Northwestern (1-1) controlled the tempo of the game in the first half, leading by 13 points after Nick Martinelli's dunk with 4:23 left and held a 32-24 advantage at the break.
Dayton got within a point at 51-50 after Javon Bennett knocked down a 3-pointer and Malachi Smith converted at the basket with 8:13 left. After K.J. Windham hit the second of two free throws, Smith knocked down a pair from the line to tie the game and Cheeks dunked with 7:22 left to give Dayton the lead, 54-52. Cheeks hit a 3 with just under two minutes to play to push the lead to eight points and Zed Key's dunk made it a 10-point lead with 1:07 left.
Smith finished with 14 points and six assists for the Flyers. Dayton (2-0) converted 24 of 46 shots from the floor (52.2%) and was 8 of 21 from beyond the arc.
Martinelli was one point shy of his career best with 26 points against Lehigh in Monday's season opener and set a new mark with 32 against the Flyers. He also grabbed 14 rebounds for his third career double-double and second straight to open the season. Angelo Ciaravino scored 12 points off the bench. The Wildcats were 25-of-56 shooting from the field and 5 of 20 from 3-point range.
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