Javon Bennett buries eight treys; Dayton advances to next round of NIT

BOCA RATON, FL — 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).

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

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.

TRENDING STORIES:

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 play at Chattanooga in the Second Round of the NIT on Saturday, March 22, at 11:30 a.m.

The game will be broadcast on WHIO Radio.