Dayton beats La Salle 66-55 in Atlantic 10 opener

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Kendall Pollard had 20 points and four steals to lead Dayton to a 66-55 victory over La Salle on Friday night in an Atlantic 10 opener.

Charles Cooke scored 13 points for the Flyers (10-3), who were just 3 of 22 from 3-point range and 15-of-31 shooting from the free-throw line.

Kyle Davis had 12 points and Scoochie Smith added 11 points. They had five assists apiece for Dayton, which has won eight of nine.

Pookie Powell scored 23 points to lead La Salle (6-5), which committed 20 turnovers and 21 fouls. B.J. Johnson added 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The Flyers took the lead for good with about seven minutes left in the first half, and closed on a 16-4 run to take a 38-27 halftime lead. The Explorers pulled to 49-41 with 10:37 to play but didn't' get closer.