EVANSTON — Ryan Langborg scored 19 points, Brooks Barnhizer posted his second straight double-double and Northwestern held off Dayton 71-66 on Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Barnhizer had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (2-0). Boo Buie added 15 points.
Daron Holmes II scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, Koby Brea had four three-pointers and 15 points, Javon Bennett added 12 points and Nate Santos 11 for the Flyers (1-1), the preseason Atlantic 10 favorites.
A basket underneath by Santos off an assist from Bennett got the Flyers within 67-65 with 23.1 seconds left. Buie hit a pair of free throws before Bennett missed the second of two free throws and Langborg grabbed the rebound. After a timeout, Langborg was fouled on the inbounds and his two free throws accounted for the final score.
Trailing by 10 at halftime, the Flyers opened the second half with a 13-3 run to tie, sparked by a pair of three-pointers by Holmes. The lead exchanged hands three times until Barnhizer scored four straight points to grab a lead the Wildcats would cling to over the final 8 1/2 minutes.
Dayton outshot Northwestern 54%-47% and made 12 of 23 three-point tries. But they committed 15 turnovers, 10 in the second half when the Wildcats had just one. Northwestern also had a 12-3 edge on the offensive boards and a 20-point edge in the paint.
Dayton will play LSU in the opening round of the eight-team Charleston Classic on Thursday. Northwestern is host to Western Michigan on Tuesday.
