CHICAGO – Senior Javon Bennett burned past multiple defenders and floated a layup over another to hit a go-ahead bucket with just two seconds remaining to help the University of Dayton men's basketball team shock Loyola Chicago on Saturday afternoon, erasing a double-digit deficit with just 6:30 remaining to pull out a 70-68 victory at Gentile Arena.
 
The Flyers (11-4, 2-0 A-10) fell behind early but stayed resilient and chipped away at the Ramblers' (5-10, 1-1 A-10) lead to come out with the road victory.
 
Trailing by 11 with 6:30 to go, Bennett and Montgomery took over. Bennett connected from downtown to make the deficit eight and Montgomery became a one-man wrecking crew, forcing multiple turnovers, scoring a fast-break basket, and knocking down all four free throw attempts to make it a two-point game. Bennett tied the game with a basket in the paint, then the two sides traded free throws until Bennett put Dayton ahead for good.

Bennett's bucket with :02 remaining gave him 24 points in the contest, leading all players in the game. Junior De'Shayne Montgomery added 20 on the game, including 17 in the second half. Senior Jacob Conner pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Flyers, setting a new high in his UD career.

GAME RECAP
First Half – Loyola 39, Dayton 31

• Senior Javon Bennett went on a personal 8-0 run to get the Flyers started, erasing an early deficit to give the Flyers a 8-5 lead.
• Fellow senior Jordan Derkack got to the line and made 1-of-2 to put the Flyers up 9-5.
• Sophomore Bryce Heard knocked down his first attempt of the game at the 13:58 mark to put UD ahead 12-9.
• After the two sides played even to 15-15, Loyola's 13-0 run gave the home team a 26-15 advantage.
• The Flyers were held without a field goal for nearly eight minutes when Heard stopped the streak with a pull-up jumper to make it 32-21.
• Dayton finished the half in a flurry, going on an 8-0 run over the final 2:10 to cut the deficit to single-digits at the break.

 
Second Half – Dayton 62, Loyola

• The two sides traded shots to start the second half, with senior Keonte Jones sandwiching a De'Shayne Montgomery bucket with a pair of baby hook shots in the paint.
• Montgomery continued his one-man scoring run with five straight points, bringing the Flyers within six at 48-42.
• Loyola responded with a 7-1 run to push the lead to 55-43.
• A three-pointer from Jaiun Simon brought Dayton back within nine, 59-50.
• Montgomery swiped a steal and converted a layup to make it a 61-52 game with 6:46 to go.
• Dayton surged back, cutting an 11-point deficit with 6:30 to go to just four at the 3:59 mark.
• Javon Bennett made a twisting layup to tied the game at 63-63.
• Loyola re-gained a 65-63 lead with a mid-range jumper as the shot clock expired.
• Bennett converted both free throws with 2:15 to go to knot the score at 65-65.
• The Ramblers took the lead back, 66-65, by connecting on one of two free throws with :51 remaining.
• Bennett connected on 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute, putting Dayton ahead 68-66.
• Loyola knotted the game at 68-68 with a pair of free throws with :08 on the clock.
• Bennett made a contested layup over the Atlantic 10's top shot-blocker with :02 remaining to put Dayton ahead 70-68.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• 21 – made free throws for the Flyers, their seventh time making 20+ free throws this season.
• 15 – turnovers in the game by Loyola, who had 10 in the second half alone.
• 13 – double-digit scoring games this season for senior Javon Bennett, who finished the night with 24 points.
• 9 – points for Chicago native Bryce Heard, who played a career-high 24 minutes
• 7 – rebounds for Jacob Conner, a new UD-high for the Dayton native
• +13 – plus/minus for Jaiun Simon, which led all players.
• 2 – times this season that Bennett (24) and Montgomery (20) scored 20+ points in the same game.

 
UP NEXT
Dayton returns to action in the friendly confines of UD Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, against George Washington. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and tip at 8 p.m. ET.

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