What it means: Dayton (1-1) lost a big chance to built a early NCAA tournament resume in what will likely be a Quad 1 game in the NCAA Evaluation Tool ratings. It still hasn’t beaten a non-conference opponent on their home court in the regular season since the second game of the 2016-17 season.
Here’s a breakdown of the losses in the last six years:
2022: Losses at UNLV and Virginia Tech.
2021: Loses at Southern Methodist and Mississippi.
2018: Loss at Auburn.
2017: Losses at Mississippi State and Saint Mary’s.
Star of the game: DaRon Holmes II had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Dayton.
Key stat: Dayton had 15 turnovers to Northwestern’s seven.
Turning point: Dayton quickly erased a 11-point deficit early in the second half, and the game was close the rest of the way. Dayton had its last lead with 9:12 left. Javon Bennett missed a 3-pointer with 1:45 left that would have tied the game. The Wildcats clinched the victory with nine points at the free-throw line in the last 90 seconds.
Improved shooting: Dayton made 12 of 23 3-pointers (52.2%) after making 5 of 23 in its opener Monday.
Looking ahead: Dayton plays LSU (1-1) at 4 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the Charleston Classic. LSU lost 68-66 to Nicholls State on Friday.
FIRST-HALF RECAP
Northwestern ended the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 35-25 halftime lead.
Here’s a quick recap of the first half:
Key player: Ryan Langborg, of Northwestern, led all scorers with 11 points. He made 5 of 7 field goals.
Dayton’s star: Bennett made 2 of 4 3-pointers and scored eight points.
Key stat: Northwestern shot 62.5% (15 of 24) from the field, while Dayton shot 40.9% (9 of 22).
Turning point: Dayton went on a 6-0 run to take its first lead, 25-24, on a layup by Bennett. Northwestern at the 4:53 mark. The Flyers didn’t score the rest of the half, missing its last five shots, as the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run.
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