Cincinnati’s first trip to UD Arena in nearly 22 years turned into a rout and a milestone. The Bearcats beat the Dayton Flyers 95-72 on Saturday night, giving head coach Jerrod Calhoun his 300th career coaching win and his first road win at Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Riley Allenspach scored 20 points to lead Cincinnati, Tyler Tejada added 16 points and nine rebounds, and Elijah Perryman and MJ Collins each scored 12, Reuters reported. Cincinnati (3-1) stormed out early, taking a 52-34 halftime lead in its first visit to Dayton since 2004, according to Reuters.
The first half decided it. The Bearcats shot 64.5% from the field and 61.5% from three-point range (8-of-13) in the opening 20 minutes, raced to a 24-9 lead by hitting seven of their first 10 threes, and posted 13 assists on 20 made baskets, Reuters reported. Tejada paced the perimeter attack with 12 first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, according to Reuters.
Dayton (1-3) lost its third straight game, all of them at home. Amael L’Etang scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Tristian Ford added 15 to lead the Flyers, Reuters reported. Dayton cut the lead to single digits once in the second half — a 7-0 run capped by a Julian Washington three brought it to 61-53 with 12:29 left — before Cincinnati answered with the next seven points and a 27-10 run to put the game away, according to Reuters.
The coaching backstory framed the night. When Cincinnati last played at UD Arena, Bob Huggins was in his final season as UC’s head coach and Calhoun had just begun as an assistant at Walsh University, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Nearly 22 years later, Calhoun’s Bearcats scored their most points of the early non-conference season, finished 10-of-22 from three, and outrebounded Dayton 37-27, the Enquirer reported.
Personnel notes from the game, reported by 247Sports in its takeaways: Perryman started at point guard and finished with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, Tylen Riley sat the first half — Calhoun cited Dayton’s press and time management — and finished with nine, and Jayden Hastings is close to returning from his shoulder injury, according to 247Sports.
Sports Illustrated’s takeaways from the game added two more measures of the gap: Cincinnati finished shooting a season-best 59% from the field, opened the game on a 16-4 run, and held Dayton’s top scorer, Aiden Derkack — who came in averaging 22 points a game — to a season-low 10, SI reported.
For Dayton, the concern is the home floor itself: three straight losses at UD Arena to open the home schedule, in front of a sellout crowd that Reuters reported was silenced by Cincinnati’s opening blitz. Freshman Aiden Derkack, who came in averaging 22 points, was held to 10, according to reporting on the game.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What is confirmed: the final was 95-72, it was Calhoun’s 300th career win and first road win at Cincinnati, and both teams’ records (UC 3-1, Dayton 1-3) are as the Enquirer and Reuters reported. What comes into focus next is whether Dayton’s home skid is an early-season blip or a real problem, and whether Cincinnati’s shooting travels. Ohio’s basketball weekend also features the Bengals’ primetime stage in the same region’s pro game, covered in our preview of Sunday night’s Steelers game at Paycor Stadium.
What happens next is another in-state test: Cincinnati hosts Youngstown State on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena on ESPN+, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Photo: Gump840, CC BY-SA