Javon Bennett buries eight treys; Dayton advances to next round of NIT
The University of Dayton men's basketball team had a strong offensive performance to kick off their participation in the 2025 National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
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Javon Bennett buried eight three-pointers, tied for the second most treys in a single game at Dayton.
On Wednesday, UD beat Florida Atlantic, 86-79, at Boca Raton, Florida.
Bennett led all scorers with 30 points while Nate Santos had 15. Enoch Cheeks added 12 points.
UD is the No. 1 overall seed in its region, but the game was moved to Baldwin Arena in Florida because the First Four was being held at UD Arena.
The Flyers improved 23-10 overall.
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Both teams shot over 50 percent for the game. The Owls were even hotter to start as Baba Miller's dunk put them ahead, 27-22, with 9:00 left in the first half.
FAU led, 33-28, at the 7:17 mark of the opening half but Posh Alexander scored five straight points to tie the game at 33-33. Zed Key added three consecutive points to give Dayton a 36-33 advantage.
Keleb Glenn scored five consecutive points for Florida Atlantic to reclaim the lead, 38-37, with 2:08 until halftime. UD ended the first half on a 7-0 run as they led, 44-38, at halftime.
Bennett buried three treys in the second half as the Flyers extended it to 59-44. Bennett added two more three-pointers to give Dayton its largest lead, 68-49, at the 11:10 mark.
UD led 78-61 with 5:42 to play but the Owls outscored them, 18-6, to get within five points, 84-79, with 33 seconds remaining. Bennett and Cheeks each made a free throw to seal the game.
Dayton will next play Chattanooga in the Second Round of the NIT either Saturday or Sunday.
The game will be broadcast on WHIO Radio.
He Can't Miss 🔥📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/MZcpTGVYM5
— Dayton Basketball (@DaytonMBB) March 20, 2025
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