STORRS, Conn. – The University of Dayton lost to No. 2/2 UConn 78-38 in the championship game of the World Vision Classic Sunday in front of a crowd of 6,486 at Gampel Pavilion.
Senior De’Sarae Chambers and sophomore Cassie Sant led UD with eight points each. Senior Casey Nance had a team-best six rebounds. Freshman Andrea Hoover had a team-high three assists for Dayton, but got into early foul trouble with four in the first half.
The pesky Huskies held UD to a season-low in points, field goals (14) and three-point field goal percentage (.130 on 3-of-23 from behind the arc). The Flyers tied a season-low with three treys made. The Flyers have hit at least one three in 324 consecutive games. Chambers made sure the streak stayed alive knocking down UD’s first three-pointer of the night in the second half with 6:56 left to play in the game. Freshman Ally Malott and junior Sam MacKay also knocked down treys. UConn also scored a season-high 78 points on the Flyers and had 16 steals.
Dayton fell behind 10-0 to start the game. Senior De’Sarae Chambers got the first Flyer points of the game, knocking down one of two free throws with 16:31 on the clock. Senior Justine Raterman hit a pair of free throws to make the score 12-3.
Junior Olivia Applewhite hit UD’s first field goal of the game at 14:24 and the Huskies led 17-5.
The Flyers made just six field goals in the first half and hit 4-of-7 from the free throw line, while UConn converted 15 field goals, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc to build a 47-16 lead at the break. The Huskies also were 12-of-14 from the free throw line. Freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored 19 first-half points for UConn, with the help of making 5-of-5 from three-point range.
The 40-point margin of defeat was the seventh-worst in program history. UD largest setback was a 46-point deficit in an 89-43 loss to Memphis in 1995.
The Flyers will host back-to-back games at UD Arena. Dayton takes on Boston College on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. ET in a rematch from the 2010-11 season in which Dayton upset No. 25 Boston College 89-77 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Two days later the Flyers will face off against Wright State Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. ET.
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