Two teams familiar with winning after posting 22 victories last season meet when Dayton visits Northwestern on Friday night in Evanston, Ill.
Each program notched a season-opening win and chases a 2-0 start to their nonconference schedule. This will be only the second time the schools have met, with Northwestern winning the first matchup 67-64 on Dec. 17, 2016.
A veteran presence could be the key to a Wildcats’ victory.
Boo Buie, a graduate senior who will turn 24 next month, is coming off a terrific season opener in which he scored a game-high 27 points against Binghamton. It marked his best performance since he scored 35 points against Illinois last February.
Buie also drained his 200th career 3-pointer, tying him for eighth place in school history.
Northwestern coach Chris Collins said the 72-61 win over Binghamton was a good building block as his team prepares for Dayton next.
“We’re a work in progress,” Collins said. “We’re not nearly where we need to be by the time we get to the meat of the season. But you hopefully can learn lessons by winning games.”
Dayton also is hoping to take another step forward after a 63-47 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in its first game of the season.
DaRon Holmes II finished with 19 points to lead the Flyers. Nate Santos pulled down 14 rebounds, and Kobe Elvis kept the ball moving on offense with nine points and five assists.
An injury to a key player overshadowed some of Dayton’s good feelings after the victory. Junior guard Malachi Smith tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee during the game, and he underwent surgery on Wednesday.
The typical timeline to return from the injury is five months, meaning Smith is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
“We are saddened and heartbroken for Malachi,” Flyers coach Anthony Grant said. “He worked extremely hard to recover from offseason (ankle) surgeries to have the opportunity to compete with his teammates this season. Although he, and we, are disappointed, we remain positive and prayerful that he will recover fully and return healthy next season.”
–Field Level Media
