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The Dayton basketball team defeated Loyola-Chicago in dramatic fashion over the weekend, 83-81. In what was a back-and-forth contest, the Flyers ended the game at the buzzer with a walk-off alley-oop.
Players celebrated the overtime victory on the court. That celebration nearly ended in disaster for one Dayton hooper.
The Flyers jumped out to an early lead in the matchup, taking a 33-26 lead into the halftime break. Loyola-Chicago stormed back in the second half to even the score.
The rivals appeared due for a second overtime session after the Ramblers tied things up at 81-81 with a layup late in the extra session. Dayton had other plans.
Amael L’Etang snagged a full-court lob from teammate Malachi Smith and quickly put the ball through the net as time expired. The alley-oop lifted the Flyers to a two-point win.
What. A. Moment ✈️🏀@JuiceCrewMali ➡️➡️ @amaelletang_29 pic.twitter.com/K2IDq2CNbg
— Dayton Basketball (@DaytonMBB) January 18, 2025
Shortly after the shot went through, the Dayton basketball team was seen celebrating on the court. Javon Bennett was nearly injured in the chaos.
The guard attempted to chest bump a teammate. The force of the bump sent him tumbling to the ground. He fell hard. It looked painful!
Well executed chest bump between Mali and Bennett. pic.twitter.com/GTcPaekBEx
— Mr. RedDey (@UDCincyFan) January 18, 2025
Luckily, he didn’t appear seriously injured by the mishap. He was able to get back to his feet and join the team as the celebration continued into the locker room.
Dayton got the win on the basketball court. Bennett, however, might think twice about celebrating in a similar fashion the next time around.
The Flyers improved to 12-6 on the year while the Ramblers fell to 11-7. Both teams are now 2-3 in Atlantic-10 play.