In a thrilling first-round matchup of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Dayton took down Florida Atlantic 86-79 on Wednesday night, powered by a dominant performance from Javon Bennett. The Flyers (23-10) now advance to the second round, where they will face Chattanooga.
Bennett was the star of the night, lighting up the scoreboard with 30 points, including an impressive 8-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc. He finished 10-of-16 from the field overall and added two free throws on three attempts. His explosive second half, where he poured in 24 points, helped Dayton pull away and secure the victory.
Supporting Bennett, Nate Santos contributed 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, hitting two three-pointers and sinking three of four free throws. Enoch Cheeks also made an impact with 12 points, going 4-of-10 from the field and 3-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Florida Atlantic (18-16) was led by Kaleb Glenn, who put up 18 points. Tre Carroll added 17, while Baba Miller delivered an all-around performance with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
The game started at a breakneck pace, with both teams making every shot attempt for the first three minutes. Florida Atlantic fired up their home crowd with six dunks, as Glenn and freshman center Matas Vokietaitis combined for 22 first-half points. The back-and-forth nature of the opening half resulted in 10 lead changes and four ties, with FAU holding the lead for 10 total minutes.
However, Dayton seized control late in the first half, taking a 44-38 lead into the break. Cheeks had nine first-half points, helping set the tone for the Flyers.
In the second half, FAU’s Baba Miller opened the scoring with a bucket in the paint to cut the deficit to four, but Dayton quickly extended their lead to double digits. The Flyers led by as much as 19 points and still held a 13-point advantage with under two minutes remaining.
With their season on the line, FAU mounted a furious comeback. The Owls forced two consecutive turnovers and capitalized with an 8-0 run, capped by a driving layup from Miller to bring the score within five with just 33 seconds left. However, Dayton held their ground, responding with two clutch free throws to seal the victory.
The Flyers will now turn their attention to Chattanooga as they look to continue their NIT run, while Florida Atlantic sees their season come to an end after a hard-fought battle.
