Enoch Cheeks scored eight of his 20 points on Wednesday during a critical stretch late in the second half, as Dayton dispatched two-time defending champion and second-ranked UConn to an 0-3 finish at the Maui Invitational with an 85-67 romp in the game ranked seventh in Lahaina, Hawaii.

The Flyers (6-2) went on a 7-0 run, capped off when Javon Bennett found Cheeks open in transition for a 3-pointer that extended Dayton’s lead to 69-57 with 4:27 to go.

Alex Karaban scored two of his game-high 21 points on the Huskies’ ensuing possession, but Dayton came right back when Posh fed Alexander Cheeks with a lob pass.

Wang was fouled as he dunked in the alley-oop and then completed the three-point play. After a Samson Johnson dunk at the other end, Nate Santos knocked down a 3-pointer, and Cheeks completed his crucial burst by sinking a jump shot on one of Alexander’s six assists.

The sequence blew the game open and gave the Flyers a victory. They lost by two points to No. 12 North Carolina and five points to No. 5 Iowa State in their previous two games in the Maui Invitational.

UConn (4-3) entered the event on a 17-game winning streak, but fell two points short in overtime against Memphis and one point against Colorado. The three losses in Maui equal the total number of losses the Huskies have suffered in the 2023-2024 season.

Four players scored in double figures to support the Dayton offense. Santos finished with 18 points, Alexander scored 16 off the bench and Zed Key added 15. Dayton shot 8-for-17 from 3-point range and an excellent 27-for-30 from the free-throw line.

UConn was just 8-for-29 from three-point range and 7-for-11 at the free-throw line. Fifteen of Karaban’s 21 came in the first half. Johnson finished with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the floor, while Ball and Hassan Diarra each added 10 points.

–Field-level media