By Cole Swafford | CSwaff Media
Photography by Cole Swafford | CSwaff Shots
DAYTON, OH — The Dayton Flyers’ season came to an end Wednesday night as Illinois State defeated Dayton 61-55 in the NIT quarterfinals at UD Arena.
Dayton was dealt an early blow when Javon Bennett suffered an injury in the opening minutes. Bennett was unable to return for the remainder of the game, leaving the Flyers without one of their veteran contributors for the majority of the night.
Illinois State jumped out to an early lead and carried a 33-23 advantage into halftime. Johnny Kinziger provided much of the Redbirds’ offense in the opening half, scoring 11 of his 16 points before the break.
Dayton came out with more urgency in the second half, but Illinois State continued to find ways to extend its lead. A 9-0 Redbirds run pushed the advantage to 49-30 with 12:31 remaining, putting Dayton in a significant hole.
The Flyers refused to go quietly.
Dayton fought its way back over the final minutes, cutting into the deficit and giving itself a chance to make things interesting late. However, Illinois State was able to withstand the comeback attempt and close out the six-point victory.
Kinziger led all scorers with 16 points, shooting 5-for-9 from the field and 4-for-7 from three-point range. Chase Walker added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Ty Pence finished with 12 points.
Bryce Heard led Dayton with 12 points. Jordan Derkack added 11 points and six rebounds, while Amaël L’Etang finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
The Flyers struggled from the field throughout the night, finishing 19-for-63 overall and just 3-for-25 from three-point range. Illinois State shot 55 percent from the field.
The loss brought Dayton’s season to a close at 25-12, while Illinois State improved to 23-12 and advanced to the NIT semifinals.
For Dayton, the quarterfinal appearance provided one final postseason opportunity for a veteran group before the season came to an end on its home floor.
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