BRONX, N.Y.  – The University of Dayton women's basketball team held on to the top spot in the Atlantic 10 standings with a 63-62 nail-biting victory over Fordham Wednesday.
 
The Flyers (13-4, 6-0 A-10) stay undefeated in conference games while the Rams (14-5, 5-1 A-10) suffered their first conference loss.
 
KEY MOMENT
4^th quarter – 14.5 seconds left – Fordham had an opportunity to win it with just 14.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but a strong defensive stand showed the perseverance and discipline in crunch time.
 
GAME BREAKDOWN
1st Quarter: Dayton 19, Fordham 22

• Dayton jumped out to a 7-0 run thanks to five points from senior JaVonna Layfield in the first three minutes.
• Fordham managed to counter though and closed the deficit to four.
• The media break didn't happen until the 2:10 mark with the Flyers on top 17-13.
• The Rams came out of the break and hit a three to cut it to one.
• Fordham hit another three in the final 10 seconds to take a three-point lead after one.
• Senior Jenna Burdette and sophomore Jayla Scaife had team highs with seven points.

 
2nd Quarter: Dayton 33, Fordham 31

• The second quarter started off at a slower pace as the team's settled in defensively.
• Fordham's Bre Cavanaugh was causing trouble for Dayton, reaching double digits scoring wise.
• Scaife also reached double figures for the Flyers.
• Neither team scored during four minute stretch in the quarter.
• Dayton managed to tie it up at the 3:00 mark, 26-26.
• Layfield hit a clutch basket down the stretch and put the Flyers ahead going into the locker rooms.
• In the first 20 minutes, Dayton shot 46.4 percent while Fordham shot 40.6 percent.
• UD also benefited from a 19-15 rebounding advantage against one of the top rebounding teams in the nation.
• Scaife had a team-high 13 points while going 3-of-5 from three. Layfield had nine points and six rebounds.

 
3rd Quarter: Dayton 44, Fordham 49

• Fordham started the second-half with a 9-6 run out of the gate and pulled ahead of Dayton once again.
• Going into the media timeout, the Flyers were down 40-39.
• Dayton suffered from a five minute scoring drought during the quarter and fell behind 43-39.
• The Flyers scored the next three points from the free throw line to narrow the gap.
• Fordham extended the margin with four points in the final minute.

 
4th Quarter: Dayton 63, Fordham 62

• Both teams traded buckets in the early stages of the fourth quarter.
• Free throws became a key component for Dayton as the Flyers pulled closer without using time off the clock.
• Layfield hit a big three at the 6:42 mark to make it a four-point contest.
• A defensive stop immediately after forced a Fordham timeout as the Flyers were down 55-51 with 6:13 to go.
• Layfield hit another three at the 4:08 mark to make it a one-point game.
• Fordham was held in check for 3:30 minutes during that span.
• Layfield converted a bucket and a free throw to put Dayton ahead 60-59 with 2:30 left.
• The Rams were going away though and made three free throws in a row to make it 62-62 with 1:25 to go.
• Scaife converted a free throw with :27 remaining to put the Flyers up one, 63-62.
• Fordham had one last shot with 14 seconds left, but a forced jump ball left the Rams with not enough time left.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 
40.7% - Dayton shot 40.7 percent from the floor while holding Fordham to 36.2 percent.
26-13 – JaVonna Layfield scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, with 10 points coming in the fourth alone.
37-35 – The Flyers outrebounded the A-10 leading Rams, 37 to 35.
16 – Jenna Burdette chipped in 16 points.
14 – Jayla Scaife added 14 points.
12 – Dayton committed just 12 turnovers in the game.
3-0 – There were only three fast break points in the game, all from Fordham, showing the pace of the contest.
28.6 – The Flyers held the Rams to just 28.6 percent from three-point range.
 
KEY STAT
37-35 – Against the best rebounding team in the Atlantic 10 and one of the best in the nation, the Flyers outrebounded the Rams.
 
UP NEXT

• The Flyers will return home to host George Washington Sunday, Jan. 21 at 12 p.m. at UD Arena. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.