DAYTON – Freshman Amaël L'Etang finished a half-court pass from redshirt junior Malachi Smith with .02 seconds remaining in overtime to give the University of Dayton men's basketball team a thrilling 83-81 victory over Loyola Chicago at UD Arena on Saturday night.

With just three seconds remaining after the Ramblers tied the score at 81-81, Smith took one dribble after catching the inbound pass and launched a perfectly placed alley-oop to a slashing L'Etang to give the Flyers the overtime victory.

Senior Enoch Cheeks had a career night, scoring a new career-high 26 points, including 17 in the second half and a crucial three in overtime while adding seven rebounds and five steals on the night. In addition, junior Javon Bennett scored 15 points, Smith added 15 points and 8 assists, and L'Etang finished with 11 points.

First Half – Dayton 33, Loyola Chicago 26

• The Flyers capitalized on an early turnover by the Ramblers, with senior Nate Santos finishing strong on the first possession. 
• Redshirt junior Javon Bennett scored his first points with a corner three at the 19:14 mark. 
• Senior Enoch Cheeks followed up with another corner three, extending Dayton's lead to 9-4 at 16:46. 
• Cheeks kept the momentum with two more three-pointers, while freshman Amaël L'Etang converted an and-1 through contact to keep the Flyers ahead, 17-15. 
• Redshirt junior Malachi Smith added a coast-to-coast layup, giving the Flyers a 22-15 advantage.
• Smith struck again with a strong left-handed layup, and Key finished another tough bucket at the 4:40 mark that kept Dayton in control.

Second Half – Dayton 68, Loyola Chicago 68

• Santos gave the Flyers a strong start to the second half, converting a layup to extend Dayton's lead to 35-26. 
• Bennett added to the momentum with a smooth teardrop over Loyola's defense, showcasing his composure. 
• Cheeks continued his stellar performance, driving aggressively to the hoop for another key basket.
• Bennett electrified the Flyer Faithful with a powerful three-pointer, followed by a thunderous slam dunk from Cheeks that pushed Dayton's lead to 48-37. 
• The Flyers' defensive pressure forced a turnover, which Cheeks converted into an easy layup.
• However, Loyola responded with an 8-0 run throughout 2:57, taking their first lead of the half at the 7:29 mark. 
• In a critical moment, Cheeks drained a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 57-57 with 5:29 remaining. 
• L'Etang kept Dayton in control, sinking two free throws to make it 66-63 with 2:18 to play.
• Under intense pressure, redshirt junior Malachi Smith delivered in the closing seconds, hitting two free throws to secure a two-point lead for the Flyers with just 20 seconds remaining

• Today's overtime match up marked the Flyers' first of the 2024-25 season. 
• Smith opened the extra period with a strong finish through heavy Rambler defensive pressure. 
• Moments later, Bennett delivered a clutch And-1, extending Dayton's lead to 73-69 at the 2:12 mark.
• Santos powered through aggressive contact to convert a crucial layup, keeping the Flyers in control. 
• In a pivotal moment, Cheeks proved his clutch ability once again, sinking a contested jumper over a Loyola defender to give Dayton a 78-75 lead with just 40 seconds remaining.
• Smith showed his composure under pressure, knocking down two free throws to maintain the Flyers' edge with 21 seconds left. 
• After Loyola tied the game 81-81 with nine seconds on the clock, Smith delivered a pinpoint full-court pass to L'Etang, who completed the game-winning layup as time expired, sealing a dramatic victory for Dayton.

• 82 - percent the Flyers shot from the free throw line in the second half and overtime.
• 32 - Career-high minutes played for freshman Amael L'Etang including the game-winning basket. 
• 26 - Points for Enoch Cheeks, a career-high.
• 8 - Assists for Malachi Smith, leading all players in the contest.
• 5 - Cheeks led all players with 5 steals.
• 19 - Dayton outscored Loyola Chicago with 19 points off turnovers compared to the Ramblers 14.
• 15 - Points scored in overtime by the Flyers.

• The Flyers travel to Pittsburgh to take on Duquesne on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. ET.