DAYTON- The University of Dayton women’s basketball took down Atlantic 10 foe Loyola Chicago in dominant fashion on Thursday night at UD Arena, 83-45.
The Flyers (7-6, 1-1 A-10) took a commanding lead in the first quarter and did not look back as they took down the Ramblers (9-5, 1-2 A-10).
GAME BREAKDOWN
1st Quarter: Dayton 18, Loyola 6
- After Loyola opened the scoring with a three, senior Ivy Wolf responded by knocking down a three of her own to tie the score two and a half minutes into the game.
- Senior Arianna Smith then finished in the paint on the next possession to put the Flyers ahead by two.
- After the lead changed hands again, Wolf hit her second three of the game to push UD in front by two.
- Graduate student Rikki Harris then got the bounce to go her way on a three-point attempt to give Dayton an 11-6 lead with 4:15 left in the quarter.
- Out of the media timeout, Wolf hit made the Flyers’ fourth consecutive field goal attempt to push the lead to seven.
- Wolf then converted a layup on a drive to the hoop to give UD a 10-0 run and a 15-6 lead with 1:46 left on the clock.
- Freshman Oliva Leung hit her first attempt of the game for three to give Dayton their largest lead of the game at 18-6.
- The Flyers closed the quarter on a 13-0 run over nearly six minutes to take a 12-point lead into the break.
2nd Quarter: Dayton 34, Loyola 14
- Grad student Nicole Stephens got into the scoring column to start the second quarter, knocking down two free throws as the Flyers eclipsed 20 points as a team.
- Leung finished through a foul for an impressive drive to the basket to extend the Flyer lead to 23-8 with 7:10 remaining in the half.
- After Loyola responded with a bucket of their own, sophomore Ajok Madol got her first score of the game to make the score 25-10 with 6:24 on the clock.
- Harris then laid in a basket off the fast break to add two more points to the Flyer advantage.
- A dry spell from Loyola saw the score stay level until Harris laid in her seventh point of the half to make the lead 29-10 with three minutes left in the half.
- Harris would go on to convert two free throw attempts on the next possession to push the lead over 20 points.
- Harris continued her impressive scoring night, notching another three points from the line after being fouled on an attempt from behind the arc.
3rd Quarter: Dayton 59, Loyola 33
- Smith opened the second half scoring off a nice dish from Nicole Stephens 22 seconds in.
- On the next possession, freshman Jayda Johnson knocked down a three pointer to push the lead up to 25 at 39-14.
- After six unanswered points from the Ramblers, Smith finished off a fastbreak with a layup to make the score 41-20 with six minutes left in the quarter.
- A three from Harris and a layup from Wolf made the Dayton run 7-0 and saw the Flyers take their largest lead of the game at 46-20 with just under five to play in the quarter.
- After a Loyola three, senior Shannon Wheeler converted on a layup to push the lead back to 25.
- After five unanswered points from the Ramblers cut the lead to 20, Leung finished a drive to extend the lead to 50-28 with 2:30 left in the quarter.
- After a Loyola bucket, Smith responded with a post finish to put the lead back to 22 in the final minute of the third quarter.
- Wolf found a wide-open Madol in the corner for three on the next possession to give the Flyers a 55-32 lead with 11 seconds left on the clock.
- After a Rambler free throw on the other end, Leung managed to draw a foul and convert both foul shots with only three seconds left.
- Leung then caught an inbounds pass in the final second of the quarter and banked in a floater for her 10th point of the contest giving UD a 59-33 lead heading into the final period.
4th Quarter: Dayton 83, Loyola 45
- Harris got the Flyers on the board first in the fourth, knocking down two free throws as UD eclipsed the 60 point mark for the ninth time this season.
- Leung then knocked down a corner three to make the lead 64-35 with just under nine minutes on the clock. The 29-point lead marked the largest of the game.
- Despite a Rambler bucket, Madol ensured the 29-point lead remained with a post finish.
- Sophomore Shantavia Dawkins scored her first points of the game at the six minute mark, finishing a drive to the hoop through contact to make the score 68-39.
- Smith found Wheeler for an open mid-range jumper to make the Flyer lead 71-39 with four minutes left in the game.
- Leung continued her career-high night with a step-back three to give her 17 points on the night.
- Wheeler pushed the lead to 40 with a layup through contact to make the score 79-39 with 2:30 remaining.
- Freshman Kamryn Grant got her first bucket off a steal on the inbounds to push the Flyers over 80 points for the night.
KEY STATS
17 – Rikki Harris set a new career high in points and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
17 – Olivia Leung also had a career high in points on the night.
38 – The win was the largest margin of victory on the season for the Flyers.
47.4% – The Flyers recorded their highest three-point percentage of the season.
61.2% – The Flyers shot their best field goal percentage of the year.
83 – The Flyers scored a season high in points en route to the win.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will travel to Richmond, Va. to take on VCU on Sunday, Jan. 5. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. E.T.
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