Javon Bennett scored a career-high 30 points to lead the UD Flyers past Florida Atlantic in the opening round of the NIT. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Julie Wright)
The University of Dayton Flyers withstood Florida Atlantic’s 13 for 16 shooting to open the game and used Javon Bennett’s career-best 30 points and 8 for 12 three-point sniping to score an 86-79 victory in the first round of the NIT.
Boca Raton, FL — Javon Bennett wears number ‘0’ on his University of Dayton basketball uniform, but they should re-issue him number ‘3’
And he should change his first name from Javon to ‘Trey.’
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That’s because UD’s 5-foot-10 Mighty Mouse was a three-point shooting Robin Hood Wednesday night in the Flyers’ NIT opener.
Bennett’s eight three-pointers was one shy of the UD record and he scored a career-best 30 points in leading the Flyers to an 86-79 victory over Florida Atlantic.
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Bennett was 8 for 12 beyond the three-point arc, some of them coming from just inside the Everglades.
What he eventually did was finally quiet the female in the matchbox 2,500-seat Baldwin Arena, a lass who screamed at the top of her voice on every UD possession, finally quieting down when Bennett buried his eighth three-pointer with 10 minutes left.
Even though the Flyers are a number one seed in their 28th NIT appearance, they had to play on the road because UD Arena hosted the NCAA First Four tournament.
And their next game is on the road, too, because UD Arena will be the scene of the boys’ state high school basketball finals this weekend.
So the Flyers will trudge to Chattanooga Saturday or Sunday for the second round after the Mocassins beat Middle Tennessee State, 108-103 in triple overtime.
As usual, the Flyers couldn’t do it easy.
Bennett’s sixth three-pointer gave the Flyers a 19-point lead, 65-46, with 12 minutes remaining. And it was still an 18-point lead, 71-53, after Bennett’s eighth and final three with 10 minutes left.
And Bennett’s fast break basket a couple of minutes later kept the Flyers in front by 17, 76-59,
Javon Bennett was red-hot from three-point range, hitting 8 of 12 in the Flyers’ victory.
Spot a trend here? When the Flyers needed points, it was Bennett to the rescue.
And he was really needed near the end when the Flyers lead began slip, slip, slipping away like snow on a sunny day.
Aided by the Flyers treating the basketball like slippery elm, turnovers and more turnovers, the Owls went on a 7-0 run and the UD’s lead was 10 at 78-68 with four minutes to go.
And it was 81-71 with 2:30 left.
Guess who contributed three points to the UD cause? Of course it was Bennett — but it was a conventional three-pointer. . .a drive to the basket and a free throw.
So it was 84-71 with 1:41 to go.
Game over? No. Remember, this is the UD Flyers, a team that always makes things, uh, interesting.
FAU went on an 8-0 run and the outcome quickly became in-doubt when the Owls crept to within 84-79 with 34 seconds left.
Who ya gonna call. Ghostbusters were not available, so it was. . .Bennett. His free throw with 20 seconds left gave the Flyers a six-point lead that they clung to until the bitter end.
When the game began, Florida International shot as if they were dropping pebbles into the Atlantic Ocean off a Boca Raton pier.
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At one point, they made eight straight shots and connected on 13 of their first 16, most of them within inches of rim, many by 7-foot freshman Lithuanian center Matan Vokietatis.
Amazingly, even though the Owls were 13 for 16 after making 10 of their first 11, the Flyers trailed only by five, 30-25.
UD was within two, 30-28, when Vokietatis converted a three-point play to push FAU’s lead back to five, 33-28.
Nate Santos added 15 points to the Flyers’ 86-79 win over Florida Atlantic.
Posh Alexander drove for a basket and hit a three in a 10-second span to tie it, 33-33, and the Flyers took off on an 11-5 sprint away to grab a 44-38 halftime lead.
There were four ties and 10 lead changes in the first half, but once the Flyers took the lead into intermission there were no more ties and no more lead changes.
Bennett made certain of that. His eight three-pointers were one shy of tying Norm Grevey’s team record of nine set against Bradley in 1991.
But Bennett’s eight long-range zingers were the most by any player against FIU this season.
Nate Santos contributed 15 and Enoch Cheeks added 12 to UD’s cause as the Flyers made 30 of 56 shots for 52.6%. There were 13-for-30 from three (43.3%), but subtract Bennett’s 8 for 12 and the rest of the Flyers were 5-for-18.
Florida Atlantic (18-16) and a D-1 program only since the 1994-95 season, put four players in double figures with Kevin Green leading the way with 18. Tre Carroll, he of the long flowing hair down his back, came off the bench to score 17.
Maton Vokietatis finished one point short of the letters in his name with 14, most of them in the first half, and Baba “Black Sheep” Miller had 16.
After the 13 for 16 start, the Owls made 28 of 55 (50.9%) and 9 for 22 from three (40.9%).
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