Dayton 87, Xavier 72

Kevin Dillard had 16 points and eight assists to lead Dayton to an 87-72 victory over Xavier on Saturday and into first place in the Atlantic 10. Dayton (14-5, 4-1) built a 13-point halftime lead on 53.1 percent shooting (17 of 32) and kept control throughout the second half as they answered every Xavier attempt to cut into the lead. Xavier's final run at the lead came in the final four minutes, but 11 was as close as the Musketeers could get. Matt Kavanaugh led Dayton's inside game with 20 points and nine rebounds, leading Dayton to a 41-29 rebounding advantage. Josh Parker added 16 points and Paul Williams scored 13. The Flyers were much better at the free-throw line, making 22 of 28 while Xavier was 12 of 24. Xavier (13-6, 4-2) had a four-game winning streak snapped.