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DAYTON, Ohio – A showdown of the two top scoring teams in the Atlantic 10 needed overtime to declare a winner as the University of Dayton Flyers (15-8, 6-3 A-10) lost 70-66 in overtime to the No. 7/7 Xavier University Musketeers (19-2, 8-0 A-10).
Junior Justine Raterman paced Dayton with 25 points. It was her fourth consecutive double-figure game and 19th of the season. Senior Kristin Daugherty added 17 points. Patrice Lalor netted 14 points and had eight assists.
Xavier’s Special Jennings had 19 points and led the Musketeers with eight assists. Amber Harris tallied 16 points and four blocks, while Megan Askew had six blocks in the game.
The Flyers shot 47 percent from the field in the second half, doubling their scoring output from 20 points in the first half to 40 in the second half.
Dayton got out to a 10-6 lead on a layup early in the first half. Raterman got the bucket to fall on a gritty drive to the basket with 14:22 left in the first half.
Jennings’ three-point basket put the Musketeers ahead with 9:25 left in the first half, however, Daugherty’s four-point run helped UD reclaim the lead a minute later, 14-13.
Dayton’s lead was short-lived as XU’s Tyesha Moss hit a three to tie the game at 16 apiece with under seven minutes remaining in the half.
Jenning’s three-pointer with three minute remaining helped Xavier extend a five-point lead over UD, 23-20, heading into the half.
Raterman pulled the game within one point early in the second half on a mid-range jump shot. She struck again at 17:50 giving UD a 24-23 advantage over Xavier.
Down 38-31 with 12 minutes remaining in the second half, Raterman hit a long three-pointer to cut the deficit to four. With nine minutes left in the half, she added another layup to pull UD within two, 42-40.
Xavier extended its lead to seven, before Olivia Applewhite’s three-point play made the score 54-50 Applewhite drove to the basketball, scoring the bucket and drawing the foul. Raterman’s three-pointer at 4:18 extended Dayton’s run to nine points and cut the deficit to 54-53.
The Flyers took the lead on Lalor’s jump shot, but Xavier’s Harris helped the Musketeers regain the lead . With just over one minute remaining in the second half Lalor hit a long three, which sent the crowd of 2,188 into a frenzy as UD inched ahead 60-57.
XU’s Katie Rutan tied the game at 60 apiece with 21 seconds remaining in the half. Raterman’s three-point shot in the final seconds of the half clanged off the rim sending the game into overtime.
Raterman made good on her next three-point attempt in the first overtime period. Her trey put UD up 63-61.
Ta’Shia Phillips’ foul shots knotted the game at 63 with 2:40 remaining in the first overtime. Moments later Phillips fouled-out on Elle Queen’s field goal attempt. Queen fouled out 33 second later, fouling Megan Askew who tied the game at 64 with her foul shots.
Harris drew the foul on Xavier’s next possession converting a three-point play that began with a layup. Jennings hit one of her two free throws to extend Xavier’s lead to 68-64.
Trailing 68-66, The Flyers were unable to claw back from the deficit in the final minute. Two more free throws gave the Musketeers a 70-66 win.
Dayton hosts Massachusetts on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in UD’s annual Math Day at UD Arena.
