After a lopsided affair sent the Dayton women’s basketball team home with a 78-38 loss to Connecticut on Thanksgiving weekend, the Flyers bounced back in front of their home crowd with a 69-60 win over Boston College on Sunday.
Justine Raterman led all scorers on the afternoon with 21 points for Dayton (4-3). The senior also contributed with two blocks and shot 8-for-14 from the field.
Also playing a major role for the Flyers was freshman Andrea Hoover, who tied her career-high with 13 points to go along with seven rebounds, and senior Patrice Lalor, who handed out a season-high eight assists and grabbed a career-high eight boards. Lalor’s eight rebounds was also the game-high for either team.
The Eagles (2-4) got off to a fast start, opening the game on a 5-2 run. Unfortunately for BC, that success was short-lived as a layup by Cassie Sant gave Dayton a 7-5 lead.
The two teams went back-and-forth for the remainder of the first half, but the Flyers took a 27-23 advantage into the locker-room.
The Eagles hung with Dayton early in the second half, cutting the lead to two points, but the Flyers responded with an 11-0 run to pull away mid-way through the second half.
BC made things interesting by coming to within four points of Dayton, but the Flyers shot an efficient, 15-for-19 from the free throw line, which paid major dividends down the stretch as the Eagles attempted a comeback bid.
Dayton will be back on the court Tuesday night to play host to Wright State.
Seminoles Edge 49ers
Trailing by two points with just two seconds remaining in the second half, Amanda Dowe took an inbounds pass and fired up what would be a game-winning three-pointer for the Charlotte women’s basketball team, but came up empty as the shot bounced off the rim to secure the 64-62 win for Florida State.
The shot was Dowe’s second opportunity to give the 49ers (5-3) the lead after her jumper with 11 seconds remaining also came up short with her team down by a point.
The Seminoles (4-5) rallied from an eight point deficit in the second half to hold on for the 64-62 win in a game that featured 14 lead changes.
FSU had five players score in double-figures on the night, including 14 from Alexa Deluzio in 38 minutes of playing time.
Charlotte got a strong performance from junior forward Jennifer Hailey, who led all scorers with 20 points to go along with a game-high 10 boards, four steals, and three blocks. Unfortunately, the bench could not add to those contributions as the Seminoles bench outscored that of the 49ers, 23-16.
With FSU holding on to a 24-18 lead mid-way through the first half, Charlotte went on a 10-0 run to give itself a 28-24 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the half. The Seminoles would cut that lead to 30-28 at halftime.
The game remained tight throughout the second half, as both teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch.
Florida State took the lead for good with 1:43 remaining in the contest after sophomore Natasha Howard converted on a layup to push FSU ahead, 63-62.
Deluzio added a free throw toward the end of the game to push the lead to two, which was just enough for the Seminoles to hold on for the win.
The 49ers next prepare to take on the University of North Carolina Wilmington on Wednesday night.
Spiders Beat Cross-Town Rival VCU
Although the Richmond women’s basketball team suffered a 69-56 loss to Virginia on Sunday afternoon, the highlight of the Spiders (6-2) week came from a 78-77 nail-biting victory over cross-town rival Virginia Commonwealth Thursday night.
Sophomore forward Genevieve Okoro led the way for Richmond with a career-high 21 points and 13 rebounds on the night.
With under five minutes remaining in the contest, VCU held a commanding 73-65 lead over the Spiders.
However, Richmond turned the tables on the Rams thanks to a 9-0 run, which was capped off by a three-pointer by Keri Soppe to give the Spiders a 74-73 lead with 2:21 to go.
Although this was a game that saw 17 lead changes, Richmond was able to hold on at the end for its sixth win of the season.
The Rams (4-3) did get 25 points and 10 rebounds from Courtney Hurt, but the Spiders 22-for-25 clip at the free-throw line proved to be a major factor in the end for Richmond.
The Spiders take the floor again on Saturday at home against the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Nick Canelas can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Canelas.
