DAYTON — The University of Dayton men’s basketball season came to an end against Illinois State on Wednesday.
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Dayton fell behind 13-0 and never led in a 61-55 loss in the quarterfinals of the 2026 National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Javon Bennett was injured in the first half and did not return.
UD struggled from the floor. They made 30 percent of their shots (19-of-63), including 12 percent (3-of-25) from three-point range.
Bryce Heard led the Flyers with 12 points while Jordan Derkack finished with 11. Amael L’Etang had 10 points and six rebounds.
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Johnny Kinzinger scored the first six points for the Redbirds while Chase Walker and Boden Skunberg each added layups to give them a 10-0 lead. UD called a timeout, but Mason Klabo’s trey extended the deficit to 13-0.
UD went on a 10-4 run to cut ISU’s lead to 17-10. Malcolm Thomas’ layup got the Flyers within five, 19-14.
The Redbirds scored 12 straight points to expand it to 31-14. Dayton cut the halftime deficit to 33-23.
Illinois State increased its lead to as many as 19 points, 53-34, with 9:05 remaining. UD scored 14 straight points, capped by L’Etang’s three-pointer, to cut it to 53-48 with 2:26 to play.
It was as close as the Flyers got as the Redbirds made six free throws to help seal the game.
Dayton ends the season with a 25-12 record.
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