CHICAGO, IL — The No. 21 Dayton Flyers were hurt by turnovers as they lost a close, tough game, 77-72, at Loyola Chicago Friday night at Gentile Arena.
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DaRon Holmes II led three UD players in double figures with 20 points while Enoch Cheeks added a season-high 16. Nate Santos scored 13.
Javon Bennett had seven points and three steals but sat out the second half after suffering a hand injury.
The Flyers committed a season-high 22 turnovers, including seven by Kobe Elvis and six by Holmes. The Ramblers scored 20 points off those turnovers.
Dayton drops to 22-6 overall (12-4 in the Atlantic 10).
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UD led 35-32 at halftime. The Flyers led 52-47 after a four-point play by Nate Santos with 13:42 remaining.
The Ramblers outscored Dayton, 12-2, to take a 59-54 advantage with 7:56 to play.
Loyola Chicago stretched the lead to seven, 63-56, but UD scored seven straight points on a pair of free throws by Santos and a three-point play by Cheeks. Holmes’ layup tied the game at 63-63 with 4:36 remaining.
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The Flyers could not get the stop needed to reclaim the lead as Phillip Alston’s three-point put the Ramblers up, 69-65. Braden Norris helped seal the game with a pair of treys and two free throws.
Desmond Watson led the Ramblers with 24 points while Norris had a double-double: 19 points and 11 assists. Phillip Alston added 13.
Dayton has two regular season games remaining.
Their next game will be Tuesday night at Saint Louis at 9 p.m.
Pregame coverage on WHIO Radio begins at 8 p.m. The game will also be carried here at WHIO.com.