Jan. 15, 2011
Box Score | Photo Gallery
DAYTON, Ohio – Despite a feverous second-half comeback, University of Dayton women’s basketball fell just short of defeating Duquesne in a 61-57 loss on Saturday afternoon at UD Arena.
Junior Justine Raterman led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds. The Daugherty sisters each finished with eight points as Kristin grabbed seven rebounds and Kari finished with four rebounds.
Duquesne (15-2, 2-0) shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range to go into halftime with a 37-25 lead. The Flyers entered Saturday as the A-10 leader in scoring offense (80.6 points per game) and ranked second in field goal percentage (44.3) but were held to 20 percent shooting in the first half – the lowest percentage in a half this season.
Dayton (10-7, 1-2 Atlantic 10) began a much-improved second half on a 7-0 run and eventually erased its 12-point halftime deficit midway through the half. Sophomore Kari Daugherty collected an offensive rebound on the perimeter and drained a 3-pointer to put UD on top, 46-45 with 8:33 remaining. Leads would change three more times before the final buzzer. Duquesne iced the game on a near-perfect day at the free throw line on 10-of-11 shooting.
The Flyers outscored the Dukes 11-0 in fast break points in the second half while shooting 41 percent from the field. Despite its marked shooting improvement in the second half, Dayton finished with a season-low 30.2 field goal percentage.
On the defensive side, Dayton forced a season-high 25 turnovers – converting 23 points on takeaways. Of the Flyers’ 16 points in the paint on Saturday, 14 were scored in the second half.
Duquesne finished with three players in double-figure points, paced by Samantha Pollino's 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting. The Dukes now lead the all-time series with Dayton, 18-12.
Following the game, the UD team hosted a free basketball clinic for those with special needs. More than 200 people participated in the clinic.
Dayton returns to action at UD Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 19 against George Washington at 7 p.m. ET.
