PEORIA, IL — The University of Dayton men’s basketball team dominated Bradley in their game of the 2026 National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
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Senior guard Javon Bennett led all scorers with 25 points as he made 8-of-13 shots as Dayton won, 80-66, at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois.
Three other UD players finished in double figures. De’Shayne Montgomery scored 14 points while Bryce Heard added 12 off the bench. Amael L’Etang finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Flyers improved to 24-11 overall and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NIT.
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Bennett made back-to-back treys, and Montgomery’s steal and dunk gave Dayton an 8-4 lead.
Montgomery added an alley-oop later in the first half to extend UD’s advantage to 32-22 with just over four minutes left until halftime.
The Flyers led 38-30 with 1:51 remaining in the first half when Montgomery and Bennett took control.
Montgomery was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws to extend it to 41-30. Bennett’s layup increased the lead to 43-30.
With time winding down in the first half, Bennett buried a three-pointer and was fouled. He made the free throw to finish the four-point play as the Flyers led, 47-30, at the break.
Dayton led by as many as 25 points, 65-42, with 10:33 left. The Braves got as close as 13 points, 67-54, but never made any strong comeback attempt.
The Flyers’ next game will be on Saturday, March 21, at UNC-Wilmington in the second round of the NIT at Trask Coliseum.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
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