UNCW Tested by No. 2 Dayton in NIT Second Round
Dylan Smith
RICHMOND, Va. –UNCW saw its season come to an end after an 80-61 setback to No. 2 seed Dayton (25-11) in the second round of the 2026 National Invitation Tournament inside Trask Coliseum on Saturday night.
The Seahawks finished their 2025-26 campaign with a 27-7 record, marking their fifth straight season with at least 20 victories.
Patrick Wessler notched 12 points and seven boards, while Madison Durr and Noah Ross chipped in 10 points apiece. The Flyers’ De’Shayne Montgomery led all scorers with 20 points.
UNCW’s Nolan Hodge sank a 3-pointer from the wing to spark a 7-0 run in the first 90 seconds for the Seahawks. The Seahawks saw their lead grow to double figures, 24-14, with the ability to attack the paint and draw contact in close, capitalizing with Christian May and Wessler at the rim and at the charity stripe.
Dayton started to heat up with seven straight makes, pulling to within one, 26-25, after Montgomery jumpstarted an 11-2 run the first five points, and Javon Bennett and Jacob Conner sank back-to-back triples with under eight minutes to play in the first half. The Flyers took their first lead with a quick 5-0 spurt, but UNCW’s Durr ambushed Dayton’s defense and completed a pair of finishes through traffic to reclaim a 33-32 edge with 2:33 remaining.
The Flyers took a 37-33 lead into halftime with Bennett getting to the rim and laying in a bucket as time expired. Dayton grew its lead to double digits behind a 16-4 run to open the second half and never looked back. The second-seeded visitors shot 51.8% from the floor on Saturday.
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