Dayton basketball: Flyers rally in overtime to beat Georgetown in ESPN Events Invitational

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Dayton Flyers blew a 14-point lead in the final six minutes of the second half but still beat Georgetown 84-79 in overtime Thursday in the first round of the ESPN Events Invitational at the State Farm Field House.

Here’s a quick recap of the game:

What it means: Dayton (6-1) handed Georgetown (5-1) its first defeat. The Flyers improved to 9-1 in four appearances in the tournament. They are tied with Gonzaga for most all-time victories in the event.

Dayton improved to 2-2 in the series against Georgetown. This was the first meeting since Georgetown beat Dayton in the Elite Eight in 1984.

Stars of the game: Amaël L’Etang led Dayton with 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Malik Mack scored 24 points for Georgetown on 9-of-20 shooting.

Stat of the game: Dayton shot 42.3% (11 of 26) from 3-point range. Georgetown shot 36% (9 of 25).

Blown lead: Dayton led 67-53 after a 3-point play by L’Etang with 5 minutes, 46 seconds to play in the second half. Georgetown outscored Dayton 16-2 the rest of the way, tying the game at 69-69 on two free throws by Isaiah Abraham with 35 seconds to play.

Big plays: Javon Bennett made a game-tying 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 31 seconds left in overtime.

With 2:01 to play, Bryce Heard made his third 3 of the game to give Dayton a 77-72 lead.

With 20 seconds left, Jordan Derkack made 1 of 2 free throws to give Dayton an 82-79 lead. Mack then missed a 3 with five seconds left. Jaiun Simon sealed the victory with two free throws with less than a second on the clock.

Looking ahead: Dayton plays No. 9 Brigham Young (5-1) in the championship game at 9:30 p.m. Friday.

BYU beat Miami 72-62 in the earlier game Friday.

Miami will play Georgetown at 7 p.m. Friday.

HALFTIME RECAP

Dayton led Georgetown by as many as 15 points in the first half and took a 40-31 lead into halftime.

Here’s a quick recap of the half:

Key player: De’Shayne Montgomery led Dayton with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting.

Key stat: Dayton made 5 of 14 3-pointers, while Georgetown made 3 of 8.

Big run: Dayton outscored Georgetown 10-0 from the 16:50 mark to the 14:56 mark, turning a 3-1 deficit into an 11-3 lead.

Biggest lead: Dayton led 36-21 at the 4:19 mark.

Bench contributions: Malcolm Thomas scored six points for Dayton on 3-of-4 shooting.

Free-throw edge: Dayton made 11 of 13 free throws. Georgetown made 6 of 8.

Malcolm Thomas gave Dayton a 15-point lead. It’s now 36-23 at 3:40. Flyers 12-26 FG, including 5-12 from 3. pic.twitter.com/CzuEK6C05W
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) November 28, 2025