DAYTON, Ohio — On Saturday night, Nate Santos and Enoch Cheeks, a transfer from Robert Morris, both contributed 16 points as Dayton surged in the second half to overcome an eight-point deficit, ultimately defeating Northwestern 71-66.
This victory marked a significant turnaround for Dayton as they ended a three-game losing streak against the Wildcats and tied the all-time series at three wins apiece.

In the initial half, Northwestern (1-1) effectively set the game’s rhythm, leading by as much as 13 points after a dunk from Nick Martinelli with 4:23 remaining in the half. By halftime, Northwestern held a 32-24 lead.

However, Dayton began to chip away at Northwestern’s lead in the second half. With 8:13 left in the game, after a 3-pointer from Javon Bennett followed by a layup from Malachi Smith, Dayton had narrowed the deficit to just one point at 51-50. Following a split at the free-throw line by K.J. Windham, Smith converted two more free throws to equalize the score, and Cheeks put Dayton ahead with a dunk at 7:22, making it 54-52.

As the game drew to a close, Cheeks extended the lead to eight points with a 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining, and a dunk from Zed Key solidified Dayton’s position, pushing the lead to ten with just 1:07 left on the clock.

In addition to Cheeks’ and Santos’ performances, Smith also contributed significantly, finishing with 14 points and six assists for the Flyers. Dayton (2-0) achieved an impressive shooting performance, making 24 of 46 attempts from the field for a shooting percentage of 52.2%, including 8 of 21 from beyond the arc.

Martinelli had an outstanding game, scoring 32 points—one more than his previous career high of 26 set earlier against Lehigh—while also securing 14 rebounds, marking his third career double-double and his second in a row to start the season. Angelo Ciaravino added 12 points off the bench, showcasing solid support for Northwestern. The Wildcats shot 25-of-56 from the field and managed 5 of 20 from three-point territory.