WINTER PARK, Fla. – The University of Dayton women's basketball team finished up the Florida Sunshine Classic with a 77-69 win over Old Dominion Wednesday in Florida.
The Flyers (6-6) trailed the Monarchs (5-5) by as much as 11 in the second quarter, but rallied back and hit clutch free throws down the stretch to pick up their second win in as many days.
GAME BREAKDOWN
1st Quarter – Dayton 16, Old Dominion 21
The game opened with ODU jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first 1:11 with all the points coming from the second leading scorer in the nation, Jennie Simms. Junior
Jenna Burdette hit a contested shot to end the run. That sparked a 4-0 run as the Flyers pulled back within two at 8-6. Burdette then hit a crucial three as the Flyers spread the ball around and Dayton took an 11-10 lead with just over three minutes on the clock. The Monarchs responded with a run of their own and jumped out to a 19-14 advantage.
2nd Quarter – Dayton 36, Old Dominion 37
ODU added to its lead in the second as the Monarchs carried the momentum over from the first. The Flyers trailed by nine with 8:00 on the clock, forcing a timeout by UD. The Flyers gathered themselves and pulled back within seven, but ODU continued to control the paint and pushed its advantage to 11 at 31-20. UD hit four straight free throws and had tough baskets from senior
Saicha Grant-Allen and Burdette to make it a four-point game, 34-30. A two-minute scoring drought and fouls by the Monarchs allowed the Flyers to get back into the game. Sophomore
Maddy Dennis hit a clutch three with under a minute on the clock and Dayton went into the lockerroom down just one.
3rd Quarter – Dayton 52, Old Dominion 47
Both teams battled for control in the second half as the Flyers and Monarchs traded baskets back and forth. The score was tied at 46-46 halfway through the third as the game continued to be physical on both ends of the floor. Redshirt senior
Kelley Austria hit a pair of free throws to put Dayton ahead 48-46. That was part of seven straight points from the charity stripe for UD. That paired with 4:06 scoring drought for ODU put the Flyers in front.
4th Quarter – Dayton 77, Old Dominion 69
Dayton used its cushion to put pressure on ODU on the defensive end. Turnovers and more fouls piled up for the Monarchs as the Flyers took a nine-point lead into the media break, 62-53. Old Dominion closed the gap to six at 66-60 before UD went back to the free throw line to build its lead back up. The Flyers hit the crucial free ones down the stretch and didn't allow easy baskets for the Monarchs on the defensive end and held on for the eight-point win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Flyers shot 36.6% overall, 23.8% from three-point range, and 81.3% from the free throw line, going 26-of-32.
- Burdette set a new career high with 25 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 from charity stripe.
- Grant-Allen had her first double-double of the season with season highs 17 points and 16 rebounds.
- Junior JaVonna Layfield chipped in 12 rebounds and eight points while senior Andrijana Cvitkovic had 10 points and Austria had 14 points.
- Dayton shot 41.4% from the field in the first half while ODU shot 50.0%.
- The Monarchs' Jennie Simms entered the game as the second-leading scorer in the nation and had 14 points in the first half.Burdette outscored her in the first half with 15 points of her own. Simms finished with 32 points to lead all scorers.
- Dayton dominated the boards with 47 rebounds compared to ODU's 34.
- The Flyers committed a season-low 10 turnovers.
- Burdette and Grant-Allen earned All-Tournament honors for their efforts.
KEY STAT
- 26 – The Flyers hit 26-of-32 free throws in the game, which proved to be the difference down the stretch. The last time Dayton matched that effort was in an 81-75 win over Yale in the season opener last season (26-of-32).
UP NEXT
- The Flyers will travel to another tournament on Dec. 28 and 29 in Charlottesville, Va. to compete in the Cavalier Classic. Dayton will face Liberty on Wed., Dec. 28 before meeting host Virginia on Thurs. Dec. 29.
