By Malcolm Price
3 22 2025
GAME NOTES
https://daytonflyers.com/documents/2025/3/20/Chattanooga.pdf
NIT DIGITAL GAME PROGRAM
https://www.ncaa.com/nit-game-program
NIT HOMEPAGE
https://daytonflyers.com/news/2025/3/20/nit.org
DAYTON — The University of Dayton men’s basketball team will visit Chattanooga to take on the UTC Mocs second round of the NIT on Saturday. Game time is 11:30 a.m. ET.
UD, 23-10 overall, was third in the Atlantic 10 with a 12-6 record. Chattanooga is 25-9. UTC was the Southern Conference regular season champion with a 15-3 record. The Mocs advanced to the tournament’s second round with a 109-103 triple overtime win on Tuesday at Middle Tennessee.
The Flyers advanced to Saturday’s second round game on the strength of a tremendous performance by junior guard Javon Bennett in Wednesday’s 86-79 win at Florida Atlantic. An Orlando native, Bennett enjoyed the Florida rims in the first college game he played in his home state with a career-high 30 points (24 in the second half), Bennet’s was 8-for-12 from beyond the arc, the second-most at Dayton in a single game. Nate Santos had 15 points and Enoch Cheeks 12 with a team-high four assists.
The Flyers are playing in their 28th NIT. Dayton has a 42-25 record in the tournament and has three NIT championships — 1962, 1968 and 2010.
The Chattanooga game will be broadcast on WHIO Radio, televised on ESPN2, and streamed on ESPN+. Streaming audio, video and live stats will be at DaytonFlyers.com.
#TRENDING
• Javon Bennett’s eight made three-pointers at Florida Atlantic put him second in three-pointers made in a game in Dayton history. Norm Grevey made nine vs. Bradley in 1990-91. Bennett is tied for second at UD with Shawn Haughn (vs. Saint Louis in 1993-94) and Josh Parker (vs. Fordham in 2010-11).
• Nate Santos was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and A-10 All-Academic, Enoch Cheeks was named Third Team All-Atlantic 10 and A-10 All-Defensive Team; and Amaël
• L’Etang was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team on Tuesday.
• L’Etang is the seventh Anthony Grant recruit (in eight seasons) to be named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
• This is also the seventh consecutive year that Dayton has had at least two players named All-Atlantic 10.
• Santos’ 6-for-6 shooting performance from deep against Lehigh is the second-best in D-I. It is also the third-best ever at UD, behind Shawn Haugh’s 8-for-8 in 1993-94.
• Posh Alexander is one of three active players who have 1,500 career points, 500 career assists and 250 steals (1,508, 612, 295 respectively).
• The Dayton roster includes six players who have earned all-conference recognition in their careers – Nate Santos (A-10), Enoch Cheeks (Horizon & A-10). Javon Bennett (NEC) ), Malachi Smith (A-10), Posh Alexander (Big East) and Amaël L’Etang(A-10).
• Amaël L’Etang was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week on Nov. 25, Jan. 25 and Feb. 10. He averaged 8.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg in the latest, with a 13/13 double-double vs. Davidson.
• Cheeks was named the A-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 15.7 points and 7.0 rebounds against North Carolina, Iowa State and UConn in Maui.
• Cheeks is 11th in the A-10 in rebounding (6.2), tied for third in steals (1.8), and 14th in FG% (.469, 143-305). Of the top 15 A-10 rebounders, he at 6-foot-3 is the shortest.
• Santos is 17th in the A-10 in scoring (14.2) and third in 3-pt. FG% (.422, 68-161).
• Smith is second in the A-10 in assists (5.2) and is tied for third in A/T ratio (2.5).
• Bennett is eighth in steals (1.5) and 10th in 3-pt. FG% (.389, 68-175).
• Zed Key 12th in blocked shots (1.0). He is tied for 23rd in D-I for most dunks (51).
• As a team, Dayton is first in the Atlantic 10 in 3-pt. FG% (.358, 271-756), second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.46), and third in scoring (75.5) and turnover margin (1.48).
• This was the Flyers’ 30th season in the Atlantic 10, and UD won its 300th A-10 game on Jan. 21 at Duquesne.
• UD ranked 20th in average attendance in NCAA Division I last season, averaging a capacity crowd of 13,407 fans a game in 2023-24. Of schools in the top 25 in attendance, only Kansas, Purdue, Michigan State and UConn also sold out every game of the season.
• Dayton sold out every game for the again in 2024-25. This will be the fourth consecutive year UD has sold out every home game. That streak is now 77 games.
• This is also the 55th anniversary season of UD Arena. The Arena underwent a $76.2 million transformation project that was completed in time for the 2019-20 season.
• The Flyers are wearing “DJD” on their left shoulder strap in memory of Don Donoher. Coach Donoher died last April at the age of 92. He was the first man to coach his alma mater in the NCAA tournament after appearing in it as a player. A member of the NABC College Basketball Hall of Fame, he is Dayton’s all-time winningest coach (437 wins). He was the 2017 winner of the USBWA’s Dean Smith Award.
UP NEXT
• Saturday’s winner will play the winner between Bradley and George Mason on either March 24 or 26.
COURTESY DAYTON MEDIA RELATIONS
