DAYTON - The University of Dayton women's basketball team squared off against Davidson on Wednesday morning at UD Arena, falling 51-61 during our annual School Day event, which set a new attendance record of over 12,152 for a Dayton women's game.
 
The Flyers (13-10, 8-6 A-10) dropped their third straight while the Wildcats (14-11, 9-4 A-10) move up in the A-10 standings.
 
GAME BREAKDOWN
1st Quarter: Dayton 14, Davidson 15

• Flyers gave up the first point of the game but tightened up on defense, holding the opponent scoreless until a foul led to our first points at the free-throw line by graduate student Rikki Harris. 
• After a hard-fought defensive stand, freshman Molly O'Riordan took control, racing down the court and battling through defenders to sink her first layup of the game.
• With precision and skill, Senior Ivy Wolf faked left, cut right, and drove to the hoop for a smooth jumper at the five-minute mark.
• Graduate student Nicole Stephens set up junior Nayo Lear with a perfect assist, leading to a smooth layup.
• Senior Ivy Wolf created space and nailed another smooth step-back jumper to bring the game within three.
• By the first media timeout, Dayton was on fire, shooting 4-for-4.
• Sophomore Eve Fiala found a gap in the defense and sank her first layup of the game, keeping the Flyers in the game at the 1:21 minute mark left

2nd Quarter: Dayton 24, Davidson 31

• Davidson opened the quarter with fouls, giving Dayton three points from the free throw line and cutting the deficit to just one.
• Senior Arianna Smith snapped a 3:30 scoring drought with a well-timed layup after finding a gap in the defense.
• Stephens drilled a step-back three, extending Davidson's scoring drought to 2:30 minutes.
• After Harris's missed layup, Smith battled for the offensive rebound and scored, narrowing the gap to three points.
• Smith notched her sixth point of the quarter with a strong layup.

3rd Quarter: Dayton 35, Davidson 44

• Smith opened the quarter with a layup, putting the first points on the board.
• Capitalizing on Davidson's missed layup, Harris drove to the hoop and finished strong at the rim.
• Despite tight defense, Harris fought through her defender and finished a contested layup.
• After a back-and-forth stretch of missed field goals and a four-minute scoring drought, Wolf knocked down a smooth open three to spark momentum for the Flyers.
• Four out of the five starters contributed points this quarter, showcasing strong team effort.

4th Quarter: Dayton 51, Davidson 61

• Determined, senior Shannon Wheeler drained an open three to put the first points of the quarter on the board.
• After a series of back-and-forth turnovers and field goals, Wheeler sank another three, keeping her team in the game.
• A steal by Wolf led to a powerful drive, setting up Stephens to earn two free throws for the Flyers fueling the 6-0 run on the Wildcats.
• Smith maneuvered between defenders to finish a tough layup, bringing the game within three at the 4:30 mark.
• Both teams went scoreless for over two minutes, exchanging turnovers and fouls in a back-and-forth battle.
• By the final minute of the game, both teams were in the bonus. The Flyers, facing fouls, lost their margin and trailed by 10, but continued to fight to maintain possession and momentum.
• With 42 seconds left in the game, Stephens took charge and drained a three, forcing Davidson to call a timeout.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
10 - Arianna Smith earned her 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
0 - Davidson did not attempt a free throw in the first three quarters of the game.
19 - The Flyers more than doubled the Wildcats in free-throw opportunities, with 19 chances compared to the Wildcats' seven.
38 - Dayton grabbed a total of 38 rebounds in the game.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will travel to Washington, D.C. to face the George Washington Revolutionaries Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.