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DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton women’s basketball team battled Atlantic 10 Conference foe Saint Joseph’s at UD Arena Saturday and the Flyers prevailed 79-68. With the win, Dayton improves to 14-7 overall and 5-2 in the A-10, while the Hawks fall to 12-9 overall and 2-5 in A-10 play.
The game was a tale of two halves as the Flyers outscored their opponent 42-27 in the second half after trailing the Hawks 41-37 during the first.
UD’s three captains, Justine Raterman, Elle Queen, and Kristin Daugherty all tallied 15 points each. Raterman also pulled down a game- and season-high 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the year. She also tied her career high with four steals. Casey Nance put up a season-high 12 points to round out the double-figure scoring for the Flyers.
The Flyers soared from the opening tipoff and built a 10-3 lead early in the half. Queen led the attack with dribble penetration, driving baskets and was aided by her hot-shooting teammates.
However, the scrappy Hawks battled back and began scorching the nets with three-pointers. Saint Joseph’s freshman point guard Erin Shields lit up the scoreboard with 14 first-half points on 4-of-4 shooting from behind the arc.
Despite balanced scoring and a first half shooting percentage of 44.1 percent, the Flyers trailed St. Joe going into the half down 41-37. Kristin Daugherty led Dayton with seven points at the break. De’Sarae Chambers provided a spark off the bench as she drained a three and almost converted a traditional and-one for five first half points.
Kristin Daugherty scored eight quick points in the first six minutes of the second half and Queen regained the lead for the Flyers for good with a layup to make the score 45-43 with 16:09 to play. The Hawks went cold, only scoring two points in the first 6:22 of the second period.
Casey Nance proved a dominating force in the paint and her free throws with 6:31 left in the game, gave UD its largest lead of the half by 13, 62-49. SJU got within five, but the Flyers went 12-for-12 in the final 1:43 of the game to seal the win.
After a trip to St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, Feb. 2, UD will host Xavier Saturday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. in a Red Out Game and National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
Written by Sam Fell, Class of 2014
