, largely due to their transition offense. The Flyers were very good in transition all game, ultimately leading to their 20-point win over Western Michigan.

Early in the second half, the refs gathered at midcourt and had a lengthy discussion. The outcome was double fouls. Nobody in the arena knew what was happening. After the game, head coach Anthony Grant explained that both refs made different calls, and neither one of them wanted to admit that their call was wrong. Grant said that typically one ref will back off and let the other make the call, but that wasn’t the circumstance here as Grant stated, “I have never seen that before.”

Another key for the Flyers was Mustapha Amzil. Filling in for the injured Kobe Elvis, Amzil put up 14 points, and 10 rebounds, being one of two Flyers to put up a double double in the game.

While the Flyers were dominant in the paint, they continued to struggle from beyond the arc, shooting 18.8%. After the game, Toumani Camara said that going forward he expects the 3-pointers to start to fall, as they get more comfortable with the shot. The Flyers did just that on Wednesday against the Broncos, as Camara and Holmes dominated the paint, and it ultimately led to a Flyers W.

After the game, Holmes was asked about the chemistry between himself and Camara. He responded by saying that it will only be getting better, as the season goes on. He went on to joke, “He’s not stronger than me yet.” Holmes says the key going forward is to stay locked in and good things will happen.

Holmes talked about how great it is playing in front of a sold-out UD arena, and Anthony Grant echoed that by saying, “We love playing in front of the Flyer faithful, best fans in the country.”

After this game, the Flyers moved to 4-4 and look to add another win on December 3rd, when they face off against SE Louisiana.