DAYTON, Ohio. - The University of Dayton women's basketball team hosted Canisius University Friday night at UD Arena and earned a 61-52 victory.

The Flyers (3-2) move above .500 once again while the Griffins (0-6) still look for their first win.

GAME BREAKDOWN
1st Quarter: Dayton 12, Canisius 11

• Both teams got off to a strong start defensively with neither team able to get a clean look book at the basket on the first couple of possessions.
• The first points didn't come until the 8:04 mark with a basket by the Griffins, giving them the initial lead.
• Dayton managed to get on the board with a couple of free throws by senior Nayo Lear with 7:07 to go in the quarter.
• The Flyers were forced to call a timeout with 6:00 on the clock and still without a field goal, trailing 5-2.
• Lear got the steal and a layup on the other end for UD's first field goal with 4:48 left in the first.
• After a bucket by graduate student Nicole Stephens, she came down the next possession and hit a three at the top of the key to tie it up at 9-9.
• Senior Maliyah Johnson added another three to give the Flyers their first lead, 12-9, after a 6-0 run over 0:36.
• The Flyers held a 12-11 advantage despite going scoreless over the final 2:38

2nd Quarter: Dayton 23, Canisius 30

• Canisius showed their fight early on in the second quarter with a flurry of offensive rebounds resulting in a putback to put the visitors back on top 15-12.
• Lear decided to take the game in her own hands, scoring the next four for UD to even it up at 15-15.
• The Flyers went on a 3-for-3 stretch and pulled back ahead 19-18 with 5:21 to play, forcing a Griffins timeout.
• The stoppage in play helped Canisus, hitting a three out of the break to tie a 24-21 lead once again.
• Dayton on the other hand suffered from a 3:24 field goal drought as the deficit expanded to seven, 30-23.
• UD shot 31 percent from the floor while Canisius shot 41 percent.
• Lear led the Flyers in the first half in numerous categories with seven points, three rebounds, three steals, and two steals.

3rd Quarter: Dayton 44, Canisius 36

• The Flyers looked to close the gap quickly in the third, starting with a three from Johnson at the top of the key for her second.
• Lear then took it upon herself again to drive to the bucket and score, making it a one-point game 32-31, with just under seven on the clock.
• Stephens followed that up with a steal and layup, forcing another Canisius timeout with 6:35 on the clock and UD up one. That capped off a 9-0 run over 2:38 while the Griffins were blanked for over three minutes.
• The Flyer bench continued to push the pace for the hosts and it flustered the Griffins on both ends of the floor.
• A transition bucket by junior Ajok Madol gave her four points in the game and pushed Dayton's lead to nine, 43-34.
• UD dominated the third quarter, outscoring Canisius 21-6.

4th Quarter: Dayton 61, Canisius 52

• Dayton looked to pressure the ball all the way down the court defensively to eat up some of the clock with an eight-point advantage.
• Canisius was able to hit a three and got an and-one to make it a 44-41 contest with just under eight to go in regulation.
• Stephens converted an and-one of her own to push the margin back to five, 49-43, and six minutes to go as the Flyers looked to hold on.
• Dayton and Canisius traded buckets over the new few minutes with neither team willing to budge.
• The Griffins earned the bonus and made their free throws to keep within striking distance of the Flyers, who led by three with 1:30 left in the game.
• Ibrahim had a nice bucket to clinch the game with under a minute left.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
8 – Maliyah Johnson had season highs with eight points, a pair of threes, and two rebounds.
19 – Nayo Lear has scored in double digits all five games this season. She finished with a game-high 19 points.
7 – Lear's seven steals also were the second-most in a single game in program history, tying Kelley Austria from Nov. 23, 2012.
16-0 – Dayton enjoyed a 16-0 fast break points advantage.
23 – Canisius' previous game high for rebounds was 22. The Griffins had 23 in the first half alone.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will head south to the Elevance Health Fort Myer's Tip-Off in Florida where they will take on Butler Friday, Nov. 28 at 5 p.m. before finishing up with Kansas the following night at 7:30 p.m.  

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